Venue Detail
Dallas Stars
RSV Pro Facilities Report
March, 2015
Dallas Stars
1000 Ballpark Way Ste 400 Dallas, TX 76001 Phone: 972-273-5256 Fax: 972-273-5222 URL: www.dallasstars.com Owner: Thomas Hicks League: National Hockey League, Western Conference, Central
Venue
American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave, Dallas, TX 75219 Owner: City of Dallas Managed by: Center Operating Group Built: 2001 Capacity: 18,000 Permanent concession stands: 164 Concessionaire: The Levy Restaurants Suite caterer: The Levy Restaurants Soft drink:
Naming rights
Sold to: American Airlines Price: $195,000,000 Term: 30 years Expires: 2031
Ticket prices
Season tickets range from $861 to $4,059 Single tickets range from $32.00 to $125.00
Attendance
2012 average attendance: 14,226 2013 average attendance: 17,063
Suites
Quantity: 148 Term: 5 to 9 years Price: $225,000 to $400,000 Seats: 12 to 12 Includes: Tickets for hockey, basketball and all other ticketed events.
Club seats
Quantity: 1,988 Term: 3 to 7 years Price: $2,750 to $7,250 Includes: All ticketed events.
Financing
By just 1,642 votes on a turnout of 125,000 ballots, Dallas residents in 1998 approved a hotel and car rental tax to fund a $335 million arena for the NBA Mavericks and NHL Stars. The arena was originally projected to cost $230 million, but the cost escalated to $420 million. The additional cost will be paid by the teams. The tax will generate $12 million a year to fund the city's commitment of $125 million. The teams will pay the remainder and cost overruns plus $3.4 million a year in rent in exchange for 30-year leases.
Reunion Arena was home of the NBA Mavericks and NHL Stars until the teams moved into the $420 million American Airlines Center in 2001. Both teams have agreed to 30-year leases for the 12-acre site north of downtown.
American Airlines paid $195 million over 30 years to have its name on the new arena. The airline will also create a foundation funded by the airline and the teams to give $500,000 a year for a minimum of five years to local charities. The deal is similar to the one created for Staples and the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Broken down, the airline will pay $150 million for the name and $45 million toward marketing initiatives with the teams. Programs and broadcast advertising will be part of the marketing. The name is not to be confused with the American Airlines Arena which the company is sponsoring in Miami. Payments in Dallas began in 2001 when the arena opened.
Advertising is handled through Flagship Sponsorships. Those sponsorships are tailored to meet the needs of a limited number of sponsors and no fixed priced packages are available.
The North Texas Ford Dealer Assn. will pay $39 million over 10 years to sponsor the main lobby of the arena. The price is believed to be a record for non-naming rights deals. The arena will have up to 12 building sponsors, including six lobby sponsors. Signage, seats and Internet advertising are part of the deal. Some of the signage includes the walkway between the arena and a light rail station.
In addition to the lobbies, the arena sells sponsorships to an alcohol-free zone, an interactive fan zone and a beer garden.
Despite the deals, the teams aren't finding the new building to be a cash cow. In 2002, the Mavericks expected to finish the season in the red. Their building partner, the NHL Stars, said they would make a small profit.
The Mavericks say the new building has not been a boost for them because arena earnings go to Center Operating Co., created by both teams to manage the building. Building earnings go to construction debt and other expenses. Profits are also divided between the teams. Signage and naming rights revenue also goes to the partnership rather than to the teams. The Mavericks got advertising revenue in their former home, Reunion Arena.
While the Mavericks and Stars have been sell-outs, the Stars have a higher ticket price and that is believed to be the reason for the team's stronger position.
If the profits have not been good for the teams, they have been good for the building. Managers say their first year was a successful one, having hosted 181 events and opened their doors to more than 2.7 million fans.
Inside sales are also reportedly strong with sales taxes reflecting more than $4 per person that visited the venue. At Reunion Arena, the previous home of the NHL Stars and NBA Mavericks, sales taxes averaged $2.35 per person.
Because the teams also are owners in the building, we have listed them as getting 100 percent of revenues, even though it may not trickle down to individual team budgets.
What may be the most technologically advanced venue in America, the arena has digital sound and video, bar coded tickets and special facilities for cellular phones. Signage is delivered by video on panels that wrap around the bowl, giving advertisers the opportunity for eye-catching displays.
Designers say they opted for ports rather than installing computer screens at each seat to allow the venue to grow with technology. As technology evolves, fans can bring it with them, confident they can plug in when they arrive. If the arena went with current technology, it could be faced with a major renovation expense in several years when new technology joined the mainstream.
That idea is also being employed in other building facilities. Instead of providing television studio space, the arena will have connections wired to outside walls so broadcasters can bring their own trucks and vans to plug in. That puts the cost of keeping up with technology on the broadcasters rather than the arena. Additional cabling is also being installed in case it is needed in the future.
The system allows fans to send e-mail to others in the arena, download video clips of the game and review statistics, among other things.
To pay for the features the Mavericks and Stars are looking for technology sponsors for the teams and the arena. Those sponsors can use the arena as a showcase for their products.
The arena also broke new ground in accessibility. The arena provides more than 500 accessible seats in all price ranges for both basketball and ice hockey. Arrangements include rink-side seating during hockey matches or other ice events. Concession areas will also have accessible countertops as will all 20 family bathrooms. All luxury suites will be accessible for those with disabilities.
The Mavericks and Stars formed a committee of 11 volunteers to advise them how to expand accessible areas. An accessibility architect was hired to help with the design.
Among the Mavericks' ticket offerings are 10 floor level seats adjacent to the bench. The seats sell for $1,300 each. Game day suites are $2,750 to $8,000 and seat 18 to 60 people. (Facilities, Ice Hockey, NHL, Professional Sports, Venue)