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Rogers Arena is home ice to the NHL's Vancouver Canucks.
The allure of a venue is not intended solely for fans. Because of the vast amount of hours required working events, a venue is quite literally a home away from home for those in its employment. As far as allure is concerned, just know that as Rogers Arena in Vancouver celebrates its 20th anniversary beginning in October that 15 full-time staff and 53 part-time staff has worked at the venue since it opened for a Bryan Adams concert on Sept. 19, 1995.
“We have a big group that has worked here from the very beginning,” said Michael Doyle, the venue’s executive vice president and general manager who has been in Vancouver for four years after working with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment in Toronto. “Honoring those folks is just one of the many things we have coming up that we are looking forward to. This year we’re making it all about the 20 years celebrating the staff and their contributions to this building.”
Indeed, Doyle and his staff have a full slate of magical markers on the upcoming schedule known as 20 in 20 Marquee (and Themed) Nights, when a piece of the arena’s history gets acknowledged during one of the National Hockey League Vancouver Canucks’ home hockey games.
It is a creative and nostalgic way to look back on the 18,910-seat arena that was built in 1995 to host the Canucks and a short-lived National Basketball Association Vancouver Grizzlies’ franchise that played there for six years. It was an arena built out of necessity to not only replace the aging 27-year-old Pacific Coliseum but to bring a facility into downtown Vancouver, something commonplace these days throughout professional sports but still somewhat of a rarity at the time.
“The original coliseum was getting to the point it needed to be repaired and reinvested right at a time when the venue business model was changing with the addition of corporate suites,” Doyle said. “It didn’t have any of those opportunities in the building. The city owned the building and had to make a decision whether to renovate or move elsewhere.
“The coliseum is quite a bit outside the greater Vancouver area, and so the decision was made to move downtown, to be close to rapid transit and close to the downtown core for restaurants and entertainment.”
Doyle credits city fathers for their foresight upon relocating when the area was zoned so one day retail and restaurants could be built around the arena. That day, Doyle is happy to say, has come.
“It was zoned so we could build an LA Live-type environment around the arena and stadium (BC Place Stadium, which sits across the street from Rogers Arena),” Doyle said. “We are actually in the process of doing that right now.”
The first of four new high-rise towers that will be on all corners of Rogers Arena has been completed, with the other three scheduled to be completed within the next five years. The towers will consist primarily of 614 rental units and would be the largest rental project built in Vancouver during the last 30 years. The 650,000-square-foot project includes 753 parking spaces and 216,000 square feet of commercial space.
“We have finished the first tower and the other three will also include retail and restaurants and a 15,000 square foot sports bar,” Doyle said. “It’s all coming to fruition, but it was all the vision of the ownership back 20 years ago.”
Doyle said that tenants currently in offices on the street level of the building will move into the towers to accommodate building restaurants and retail space on the street level base, a move that Doyle said will “animate” the entrance of the arena’s north plaza once restaurants are built and open up to patios.
Even though the Grizzlies left during the 2001-02 season, the arena keeps a busy schedule with more than 120 events a year including hockey, concerts and more. Over the years Rogers Arena has played host to far-ranging events including ice skating championships, NHL draft and A-list concerts. The venue served as the primary ice hockey venue during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Most interesting, the Dalai Lama has appeared and even the Queen of Canada has dropped the puck at a Canucks’ game.
Logistics help, too. Vancouver sits on the far west coast of North America, which Doyle noted makes the city a strong destination for shows to start tours.
“Any time a big tour starts there’s a pretty good chance it starts in Vancouver,” he said. “We have had good fluctuation and bad fluctuation in the Canadian dollar in the last few years, but depending on the dollar and the tax breaks, it can be very advantageous for tours to start on the West Coast. Plus, Vancouver has a very hospitable reputation to artists over the years. I don’t think you can name an artist that has not played here. Name a generation of music and they have played here.”
As Rogers Arena turns 20, Doyle said the venue still looks youthful after two decades of business. As Doyle competes with BC Place across the street and even to a lesser degree the coliseum that is still open, he understands the importance of changes — some cosmetic, some overhauls — that must be addressed and made if the venue is to remain front-of-mind for events and tours and for the guests who come through the doors.
“The last four years we have updated the building because of its age and trying to keep current with the trends and expectations of our fans,” Doyle said.
Doyle said the most significant renovation took place last year when some 15,000 square feet was added to the concourse between the 100 and 300 concourses. In addition to the space two bars were added for fans to come congregate during the hockey intermission periods. Doyle called those very successful.
Another major renovation is planned on the 200 suite level to create two loge areas with “mini boxes,” something that Doyle noted as a trend throughout arenas.
“This is especially happening on the executive, premium side to provide a more intimate hosting experience for your best clients,” he said. “We’ve seen it elsewhere in different versions, but ours we think is very unique and very cutting-edge and upscale. We just invested $4 million into these two loge clubs that are definitely state-of-the-art.”
All of the moves keep Rogers Arena young, and Doyle said that every year $6 million is invested into the venue for upkeep, replacing equipment, painting, carpet and more. It is not just about the business of today, but for ensuring the business of tomorrow.
“In the next five years this is going to become the main restaurant, sporting and entertainment district in Vancouver,” Doyle said. “We have a very bright future. That’s why we are heavily investing in the building to keep it young and keep it fresh and state-of-the-art so we continue to be a significant entertainment experience in the city.”
Interviewed for this story: Michael Doyle, (604) 899-7438