The Minnesota Timberwolves have nearly sold out their most exclusive club connected to Target Center’s $140 million renovation.
As of last week, the NBA team had a dozen seats left to sell for the 486-seat Lexus Courtside Club, an upgraded premium space reserved for patrons sitting in the first few rows around the court.
The remaining inventory should be gone by the time the regular season starts in late October, said Ryan Tanke, the team’s chief revenue officer. About half of the courtside seat holders are existing season-ticket holders and there has been a strong renewal rate among those customers, he said.
For the newly redesigned club, the average ticket price runs $400 a person per game with a high-end cost of $1,500 a game for the 16 fans sitting with their feet on the court. The cost includes food, beer and wine.
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The TCL SixOneTwo Lounge is a new club at Target Center, reserved for seat holders behind the benches. See additional images below.
Photo by: MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
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On average, those ticket prices went up 5 percent to 10 percent over the old package. The difference reflects new amenities such as valet parking and covers additional costs for improved food service, Tanke said.
The hospitality space itself is at event level and provides a seamless “street-to-seat” experience, compared with the previous setup, in which courtside seat holders had to go upstairs to a lounge on the suite level, Tanke said.
As part of their marketing pitch, the Timberwolves focused on the high-end dining experience managed by Levy, which runs all food service at Target Center after taking over concessions for the coming season.
“We worked with [architect] Don Dethlefs to really make the courtside club a crown jewel,” Tanke said. “It will be a destination after games as well.”
The new courtside club, basically the arena’s old lobby at street level, has been transformed into an upscale space encompassing 16,500 square feet with a private entrance, said Dethlefs, CEO of Denver-based Sink Combs Dethlefs.
Separately, the TCL SixOneTwo Lounge is a new club reserved for three center seating sections behind the team benches and scorers table. The lounge replaces the team offices, which were relocated to Mayo Clinic Square, the Timberwolves and Lynx practice facility across the street.
The TCL club design has exposed brick and natural wood beams. Situated off the main concourse, the 10,000-square-foot room is accessible from the skyway connecting the arena with the practice facility.
The Timberwolves have sold 600 of the club’s 750 seats, including more than 100 since their draft-day trade for all-star guard Jimmy Butler, Tanke said. Tickets cost $100 to $200 a game per person. Sales will be capped at 700, with 50 seats reserved for corporate groups, he said.
In addition, for this coming season, four new Chairman’s Suites have been added to the 13 sold-out units that opened last year. It’s a product separate from traditional suites and features a large common area outside of the suites to eat, drink and socialize.
Those suite holders also have the option to have food served in their private hospitality space. The all-inclusive suites sell for $250,000 a year and the Timberwolves have three of the four remaining to sell.
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Hospitality area for Chairman’s Suite patrons
Photo by: MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
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A Chairman’s Suite at Target Center
Photo by: MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
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A rendering of the Lexus Courtside Club
Rendering: MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
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