American Airlines Center in Dallas has created two party suites to accommodate large groups for Stars and Mavericks games, spaces that could generate up to $500,000 a season in incremental revenue, said Frank Hubach, the arena’s director of premium sales.
Facility operator Center Operating Co., jointly owned by Stars owner Tom Hicks and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, spent $300,000 to convert 97 club seats on the Platinum Club suite level into two party boxes for nightly rentals. Each space can fit up to 60 people, Hubach said.
The two units were scheduled to open last Saturday for the Stars’ second regular-season home game. The building already has sold both boxes for 25 sports events, Hubach said.
There are 93 dates available between the Stars’ and Mavs’ seasons and the Arena Football League’s Dallas Desperados.
The arena’s sales staff started selling them in mid-July after the Stars’ and Mavs’ schedules were released.
The boxes sell for $8,000 a game for the Stars and $9,000 or $10,500 for the Mavs, depending on the NBA team’s opponent, Hubach said. The price includes tickets, a choice of Sportservice food and beverage packages valued at $25 to $30 a person and 15 parking passes.
| EAT, DRINK AND WATCH HOCKEY |
| NHL teams and arenas reported that fans (at right are Flyers faithful) arrived for opening night games last week ready to spend. Some selected per capita numbers for concessions spending around the league: |
| Team | Facility | Concessionaire | Paid attend. (% capacity) | Per cap |
| Boston Bruins | TD Banknorth Garden | Sportservice | 17,565 (100%) | $18-plus |
| Dallas Stars | American Airlines Center | Sportservice | 18,532 (100%) | $15.70 |
| Minnesota Wild | Xcel Energy Center | Centerplate | 19,398 (107%) | $10 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | St. Pete Times Forum | Sportservice | 22,120 (112%) | $24-plus (includes premium) |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Air Canada Centre | In-house | 19,452 (103%) | $10-plus |
Each box has 47 permanent seats and a bar ledge and 10 bar stools. Amenities include 52-inch high-definition LCD televisions, auxiliary monitors, leather seats and granite floors and countertops.
The facility also will sell the seats without the food and beverage package, Hubach said. Tickets alone are $85 for the Stars and $100 for the Mavs. Without food attached, patrons would probably have to buy a minimum of 50 tickets, Hubach said.
“The last two years, we had several requests from people wanting 50 to 60 seats in a suite,” said Brad Mayne, American Airlines Center’s president and CEO. “Thirty-two was our biggest [suite capacity], so they ended up purchasing two to three suites and having them side by side.”
Cambria, a Minnesota-based manufacturer of man-made quartz surfaces that recently entered the Dallas market, provided materials to finish out the spaces in exchange for tickets to premium areas at American Airlines Center, said Curtis Partain, the building’s vice president of corporate sales. The company and the arena are negotiating further sponsorship components.
