The "complete remodeling" of Hard Rock Stadium is complete after three years and will be on full display for the first time tonight when the Dolphins host the Falcons, according to Craig Davis of the South Florida SUN-SENTINEL. Dolphins President & CEO Tom Garfinkel said, "It’s just nice having things done where there’s not parts of the stadium that feel unfinished now. There’s still a lot of work to be done in terms of certain details and things. But when you walk around now it feels like a new stadium everywhere you go." Davis noted the renovation of the stadium's "club level and 147 suites, addition of party terraces with bars in the four corners of the 300 level and redesign of the parking lot and exterior landscaping pushed the cost" of the project to more than $500M. There is one more phase of the project that "should improve the experience of coming to an event at Hard Rock that will begin following the upcoming football season." Two pedestrian bridges and two pedestrian tunnels are planned to "aid in fans going to and from the outer parking lots without interrupting the flow of vehicular traffic on the streets surrounding the stadium." While the stadium project has "created some high-end seating that approximates watching the game from the stern of a yacht, the new party terraces on the 300 level are the flipside, accessible with standing-room only tickets." Garfinkel said ticket prices for the party terraces "will change depending on the game, but will be among our least expensive." Garfinkel: "We want a bunch of young fans hanging out, congregating together, watching the game at the same time. There’s TVs and a great view" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 8/9).
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: In Miami, Carlos Frias noted the standing-room-only tickets start at $40 and "will allow fans to watch the game from under their new covered roof, right next to the bar, with a clear view from each of the field’s four corners." The team is "aiming squarely at younger fans who might otherwise watch the game at a sports bar or at a friend’s house." Garfinkel said, "They can stand up here and be social with each other and turn around and see the game and talk with each other." Frias noted fans will be able to "roam the upper deck of the stadium or simply hang out by one of eight new sections." Each section will "hold no more than 100 people each, and they are also being marketed to large groups." The ticket price will "go up depending on demand for a particular game" (MIAMI HERALD, 8/9).
