Tour and reception at University of Phoenix Stadium
- Home of the Arizona Cardinals (NFL) Super Bowl XLII (2/3/08)
- Cost $450 Million
- Opened August of 2006
- There are a total of 63,400 seats, including 7,500 club seats. There are 88 stadium Lofts (suites.)
Tuesday, June 26, 2007 – located at University of Phoenix Stadium Session #3 –
Ticketing Trends and Technologies (1.5 hours)
- Panel Moderator – Chris Dill, Vice President/CIO, Portland Trailblazers
- Panelists – Jane Kleinberger, Chairman and Founder, Paciolan; Jeff Farmer, RazorGator Experiences; Derek Palmer, Tickets.com
This panel explored trends in ticketing operations including self ticketing, secondary ticketing, cash on tickets, access control systems for ticketing, etc.
Lunch and tour of the University of Phoenix Stadium hosted by Mark Feller
Session #4
In-depth Technology Panel Discussion
- Panel Moderator – Jeff Eberwein, CIO, The United Center
- Panelists – Christine Stoffel, VP of IT, Phoenix Coyotes; Joe Heinlein, Director of IT, American Airlines Center; Sasha Puric, Director of IT, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment
This panel discussion consisted of an in-depth, interactive discussion on IT topics introduced in session #1. Structured in a question and answer format, this session was very interactive and allowed participants to ask direct question of the panelists (and each other) on broad subjects ranging from policy/procedures to team business process operation.
2007 Conference Summary written by Jeff Eberwien, CIO Chicago Bulls/Blackhawks.
........"Our first conference bringing together IT Professionals across Sports and Entertainment Venues was a success!"
- Include presentations on actual projects and successes/failures that venues have done
- Periodic conference call – Chris D. will facilitate/chair the first call in August
- Leverage the group to get vendors to do things we want them to do (example – Archtics integration to Nortel Kiosks)
- Include knowledge sharing/educational topics – ex -> how to present an effective ROI on capx expenses.
- Project „inception‟ document – any examples or templates?
- Presentations on retrofitting new technologies to old facilities, renovations, etc.
- For next year, host the sessions at the hotel
- Spread the vendor presentations out so we don‟t have to endure 4 hours of death by PowerPoint
- Round table discussions on topics instead of panel discussions
All agreed that we would address these topics during subsequent calls leading up to SEAT 2008.
The reception was held on the main Club area (Oazis Club) of the building. Designed by world renowned architect, Frank Eisenman, University of Phoenix Stadium is unique to the landscape of Arizona. The actual design is from a barrel cactus that features alternating sections of roof to floor window panels to bring in the natural light throughout the stadium. Metal panels are also included to reflect the shifting desert light (see below left.) It is extremely different from most other large football venues and the interior designers were specifically told not to visit or tour any other sports facilities prior to construction. Exposed concrete and glass, lots of steel girders and beams and large open spaces contribute to the self proclaimed proclamation of “the next generation” of stadiums.
One of the most unique elements is the retractable natural grass field concept. Weighing 17 million pounds (234 feet wide, 403 feet long) the surface is contained in a single tray that is kept outside 350+ days of the year and rolled in only on game days. It takes roughly one hour for electric motors mounted on steel wheels and tracks to move the surface into place. It is quite a sight to see as we were privy to the entire process (see below middle.)
U. of Phoenix Stadium Retractable Surface
The exposed ceiling, cork floors and carpeted walls provide the impetus for the term “Luxury Lofts.” Each suite has a private restroom and actual lockers where guests can lock up personal items.
Session #5 – For IT Directors only (1 hour)
This session excluded vendors and was focused on looking back over the inaugural SEAT meeting in an effort to brainstorm ideas on what can be improved for next year‟s meeting. Suggestions included:
- League initiatives – session/panel with reps from the leagues?
- League meeting – MLB has periodic meetings, what do the other majors do and how does/can this work with ALSD-IT?
- Labs – can we have some hands on sessions/labs relating to security, etc?
- Need for a Portal, wiki or other way to collaborate which is controlled by the group, not necessarily through ALSD?
- How do we gather due diligence information on projects wi-fi, crm, etc. ?
