The Bucks addressed vertigo issues at the Panorama Club by glazing the glass panels lining the walkwaysFISERV FORUM
The Bucks have spent nearly $3M to address some "relatively minor problems" at Fiserv Forum since construction was completed last summer, according to James Nelson of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. Virtually all of the team's home games have been sellouts, and the arena has hosted a "steady stream of concerts and other events." Some of the changes to the arena will be "readily apparent to fans and concert-goers," while others are "behind the scenes and might only be seen by employees or the players." While every seat in Fiserv Forum has a cup holder, about 3,000 of them are "too small for a cup of beer or soda and will be replaced." In the BMO Harris Club, the Bucks have "removed some space-hogging banquettes and added more high-top tables," and have added "rails so customers can set down drinks and enjoy their food without juggling." The arena's "soaring atrium is the showstopper," but that "high, open space can be unsettling for some people in the upper concourse of the rafters-level Panorama Club." The Bucks "took a little bit of that vertigo edge off by applying a slight glazing to the glass panels lining the walkways." Meanwhile, some of the concrete floors are "showing wear and tear and already need refinishing" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL-SENTINEL, 3/24).
TAKE A SEAT: ESPN.com's Malika Andrews noted the Bucks have "state-of-the-art bench seats." They are "so unique, in fact, that the Bucks spent months ironing out an exclusive business arrangement with the manufacturer." The benches, which "heat to 106 degrees," took three years, 12 Univ. of Colorado students, a New Zealand research group and six prototypes "to perfect." The idea for the "sideline seat warmers," made by Figureas USA, was conceived by Bucks Dir of Performance Troy Flanagan. He said, "An over-the-top amount of research and design went into these chairs. It is the most carefully engineered seat you could ever imagine." Andrews noted now that the Bucks have "adjusted to their new seats, they have started to notice inferior products around the league." Meanwhile, word of the seats "has spread" around the NBA. Opposing players will "pause their warm-up routines to test Milwaukee's seats, raising them up and down, only to be disappointed to find that the visitors bench doesn't have the same features." Within weeks, other teams "began to call" asking about the seats, including the Warriors, who are "exploring options for the team's seating in their new arena" (ESPN.com, 3/22).
