2011 Showcase • D

esign • C

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elling • C

onstruction • Turf • Seating • D

isplay System

s • Security • Revenue

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Events Ltd

Stadia

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Inside:

Cash advance: UEFA’s new finance rules underline

stadia’s vital revenue role

Twice as nice: Kansas City’s Truman Sports Complex undergoes

a multimillion dollar refit

t h e o f f i c i a l p u b l i c a t i o n o f s t a d i a d e s i g n & t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 1 1

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www.stadia-magazine.com 2011 Showcase

06 2010 top fiveStadia picks its top five venues to open

in 2010 Anthony James

14 stadia design & teChnology expoStadia Design & Technology Expo 2011’s

preliminary conference programme in full detail – see you there!

22 tWiCe as niCeHow do you improve on perfection? A

multimillion dollar refit of Kansas City’s Truman Sports Complex keeps the venue’s soul intact while bringing facilities into the 21st centurySteve Cameron

30 Cash advanCeAs UEFA asks clubs to balance their books,

European soccer stadia will have an even more vital role to play in revenue generationSteven Downes

38 hat-triCk heroPopulous has been responsible for the

designs of three landmark arenas to have opened in the USA this yearPopulous

42 rebirth of a CityIn developing Champions Square in New

Orleans, Ellerbe Becket aimed to create an urban space demonstrating mixed-use synergy at its bestEllerbe Becket, an AECOM company

46 multi-taskingHannu Helkio, from global consulting, and

engineering specialist Pöyry, discusses multipurpose venues, sustainability and the future of stadium buildingPöyry

50 past and presentThe BOK Centre’s unique design makes it

one of the most striking features of the Tulsa skylineOdell Associates, Matrix Architects, Pelli Clarke Pelli

52 up mexiCo WayAlberto Familiar, corporate development

director of the Avalanz Group, provides an update on the Arena Ciudad de Mexico, due to open in 2011Avalanz Group

54 sharing the spoilsSkanska USA rose to the challenge of

constructing a top-quality football stadium that would be home to two rival football teamsSkanska USA

58 a Cut aboveS tructal-Heavy Steel Construction doesn’t

believe in simply constructing stadia... it also wants to build works of artStructal-Heavy Steel Construction, a division of Canam Group

62 first impressionsComputer modelling tools are an

essential part of the design and construction of modern-day stadiaM-E Engineers

66 support netWorkFIFA Preferred Producers offer complete

support to venues wanting to install artificial turf, from planning to completionFIFA

70 halloWed turfDesso Grassmaster’s director Yves de

Cocker reflects on a successful year for the Belgium-based firm, including solving Wembley’s much publicised pitch problemsDesso

74 frenCh ConneCtionFurther success for Polytan’s turf technology

as two French clubs opt for synthetic pitchesPolytan

78 perfeCt pitChDomo Sports Grass’s artificial turf solutions

have won plaudits both in Belgium and further afield Domo Sports grass

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82 LET THERE BE LIGHTSvenning Messmer, managing director of

Mobile Lighting Rig, explains why the fi rm’s rigs can help ensure an excellent playing surface all year roundMobile Lighting Rig

86 SHOCK TACTICSTrocellen’s innovative shock pads provide

a solid base for synthetic grassTrocellen

92 SAFETY IN THE STANDSBosch Security Systems discusses the

security challenges facing stadia and other large entertainment venues and the solutions that have been developed to combat themBosch Security Systems

96 QUALITY CONTROLRadiant Imaging gives the lowdown on

recalibrating LED video screensRadiant Imaging

100 SPOT ONMartin Professional’s MAC III Profi le spot

luminaires are a big hit at Chicago’s United CenterMartin Professional

102 CHANGING ROOMA unique installation at the Navarra

Arena in Pamplona will make the venue more versatile than mostWaagner-Biro

104 ALL MOD CONSBernd Helmstadt, stadium expert at

Nussli Group, tells Stadia how modular stadium construction can help to bring long-term benefi tsNussli Group

106 SALES PITCHSekisui Alveo’s shock attenuation pads

are key to manufacturing the perfect artifi cial pitchSekisui Alveo

108 GET THE MESSAGEPublic information display systems need

to provide a unifi ed approach to information management and deliveryIndustronics

110 INSIDE TRACKRubb Buildings has an excellent track

record in the design and manufacture of sports hallsRubb Buildings

112 COST COUNTINGUsing Building Information Modelling from

the start of a project can result in signifi cant cost savings in the long run ArenaProjekt

114 PART OF THE FURNITURELamata Contract Furniture’s tables and

chairs are designed to meet the hospitality needs of sporting venues of all shapes and sizesLamata Contract Furniture

118 SHOW OF STRENGTHThe second Expo Estádio was a huge

success, attracting highly qualifi ed visitors, many of whom pledged to return next yearExpo Estádio

120 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

www.stadia-magazine.com 2011 Showcase

W hat companies make up the Avalanz Group, and how many venues do you operate and own?The Avalanz Group is made up of several companies related mainly to media, education and live entertainment. Its live entertainment branch emerged from its TV marketing activities, starting formally with the opening of Arena Monterrey in Mexico in November 2003. With the arena came Superboletos, our own ticketing system, and a few months later our own promoting agency to complement rentals, later named Zignia Live. After consolidating these three companies as top names in the country and the industry throughout the world, we set out to expand, with new venues, tours and reach.

