The Tampa Bay Lightning, riding the momentum of an appearance in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, has sold all 34 new loge boxes at
Amalie Arena.
The Vology Loge, named for a local technology firm, is a retrofit on the club level on the arena’s north end, where the Lightning shoots twice and which faces the stage for concerts. There are 156 new seats distributed in groups of four, six and eight.
The loges cost $60,000, $90,000 and $120,000 for the season, which breaks down to $15,000 a seat per person. Those costs cover tickets to all events, including Lightning games, plus food and drink, served by Delaware North Sportservice.
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The Vology Loge (above) has seats for 156 at Amalie Arena’s north end. The area is served by a bar that’s part of $23M in offseason club level renovations.
Photos by: GENERATOR STUDIO (2)
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The new seats replace 328 old club seats that were priced at $60 to $85 a game last season, team spokesman
Bill Wickett said. The new inventory will generate incremental revenue in the low seven figures, he said.
The loges became a hot commodity after the Lightning made a deep run in the NHL playoffs. The final seats were sold shortly after June 13, the day the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Lightning in Game 6 to win the Stanley Cup, said
Steve Griggs, the team’s CEO.
Griggs came up with the idea of introducing loge boxes in Tampa after seeing how successful the midpriced product sold at Amway Center. He was on the ground floor for developing the Orlando Magic’s facility, which opened in October 2010.
Across the major leagues, teams and arenas have seen demand increase for smaller groups of premium seats, whether they’re called loge boxes or theater boxes.
The Tampa market is a perfect size for loges to meet the needs of law firms, accountants and military defense companies dotting central Florida, Griggs said. Vology, an IT services provider, signed a five-year deal valued in the mid-six figures annually.
Generator Studio of Kansas City is the architect responsible for designing arena upgrade projects approaching
$90 million over the past five years, including $23 million this offseason to revamp the club level. Lightning owner Jeff Vinik has paid for the bulk of those costs.
“The team has been sorely missing that price point,” said Mike Kress, Generator’s co-founder and chief architect. “Amalie Arena has 200-plus event nights a year. The Chase Club at [stage] end gets shuttered for non-hockey events, and this is a move to capture revenue that would otherwise be lost.”
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Rendering shows a group space called a loft, bigger after the refurb.
Photo by: GENERATOR STUDIO
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The club level renovations extend to three new themed drink-heavy destinations. Two are named for local eateries,
Irish 31 and
Mise en Place Cafe and Wine Bar.
Cask and Barrel is a bourbon bar not currently sponsored.
Elsewhere on the club level, group spaces, called lofts, have been doubled in size and set up with draft beer dispensers operated by the patrons buying those areas on game nights.
The new Heineken Patio, an indoor-outdoor space on the club level’s east side, replaces an old smoking area. It was developed after a similar outdoor deck that opened last year on the west side became a popular hangout, said Tom Proebstle, Kress’ partner at Generator Studio.
In addition, the concession stands on the club’s east side have been redone and tied to a live marketplace theme, an upgrade sorely needed, Kress said. The club level also has a new 1,000-square-foot team store with a tropical theme.
The Lightning’s playoff surge resulted in the team selling all 68 long-term suites for the first time in many years. Suites cost $175,000 to $300,000 a season depending on size and location.
General contractor Mortenson rebuilt the club level after getting a late start due to the Lightning’s playoff run.
> SOUTH CENTRAL: University of Southern California officials are expected to release the first images of proposed renovations to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum during the coliseum commission’s Oct. 29 meeting.
The renderings will show the new South Tower, featuring two rows of founders suites that will fund a large chunk of the $250 million to $300 million project.
The structure, designed by DLR Group, would be similar to the suite tower at Levi’s Stadium, said Joe Furin, the coliseum’s general manager. If all goes as planned with the project, the Pac-12 school hopes to start construction after the 2017 football season.
Don Muret can be reached at dmuret@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @breakground.
