University of Phoenix Stadium’s removable field and retractable roof make it one of the most versatile sports and entertainment facilities in North America.
Global Spectrum has surpassed event and revenue projections at the first NFL facility where the field moves in and out of the building in one piece.
The stadium’s public landlord, the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority, desired a multipurpose facility that could compete against other Phoenix venues for conventions and trade shows, in addition to bringing high-profile sports events to Glendale.
The authority hired Global Spectrum to manage and book non-NFL events at the stadium, and Global has exceeded projections in the first 18 months of operation.
In 2007 the facility had 149 events resulting in gross ticket sales of $9.6 million from attendance of 568,000. Those numbers do not include Arizona Cardinals, Fiesta Bowl and BCS National Championship Game revenue and attendance. The figures do include income from 13 proms and eight graduations, which shows the building’s creativity and flexibility.
Concert production crews love the design for setup and teardown at the stadium’s south end, where the field rolls out and trucks can drive right onto the concrete floor to unload and pack up equipment. The event-level layout is a big reason why the Rolling Stones, a band with one of the most elaborate stages on tour, picked the stadium as one of the last stops on its “A Bigger Bang” tour in November 2006.
“They essentially told us that it was the quickest in/out of their set ever,” said Peter Sullivan, Global Spectrum’s general manager in Glendale. “Their show ended at 11 p.m. and by 4 p.m. the next afternoon you would have been hard-pressed to know they were there.”
Touring acts also save money by not having to protect the field during event preparations, which was a big plus for the NFL leading up to this year’s Super Bowl. The portable playing surface, which is stored outside the stadium between events, made it much easier for league officials to do everything they needed to do before the big game without having to worry about damaging the grass deck.
Air conditioning, a valuable commodity in the desert, is also a critical feature. The Cardinals’ old home in Tempe was half-filled for most home games in part due to the Arizona heat. Now, despite the team’s continuing on-field struggles, its new nest is packed. Every ticket for the 63,000-seat stadium was sold for the first two seasons.
