Los Angeles Clippers owner
Steve Ballmer, known for enthusiastically cheering on his team from courtside, now has a private space at
Staples Center where he can cool down.
At Ballmer’s request, arena owner and operator AEG has transformed an old dressing room at event level into an owner’s suite for Clippers games only. The 800-square-foot space has new furniture and fixtures, food and beverage counters, and a refrigerator. It will be converted back to a standard dressing room and TV interview room for Lakers and Kings games and concerts, Staples Center President Lee Zeidman said.
In another Clippers-related retrofit, AEG is building the Clippers Lexus Courtside Club, a pop-up premium space at event level exclusive to the team’s courtside seat holders and VIPs. It can hold 150 to 200 people and will not be used for other events.
The Clippers are paying the cost for both of the upgrades. The team has not disclosed its investment, Zeidman said.
The improvements are among the newest renovations Staples Center has planned for this season, part of $15 million to $20 million in renovations over a three-year period. The projects started last year with a new retractable-seating system, LED sports lighting and the relocation of Team Store LA to a larger space. For this year, in addition to meeting
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Fans at Staples Center can grab a cold one at the Cooler by Budweiser.
Photo by: COURTESY OF AEG
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the Clippers’ needs, AEG is spending $1 million to install an
NCR tablet-based point-of-sale system. Separately, it’s investing $2 million to refresh arena concession stands from top to bottom.
New concessions include the Cooler by Budweiser, a walk-in freezer where fans can quickly grab ice-cold beers, then exit and complete their purchases. It will be situated in an old sports memorabilia space at the Figueroa Street entrance, the arena’s southwest corner.
Gensler is designing the cooler for Levy Restaurants, the arena’s concessionaire. The concept is an upgrade over the Coors Light Beer Box, a walk-in freezer that food vendor Centerplate deployed a few years ago at Principal Park, a Class AAA baseball facility in Des Moines, Iowa.
In addition, new portable carts showcase Pernod Ricard brands Absolut vodka, Altos tequila and Bacardi rum as part of the spirit maker’s new three-year deal with AEG. There are also new deli and hot dog stand concepts and a rebrand of the old Black Crown Lounge, a sit-down restaurant on the main concourse, into a new theme still in development, officials said.
The Camacho’s Cantina stands on the main and upper concourses, among Staples Center’s original food destinations, are undergoing a makeover with new menu options.
Next year, AEG plans to spend $6 million to remodel the arena’s 168 suites and update all food and drink concepts on Suite Level A, including the conversion of Cooke’s Corner and the Buss Stop, named for two of the Lakers’ previous owners, into Prime Time Burger Bars.
> AUSTIN CITY LIMITS: Jason Rittenberry, Circuit of the Americas’ new chief strategy officer, has his eyes set on filling 1,200 acres of undeveloped land at the 3-year-old Austin, Texas, motorsports facility.
Rittenberry, who in early September was hired by COTA President Jason Dial for the new position, is responsible for finding new revenue streams beyond the handful of major events staged at the facility, including the U.S. Grand Prix, the country’s only Formula One event.
As he looks beyond this year’s Grand Prix weekend, set for Oct. 23-25, Rittenberry’s vision for developing that land includes the potential for building additional tracks, including a drag strip, which falls in line with his expertise. Rittenberry was previously president and CEO for IRG Sports & Entertainment, the owner of dragways in Palm Beach, Fla., and Memphis, and holding company for the International Hot Rod Association.
Don Muret can be reached at dmuret@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @breakground.
