Cards prepare to offer 'luxury lofts' in new stadium
I see that I was not the only one who had a problem with the Tillman statement. That was my main beef. It justs goes against everything that we have heard of Pat.. whether true or untrue.
My other point after thinking about it is the lack of balance. Some have stated it but the piece gives the Bidwills ZERO credit for at least trying to get away from their horrible past. We all know the history... but I think we all have high hopes for the future.
What gets me too is the apparent lack of understanding of how much a stadium that the team can truly call its own has played into the piss poor performance on the field. It is all about economics, and the Cards have not had ENOUGH of it to be successful.
Just so happens that this guy has a clue:
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Cards prepare to offer 'luxury lofts' in new stadium
Craig Harris
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 27, 2005 05:20 PM
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]When the Arizona Cardinals move into their new stadium next year in Glendale, there will be no "luxury suites" for deep-pocketed fans who want a high-class National Football League experience.
Instead, there will be luxury lofts.
While fans won't be able to sleep there, the Cardinals believe they will be so upscale and spacious that fans will want to come to games early and linger a little later. They also hope to bolster their profits in a very competitive professional sports market. [/font]
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]In addition to providing comfort to fans, the 88 lofts which can expand to 120 in the future, are a key component to the team's financial success because the Cardinals retain nearly all the income generated from them. They will cost between $65,000 to $125,000 per season, a significant jump from the up to 50 suites the team leases at Sun Devil Stadium for $50,000 to $75,000.
One of the ways for a NFL team to enhance the bottom line is through luxury suites, or in the Cardinals case, lofts. Current NFL rules call for franchises to share ticket revenue among all the teams, but most luxury suite income is exempt from league revenue sharing. Teams, like the Washington Redskins, with newer stadiums and upscale suites have been able to make more money, which can be spent on better talent on the field.
The Cardinals decision to alter the name of private rooms to watch a football game might sound like a nuance, it's the latest change in a series of cultural shifts for the Cardinals, one of the poorer NFL teams and long-time losers on the field who have had trouble filling Sun Devil Stadium.
In the last two years, the Cardinals have hired a new head coach, changed uniforms and reconfigured its lineup as they hope to field a winning team this fall and generate excitement before they move into Cardinals Stadium in 2006.
The Cardinals have quietly marketed the lofts to current suite holders during the last few weeks with a model at the team's Tempe training headquarters. The team declined to say how many have been sold. Michael Bidwill, the team's vice president and general counsel, said the Cardinals put the most modern technology in their lofts because of the intense competition for luxury suites among the Valley's four professional sports teams.
But adding more suites to the market could push overall prices down.
"This size market is the most competitive of any in the United States, and we needed to set ourselves apart and make sure we have the best amenities," Bidwill said. "What we wanted to do was create a suite product that really complimented the stadium . . . We want to give our stadium loft customers the ultimate fan experience, and this will do it."
The lofts, which Bidwill said are up to 50 percent larger than the suites at Sun Devil Stadium, will feature soft cork flooring, three seats around a table, four swivel-bar seats and 12 red leather stadium seats with individual cup holders and side tables. Each loft also will have four TVs, which can play up to four different NFL games on Sundays, with three of those plasma screens mounted against a wall and one TV hanging just outside the loft.
Each loft will be decorated in team colors _ red, black, white and gold _ and the main light fixture will hang from the ceiling and resemble the outside of the new retractable-roof stadium, which also will have a retractable field. There also will be a chalkboard, where the team could draw up a "play of the week," Bidwill said.
Small individual lockers also will be in each loft to secure personal belongings and each will have a large bathroom with railings for those in wheelchairs. Each loft also will have two telephones, including an Internet protocol phone with a liquid-crystal-display screen. Fans can use the phones as they would use touch-screen kiosks, to order goods from the team shop, check scores or even keep track of fantasy-football teams.
Along with Cardinals Stadium, the Valley is home to Bank One Ballpark, America West Arena, Glendale Arena, Phoenix International Raceway, and Sun Devil Stadium. Each of those facilities has been relatively successful in selling most of its inventory, despite metro-Phoenix having few large corporations that typically spend money on luxury suites.
At AWA, the Phoenix Suns have leased 84 of their 88 suites for the upcoming season, while the Phoenix Coyotes say they have a majority of their 89 suites sold at Glendale Arena. The Coyotes declined to disclose specific figures.
Dave Groff, senior vice president of corporate and suite sales for the Coyotes, said he expects suite sales to pick up now that the hockey lockout has ended.
The Arizona Diamondbacks, meanwhile, have 63 of their 76 suites sold. Suite sales at AWA and Glendale Arena also include admission to concerts and family shows at those facilities.
Suns President Rick Welts said although the team has been successful in selling most of its inventory, he believes the Suns could charge up to 25 percent more if the market were not so saturated.
"It's just a factor of the competition and the number of suite inventory," Welts said. "There is too much for this market . . . .There is a lot of business to win with four (major) teams have different stadiums and arenas."
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seems a little wierd to me. But I can't say he didn't say it... I just would have left that "quote" out of the article. I'm sure he could have gotten some better quotes from some more vocal ex-cards (ie Si ME on )
, new attitude
