Business Monday

ARENAS

At some arenas, club seats come with a DJ

 

Popcorn, peanuts and even luxury suites aren’t enough in South Florida, where major sports teams are offering upgraded experiences for fans who are willing to pay.

Clevelander at Marlins Park

Opened: April 1

Capacity: 296 during games

Size: 6,941 square feet

Cost: Starts at $25 for standing room, $50 for a seat

Signature drink: The Home Run, a combination of the frozen Raging Bull, Cleve Colada, Mickey’s Rum Runner and Deco Margarita

Menu favorite: Tater tachos

Bragging rights: The pool; the dancing girls (and pool boy); close-up views of the field, bullpen and home run sculpture; beer pong and cornhole on the outside patio area.

More information: www.marlins.com/clevelander


Hyde AmericanAirlines Arena

Opening: Oct. 30

Capacity: 200

Size: 2,400 square feet

Cost: Cover charge still to be announced

Signature drink: ‘Love Unit’ with vodka, grapefruit, red bell pepper and basil

Menu offerings: In the works

Bragging rights: Two bars, DJ stand, booths, couches, LCD wall projection, interior design work by Gulla Jonsdottir

More information: sbe.com/hyde


LIV Sun Life Stadium

Opened: Sept. 2010

Capacity: 800

Size: 11,000 square feet

Cost: $75 standing room only — $275 per person for cabanas and couches

Most popular drink: Belvedere and Red Bull

Menu offerings: Chipotle burger duo; meatball sliders; fiesta chicken salad

Bragging rights: Four bars; open two hours after game ends; custom-colored strobe lighting with fog machine; DJ during breaks and after games; white leather cushion seats outside

More information: www.livsunlifestadium.com


Club RED at BankAtlantic Center

Opening: Oct. 1

Capacity: 673 for hockey, 733 for concerts and events

Size: 12,000 square feet, not including ticketed seating area

Cost: $16,500 a year for all events; $9,500 annually for hockey games

Signature drink: Still being decided; likely something red

Menu offerings: Lobster ravioli, foie gras fried rice, Russian caviar

Bragging rights: 60-foot bar, stick and puck millwork, open patio overlooking the floor, lounge seating

More information: www.clubred360.com


hsampson@MiamiHerald.com

Private cabanas. Pool parties. VIP lists and velvet ropes. All-you-can-eat caviar.

South Florida’s sports venues are re-creating the idea of “club seats.” By this fall, all four major teams in Miami-Dade and Broward counties will offer unique, club-like spaces, most under established brand names, with varying degrees of affordability and exclusivity.

While the model seems custom-made for a party city like Miami, local teams over the last couple years have tapped into a national trend that has seen arenas in cities from Orlando to Los Angeles renovated with new high-end revenue generators in mind.

Even the Broward Center for the Performing Arts — a venue more familiar with Broadway shows and the ballet than ball games — is getting into the act, introducing a new “club level” on Oct. 29. And Homestead-Miami Speedway last year launched the Pit Box, a premium indoor 250-seat area above the start/finish line.

“Let’s be honest, Miami is a see-and-be-seen event town,” said said George Stieren, media relations director for the speedway. “And we wanted to cater to that audience while maintaining affordability for families and other types of fans.”

LIV Sun Life Stadium — an offshoot of the popular Fontainebleau Miami Beach nightclub — kicked off the local club-in-stadium scene two years ago, followed by the Clevelander at Marlins Park, a version of the famed South Beach party spot.

By Oct. 1, the home of the Florida Panthers in Sunrise will open a members-only upscale venue called Club RED. And the home of the Miami Heat will celebrate the grand opening of the high-end Hyde AmericanAirlines Arena during the Heat’s Oct. 30 home opener against the Boston Celtics.

Hyde Lounge, which originated as an exclusive Hollywood, Calif. lounge and nightclub, pioneered the trend in 2009 when it opened a location at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Don Muret, who writes about facilities for SportsBusiness Journal, said the outpost was among the first clubs to stay open at an arena after a game ended — now par for the course.

“In some cases, like in L.A., these clubs replace excess suite inventory, skyboxes that are left unsold as the market has changed for premium seats,” Muret said in an email.

He also highlighted the Amway Center in Orlando, which has an rooftop lounge that is open even on some non-event days, as well as the American Airlines Center in Dallas, which replaced a Chili’s with a Latin restaurant and club.

“People realize that in order to be successful in these arenas, they’re trying to add more value for the guest experience,” said Mike Palma, executive vice president for hospitality for Brio Investment Group, which owns the Clevelander at Marlins Park. “By bringing types of things like this, you’re creating a venue that’s sports enthusiast-driven, but you’re also opening the door to bring in other types of consumers that have different needs and wants and desires.”

In addition to drawing attendees who might not necessarily be sports fans, operators of such venues are typically looking to extend the moneymaking hours of activity around a game and, ideally, sell their location as a prime spot for special events or corporate gatherings even when there’s no action in the rest of the arena.

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