Today Zignia Live does national tours and is considered by Pollstar as one of the top 30 promoters in the world. It has brought more 1,000 events to Mexican fans in the last five years, specialising in top international talent such as Celine Dion, Black Eyed Peas and Alejandro Fernandez.

Superboletos is used as the exclusive ticketing system for many of the most modern venues in Mexico – including the new Omnilife Stadium in Guadalajara, and four other Premier League soccer stadia. The company currently delivers more than three million tickets annually, in 32 cities throughout the country.

Up Mexico wayAlberto Familiar, corporate development director of the Avalanz Group, provides an update on the Arena Ciudad de Mexico, due to open in 2011

Avalanz venues include Arena Monterrey, which attracts around 130 events and 850,000 visitors every year; Expo Tampico, a beautiful new entertainment and tradeshow complex in northeast Mexico; and Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City, a 22,400-seat venue due to open in the fourth quarter of 2011. All three venues were developed on long-term lease agreements with local governments that supplied the land.

What will the Arena Ciudad de Mexico be like? With a population of over 20 million people, the largest city in the western world will have the largest arena in the western world, with a 22,400 seating capacity. The design is by San Francisco-based KMD Architects through its Mexico office, in close collaboration with Avalanz Group’s venue operations team. The project is a joint venture between Avalanz Group and the Mexico City Government. It will be situated in Azcapotzalco, right in the centre of the metropolitan area, supporting a major urban regeneration project for that region.

The arena will include 124 luxurious suites on three levels, including the most exclusive – Diamond Suites – at stage level. Our suites are fully and elegantly furnished, and boast private parking, private restrooms, first refusal for purchasing front row seats at every event, full service on food and beverage, concierge, cleaning and maintenance. They will also feature a wine cellar and minibar, LCD HD 50in closed-circuit screens, fun high-tech digital communications and a sophisticated yet discrete security system.

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The arena will have more than 70 food and beverage outlets and four kitchens to provide top service to a full house during an event. It will also offer 5,000 parking spaces and heliports, answering a decades-old problem for venues in this city.

The arena will also incorporate some impressive technology from Daktronics. Outdoors, the main façade will feature 5,957m2 of LED sticks. Indoors there will be a centre-hung installation featuring 740.75m2 of full HD LED video displays and tickers. There will also be LED perimeter displays totalling 543m in length, including a 0.88 x 361.95m full perimeter, and a 0.63 x 181m horseshoe.

What sort of events will the venue hold?The arena will host all types of events, mostly concerts for all tastes and budgets. Tickets will range from US$20 to US$200. We are selling our suites in advance, for which prices go from US$200,000 to US$850,000 for a 1,000-event period or 10 years. Since suites have seat capacities of 12 or 24, the average cost ranges from US$15 to US$35 per seat per event, a fraction of the cost for other stadia.

Mexico has a huge fanbase for boxing, wrestling, tennis, rodeo, NBA, ice skating and extreme sports. We are also considering main tenants for new indoor soccer and basketball tournaments, supported by Mexico’s media companies. Zignia Live will be responsible for the venue’s day-to-day operation, marketing/sales and booking (although the venue will be open to all promoters), and Superboletos will provide its exclusive ticketing system.

The venue has 3,500m2 of court space, enough for all indoor sports and all arena-sized stages. It will also host corporate and community events. The ceiling is designed to hold up to 300 tons of audio, lighting and set pieces. The arena will be equipped with full dressing rooms for sports and also elegantly appointed dressing rooms for performers. The venue will also have different capacity settings using curtains, starting as low as 6,000 seats all the way up to 22,400 seats in a centre-stage configuration.

How is construction proceeding?The arena is being constructed by top Mexican companies such as Corey Steel and Garza Ponce Group, with Adippsa in charge of construction management. The construction is providing jobs for 800 direct and 2,500 indirect workers. In operation, the arena will benefit 1,400 direct and 3,000 indirect workers.

The complex is being constructed on an 80,000m2 area of land. Materials used include 25,000 tons of steel, 100,000m3 of concrete and 60,000m2 of glass. The arena is over 55m high and when lighted will be seen from afar, and above. Cost is estimated at US$350 million dollars.

We are working around the clock and have the city’s full support. In November 2010 we held a big event, where we set our watches for a 300-day countdown period. We will finish the arena in September 2011 and plan to open the following month. At our countdown event, we had a light and sound spectacular on the construction site, which was our unique way of telling our sponsors, agencies, promoters and media that we are on track with the construction and can commit to opening in the fourth quarter of 2011.

How is the sports and entertainment venue sector faring in Mexico?Mexico is going through a very positive and long-awaited transformation. Avalanz Group opened up the industry with quality results in northern Mexico, which has promoted growth in the area. It destroyed the Ocesa monopoly there with huge success and is now in the process of continuing this in Mexico City. Many players are ready to participate and add a new dynamic to Mexico’s entertainment industry. Other states in Mexico are doing their part locally with new projects. Entertainment is in Mexican DNA, we just need to build a stronger, more widespread industry. We’re on our way there. nwww.avalanz.com

Construction continues at theArena Ciudad de Mexico, which is due to open in October 2011

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