The L.A. Stadium Premiere Center "officially opened last Thursday" in Playa Vista, Calif., and it will showcase suites available at the new Inglewood stadium being built for the Rams and Chargers, according to Don Muret of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. The Rams "plan to operate" the facility through the opening of the stadium in '20. Sources said that the cost to build the preview center was in the "mid-seven figures." Dozens of appointments for suite sales have already been made, and the sales process "started last week with Legends marketing the first 125 suites jointly sold for both teams." Those suites, designed in four distinct styles, "sell for $300,000 to $800,000 a year, starting with 10-year terms." All told, the stadium will "hold 260-plus suites with seven distinct designs" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 8/7 issue). In L.A., Nathan Fenno writes the 20,000-square foot premiere center offers potential suite owners and sponsors a "glimpse" of the "more than 260 suites across seven varieties." The center has been "used to sell companies interested in naming rights and cornerstone sponsorships," though "nothing is imminent." It also was visited by the IOC during its trip to L.A. and by Rams Owner Stan Kroenke's real estate team "discussing possible leases for businesses on the site." Legends Global Sales CRO Chris Hibbs said, "It's a holistic showcase for everything, not just the stadium. That's pretty different" (L.A. TIMES, 8/7).
TAKE A LOOK AROUND: In L.A., Vincent Bonsignore noted visitors to the center are "escorted through a digital and interactive experience that will virtually put them in and around the stadium on a future game day in such a compelling way." Hibbs: "We went out and saw almost every preview center that’s been up and running over the last two years, and I think we’ve recreated it. I think we’ll have every new venue that happens over the next five years come to L.A. and look at it as the benchmark" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 8/7).
