A magenta fireworks display capped off T-Mobile Arena's grand opening on April 6. (Photo by Al Powers)
What does it take to create a state-of-the-art arena? Well for starters, two public concourses, 14 refreshment stands, 10 escalators, 12 elevators, 62 restrooms, nearly two years of construction and $375 million. At least that’s what was required in the case of the 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena, the centerpiece of Las Vegas’ newest entertainment district, The Park. The sold-out grand opening event on April 6 included all the appropriate glitz and glam expected from a Vegas event, headlined by Las Vegas natives The Killers and including appearances from Wayne Newton, Shamir and Blue Man Group.
“This is an exciting time for Las Vegas and everyone involved in the development of T-Mobile Arena; tonight we are opening a world-class venue that we believe will become Las Vegas’ new center of entertainment,” said Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International, in a press release. “Las Vegas has long been known as the Entertainment Capital of the World, and with all the development we’ve unveiled this week in the neighborhood, you can see our deep commitment to ensuring Las Vegas holds that title for generations to come.”
A 30-ft. megascreen projected the set and video throughout the venue. T-Mobile Arena is fully enabled for all the selfie sharing thanks to T-Mobile’s 4G LTE network and over 550 WiFi access points integrated throughout the arena. To top it all off, after the festivities, magenta fireworks lit up the sky outside Toshiba Plaza as guests exited the arena.
The Killers performing at T-Mobile Arena's grand opening celebration. (Photo by Kevin Winters/Getty Images)
Feature-Filled Arena
The joint venture between AEG and MGM International was designed by Populous and has partnered with international brands like Toshiba, Coca-Cola, Schneider Electric, Cox Business, Bank of America and more.
“We are confident that T-Mobile Arena will transform the entertainment landscape in Las Vegas, further elevating the city’s status as one of the iconic sports and entertainment destinations in the world," said Dan Beckerman, president and CEO of AEG, in a press release. "Bringing together the knowledge, experience and assets of AEG and MGM Resorts International, T-Mobile Arena will become the region’s must-play venue and one of the world’s most sought after destinations for live events. This is the right time, the right location and the right partnership for this groundbreaking arena.”
Anticipating grand opening night, Levy Restaurants flew in nearly 700 pounds of live lobsters, 290 pounds of ahi tuna, nearly one million fluid ounces of draft beer and 484 bottles of Patron. In creating the drink menus, Levy tapped mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim who came up with an innovative beverage program offering event-goers the personalization of a boutique bar with the capability to execute it on an arena-wide scale. In addition to the traditional concessions fans are familiar with, select premium menus will also be available. Some unique features include artisanal ice, which will be carved on site, allowing each cocktail to have a customized ice cube shape. Ferraro’s Pizza Forte offers guests personal New York style pizza, while suite owners will be able to fully customize their menus.
Operating as a nightclub option inside T-Mobile Arena, sbe’s 18,000-sq.-ft. Hyde Lounge has a capacity of 700 people, offering patrons a VIP experience during all arena events. With floor-to-ceiling views of the Las Vegas Strip, specialty cocktails, DJ booths and small plate food service, the space is also available for private events.
Beyond Hyde Lounge, the arena also includes eight event-level suites, 44 luxury suites, loge boxes, terrace tables and more. Seats on the event and suite levels have access to exclusive lounges, including the Patron and Optum lounges on the Event level, the Jack Daniel’s and Bud Light Lounges on the Suite level and The Gatsro Pubs for Club level guests.
Toshiba Tech
Toshiba provided all of the display technology in and around the arena including the 9,000-sq.-ft. LED mesh that faces onto Toshiba Plaza, the center hung scoreboard and LED ribbons that ring the bowl, over 800 displays and an interactive space called Vegas Interactive.
“We’re always looking to making each installation bigger, brighter and better,” said Bill Melo, Toshiba America Business Solutions chief marketing executive. “Our partners want more engagement, unique content and experiences and a tight alignment with their brand. We design solutions that deliver on our client’s objectives.”
The mesh screen is by far the largest screen that Toshiba has ever installed and is the focal point of the arena as you approach from the Toshiba Plaza entrance. Vegas Interactive will be a space for fun, interactive experiences with a local flair, featuring Toshiba’s digital display technology, two 12’ x 7’ LED video walls and two 55-inch Virtuoso interactive touch displays. The Mofoto installation is an augmented reality experience that allows people to take photos with a virtual Elvis (impersonator) and Vegas showgirl and to have these pictures posted instantly to social media and sent to their email address.
“People have been lining up to take their MoFotos since the arena opened. It’s a big hit,” said Melo. “We also have two interactive Vegas-themed touch displays we refer to as the Arena Concierge that allow users to explore city happenings, restaurants and events. We’ll be adding arena wayfinding and other features soon. When pro sports come to the arena we’ll be adding a whole new series of team-oriented experiences to Vegas Interactive that will make it unlike any other venue in the world.”
Toshiba Plaza, a two-acre entertainment space fronting the arena opens up even more options for the event-day experience. Featuring three stages, four 40-ft. towers with LED screens and accent lighting and speakers, the plaza acts as a second stage for concerts, broadcasts and more.
“We look forward to bringing new content and experiences to Vegas Interactive and we’re already exploring new projects related to the plaza,” said Melo. “We have a long-term agreement with the arena and a major investment in Toshiba Plaza, so we’re here to stay and committed to continuous innovation.”
Though Melo said they were literally working up to the last minute before the grand opening to make sure everything was perfect, it all went off without a hitch, and the response has been very positive.
“I think everyone is impressed with the arena, Toshiba Plaza and the Park and how the whole thing works together,” said Melo. “You can’t help but be wowed by the mesh screen. It’s beautiful and really looks great for close or far. Typically, the mesh screens can be a little blurry from close range but these look great. As previously mentioned, the MoFoto application was also a huge success in that fans were waiting in line to check it out. We couldn’t have asked for a better opening week.”
What’s In Store
The 650,000-sq.-ft. arena looks to host more than 100 events annually and is already looking ahead from one sold-out event to another. With the reunion of Guns N’ Roses, George Strait’s exclusive worldwide engagement “Strait to Vegas,” Billy Joel’s only show in Nevada in 2016, HBO’s Championship Boxing featuring Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan, Garth Brooks’ multiple engagements, UFC 200 and the Professional Bull Riders Build Ford Tough World Finals, the arena is looking at a few very busy months to begin with.
T-Mobile Arena is also capable of hosting NBA and NHL games, meaning Las Vegas is now under serious consideration for its first professional NHL team when the city previously did not have the infrastructure to support one.
Interviewed for this story: Bill Melo, (949) 462-6094