The Jazz in the offseason made around $125M in upgrades to Vivint Smart Home Arena, and the club "hopes that the arena won’t need more large-scale renovations for at least another generation," according to Kyle Goon of the SALT LAKE TRIBUNE. The upgrades were "carefully considered, with the benefit of 26 years of experience, advances in technology and countless hours of research," and while the construction "took only 129 days to complete, each move was meticulously planned." The arena upgrade "represents what the Miller organization views as a maturation of not only its headquarters but also its franchise." Jazz President Steve Starks "pointed to 18 months of research as the key" to making the venue "what it is." Seats are now "cushioned, much of the gray stone is covered by white walls and familiar local joints now serve food." There are also "less obvious touches," like the "400 or so digital signs that dot the arena now." Even the restrooms in the suites "were considered." Rather than "keep them inside the suite, the renovations have moved to make more centralized restrooms on the club level for more discreet use, which fans requested." The overall renovations are a "part of a future pattern, the organization believes, which will see increased investment into amenities, player salaries and other areas" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 10/16).
MASTER MIND: In Salt Lake City, Sean Means noted a new deal has been struck making Ticketmaster the "vendor for all events" at Vivint Smart Home Arena, "taking over from the Utah-based Smith's Tix." The deal formally began Oct. 2. Larry H. Miller Group VP/Ticketing Chris Barrey said that both sides have "worked through a few bumps in the first few weeks." The arena also "will no longer use Flash Seats, Smith's Tix' secondary ticket service, and tickets now on that service have been transferred to customer's new Vivint Arena accounts." The deal with Ticketmaster also "covers Smith's Ballpark," home to the Triple-A PCL Salt Lake Bees, which falls under the umbrella of the Miller family organization (SLTRIB.com, 10/16).
