With just a little less than a month before the new $130 million Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena opens, club seats are sold out and only seven suites are still available, according to SMG, which manages the facility.
Arena Club seats, come with several amenities, including private concession stands, bigger seats with higher backs and the option of purchasing tickets in advance for almost any event at the arena. Preferred parking passes at the adjacent trolley lot also can be purchased in advance.
The club seats were offered for three or five years at $300 per seat. All have been sold for five years with 300 people on a waiting list.
“Club owners are a combination of individuals and corporate-professional types,” said Shawn Hegan, sales manager for SMG.
At $3,000 per seat each year for five years, the St. Johns Suites are a level above the club seats. Currently, only 35 of 100 seats are still available.
Private suites can accommodate 16 people and are located on a segregated floor with three rows of leather seats and all the amenities — a couch, chairs, refrigerator, wet bar, in-house catering and closed-circuit television. Restrooms on the suite level are exclusively for suite holders and their guests. They also have access to suite level meeting rooms for business purposes. Included in the $50,000 annual fee are three complimentary parking passes at a small lot on the north and south sides of the building and tickets for 12 people to all of the events. Suite holders have the right to purchase an additional four seats inside the drink rail of their suite. Out of the 28 suites, seven remain unsold.
There are also four super suites with a maximum capacity of 32, which are located in each corner of the arena. One has been sold. Cost: $80,000 per year with a five-year commitment.
Karl Frisch, vice president and part-owner of Beaver Street Fisheries, bought club seats for himself and his friends.
“The club seat [option] provides assurance of good seats for all the events,” said Frisch, who also has a suite at Alltel Stadium. “Paying the licensing fee is well worth not having to worry with Ticketmaster or getting on the Internet in time. There are certain groups I like, but if I don’t want to purchase a ticket, I’m not obligated. It’s a good deal.”
Frisch’s company decided to purchase a private suite to court clients and as a perk for employees.
“Our suite is in a good location,” he said. “It gives us the opportunity to entertain customers or friends of the business. Second, we look at it as an employee benefit to let them buy tickets at our cost. The arena is first class so I think we’ll have lots of events.”
— by Monica Tsai
Just the Facts
What: a 16,000-seat, $130 million arena, replacing the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
More seats: it will have 6,000 more seats than its predecessor, including 1,100 club seats, 32 suites, concession stands and party decks.
Other features: varied concession menu, 11 ticket windows, four team locker rooms, four star dressing rooms and 27,000 square feet of floor area.
On the job: during its peak construction period, more than 550 workers were on site.
Maintaining a look: the brick facade matches that of St. Andrews Church across the street and the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
The first big act: Elton John is scheduled to perform at the inaugural concert Nov. 21.
Who else is coming: the Jacksonville Barracudas minor league hockey team, arena football and the first and second rounds of the 2006 NCAA basketball tournament.
Level 1: the service level is on the first floor, containing backup house facilities, the main commissary, storage areas and mechanical equipment. It’s also the site for the locker rooms and star dressing rooms.
Level 2: the main concourse is on the second level where food service and rest rooms will be located. On the south side will be the club seats and a special club bar.
Level 3: 36 luxury suites, featuring cabinets, under-the-counter refrigerators, a sink and furniture. Party deck bar areas will also be located here.
Level 4: the upper concourse will contain more food service, more rest rooms and control rooms for sound and the scoreboard.
Still more features: glass display cases will camouflage columns. There will be glass rails lining the escalators and steps, plasma televisions, ceramic tiles, dozens of windows and an atrium 80 feet tall.
Opening Week
The City is working with SMG to plan the opening for the new Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The arena is scheduled to be available the week of Nov. 17. Tentatively, the City has scheduled the following:
Nov. 19
• Although City officials had hoped Mayor John Peyton would open the building, SMG has given approval to the Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Chamber of Commerce to hold small receptions in the arena prior to the official opening.
Nov. 20
• A ribbon-cutting ceremony. Following the ceremony, the arena will be open for tours with some entertainment inside.
• The Jacksonville Sports Hall of Fame will be unveiled the morning of Nov. 20 in the building’s lobby.
Nov. 21
• Elton John concert.
Nov. 22
• More tours scheduled, with entertainment scheduled throughout the building. A basketball game between the police and fire departments is being discussed.
Nov. 23
• SMG is looking at several concert ideas, including a hip-hop concert.
Nov. 24
• Natalie Cole in concert with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra.