With Philips Arena currently undergoing major renovations Cheap Will Dissly Jersey , the Hawks recently launched ”The Preview,” an interactive tour of the transformed arena in downtown Atlanta located between Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Centennial Olympic Park. The tour was opened about a month ago while the arena is currently in the final phase of its $192.5 million renovation.
Hawks CEO Steve Koonin said there is no other experience like the preview center in the NBA.
Thousands of potential suite and seat buyers have already taken the tour held in a 2,500-square-foot space, which is located on CNN Center property. The tour is promoting the revamped arena on several large 70-inch screens as a premiere entertainment venue for basketball games, concerts and events.
Ticket holders in the suites, cabanas or verandas don’t just use them for Hawks games, the tickets are good for all events at Philips Arena – with food and beverages all included. But the Hawks home games are the primary hook.
”It’s going to be a social place unlike anywhere else in the NBA,” Koonin said. ”All of our research told us that people don’t want to sit down in a chair eating a hot dog out of aluminum foil and watch a game. They want a great night out. … Think Vegas pool meets sporting event.”
”The Preview” offers a before-and-after look at the various amenities from the 360-degree concourse, rapper Killer Mike’s barber shop, Zac Brown’s BBQ restaurant, fantasy golf area, club lounge and premium seating areas with couches and cabanas. The tour Colts Elite Jerseys , which the Hawks dub as somewhat of a ”Disney ride,” also provides a look at the new state-of-the-art video board system, which is three times larger than the current one.
The Hawks will continue to operate it once the arena renovations are complete, they have three-year lease for the space.
Koonin said team officials know they have much work to do.
Despite the Hawks’ on-the-court struggles this past season, the franchise hopes to claim some victory off it. The team went 24-58 and missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons.
Koonin said they are taking a new business approach to enhance the fan experience beyond any game or event. The courtside club featuring the Hawks Bar in the premium seating area several rows behind the basketball goal was a part of the arena’s phase one transformation.
”I love that they’re not letting it sit around,” said Atlanta-based attorney Randy Kessler, who has been a Hawks season-ticket holder since the arena opened in 1999. He hasn’t been on ”The Preview” tour, but he’s seen images of the new arena.
”I love that they are not just thinking of on-the-court experience, but off it,” Kessler added. ”You should feel special once you walk in, and I did. I thought last year’s improvements were good. Even though the team was terrible, the experience was still great. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.”
Koonin said the Hawks realize with their recent on-court performance they have to continue to work in order to win over fans.
He said the team spent millions of dollars to build the preview center and partnered with a Seattle-based design firm Hornall Anderson to create the virtual tour.
Philips Area is expected to reopen in October Authentic Justin Reid Jersey , but Koonin said the team will keep the tour going on for the next couple years. The arena might be one of the smallest-capacity NBA venues with 17,600 seats.
Sales centers are not unique to the NBA and several teams with new arenas have given fans an insight to what they can expect in the new facilities, including Sacramento, Milwaukee and Golden State.
Koonin said Hawks officials visited other arena preview centers including Sacramento and the NFL stadium in Minnesota. He said there is no other experience like ”The Preview” in the NBA, but the Hawks are still missing one thing – championships.
Golden State ”has one thing that’s very powerful that I wish we had: A bunch of recent Larry O’Brien trophies and rings,” he said. ”We have to work a little harder.”
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LAS VEGAS — The San Jose Sharks made it to the Stanley Cup Finals just two years ago, losing in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
So you’d think Peter DeBoer’s squad might be a little ticked off to be cast in the role of the underdog against the expansion Vegas Golden Knights when they meet in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs starting Thursday night at T-Mobile Arena.
Instead, the Sharks seem to welcome the fact that the Golden Knights, who cruised to the Pacific Division title with 109 points, are solid betting favorites to move on to the Western Conference finals.
“I know we’re going to be heavy, heavy underdogs,” DeBoer said with a big smile after his team swept the Anaheim Ducks in four games in the first round. “Hopefully you write that Authentic Rick Leonard Jersey , and we go from there.”
Vegas, which swept the Los Angeles Kings in the first round, won the season series with the Sharks (3-0-1), although two of the games were decided in overtime and another by just one goal.
“If you look at years past I think it’s nice for us to be an underdog,” San Jose defenseman Brenden Dillon told nhl.com. “They’ve been one of the best teams from Day 1 of the season, a team we have a lot of respect for and a team with a high-end offense. They’re feeling good about their game, and we’re going have to be at our best.”
Vegas is 31-10-2 at home but will be facing a veteran San Jose squad that is 22-14-7 on the road, outscoring Anaheim 6-2 in two wins at the Honda Center.
Both teams have playoff-proven goaltenders who come in hot. San Jose’s Martin Jones was 4-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average, a shutout and a glossy .970 save percentage in the sweep of the Ducks. Marc-Andre Fleury of the Golden Knights, a key member on three Stanley Cup-winning teams in Pittsburgh, was even more impressive against the Kings, compiling a 0.65 GAA and .977 save percentage to go with two shutouts.
A big key in Thursday night’s opener could be which team can shake off the rust quicker. Vegas will be playing its first game in nine days since polishing off the Kings 1-0 behind 31 saves by Fleury on April 17 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. San Jose will be taking the ice for the first time in eight days after edging visiting Anaheim 2-1 behind a 30-save performance by Jones on April 18 at SAP Center.
“I think the plus (of the long break) would probably be the rest Adidas Logan Couture Jersey , healing your body from the bumps and bruises a little bit,” Fleury said. “But it’s so long, though. We had great momentum going. Now we have to wait and see.”
“They’re in the same boat so that’s the good thing,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. “I’m glad we’re not playing a team that just finished up a series and had two or three days off. We had an extra day more than them. … It’s going to be tough, but the players are going to be ready, they’re fired up. It’s a playoff game, not a regular-season game.”
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