Sports and entertainment venues have seasons, touring commitments, ticket holders and revenue that must keep moving. So how do you rebuild the stage when the show must go on?
Missing a project deadline in commercial real estate may mean dealing with a few held-over leases or extending a construction loan. But in the sports and entertainment sector – where the ‘show must go on’ – shutting the venue for a year means sacrificing an entire seasonal cycle. It may mean losing recurring events and being permanently passed over by major touring acts.
The public outcry and reputational damage from a cancelled event or an unfinished venue can be swift and unforgiving. This unique pressure-cooker environment means that any large-scale venue construction planning must be handled with an unusually high level of precision and foresight.
Building behind the scenes
The life cycle of a venue project usually starts with excitement, stunning architectural renderings and the promise of state-of-the-art technology, premium hospitality suites, and dynamic food and beverage options.
Then the true cost of early designs comes to light.
Rounds of value engineering follow. Elements are altered or eliminated to cut costs and, sometimes, the original design intent erodes. Often form wins out over function.
Too often, highly-functional operational spaces – like production kitchens, rigging grids or storage areas – are sacrificed to preserve aesthetic features. These spaces may be invisible to the crowds, but compromising them severely harms the venue’s long-term revenue potential and operational adaptability.
At the same time, technology evolves faster than venues are built. Specifications that were cutting edge at the design stage may be outdated before the doors open, forcing teams to pivot to the latest generation of fibre optics or wireless infrastructure. Caught between the original vision, budget limitations and advancing technology, owners can end with a fraction of the venue they signed up for.
“A sports or entertainment venue does not serve a single master. It serves the private owner or municipality, the event provider or sports team, and each attendee who bought a ticket.”
Cutting the right corners
A proactive risk management construction plan can help project owners to navigate these challenges.
True risk management starts with cost clarity. An independent cost validator, working separately from the architect or general contractor, can test that budgets attached to early designs are firmly rooted in reality, protecting the owner’s long-term financial interests.
Proactive risk management construction planning means making smart, strategic compromises that protect the operational functionality of the building.
If budget constraints dictate that the size of a primary production kitchen must be scaled back, for example, owners need to understand how that decision will impact food delivery and guest services. Rather than simply slashing the square footage, infrastructure can be planned to accommodate a satellite or commissary kitchen in the future without having to tear down the walls that have just been built.
The aim is to ensure hard-and-fast brick and mortar construction is adaptable enough to accommodate changes in technology or operations the future may demand.
“A successful renovation doesn’t just apply a fresh coat of paint or update the seating bowl. It future proofs the asset.”
Keeping the doors open
Executing this level of foresight requires a deep understanding of venue construction planning – a methodology that is entirely driven by stakeholder management. A sports or entertainment venue does not serve a single master. It serves the private owner or municipality, the event provider or sports team, and each attendee who bought a ticket.
Effective venue construction planning means scheduling physical work so core business can continue generating revenue while the enhancements are actively underway.
Sequencing the project to prioritise revenue-generating areas, like arena suites or convention centre ballrooms, can bring them online quicker so they can fund future phases and inject positive energy into the project.
Temporary conditions also allow the venue to operate during a state of transition. This may mean creating safe, seamless exit routes through the site while heavy construction is strategically hidden from view.
Venues must also adapt the facility to meet the rapidly changing ways people consume live entertainment People don’t just watch an event; they capture and share it in real time. Creating connected social spaces, backed by the bandwidth to support thousands of people online at once, can help build an atmosphere that extends well beyond the venue itself.
Ready for the next act
Sports and entertainment venues compete on a regional and sometimes national level to attract the best acts and most lucrative crowds. A successful renovation doesn’t just apply a fresh coat of paint or update the seating bowl. It future proofs the asset.
No one can predict which technologies, touring acts or audience expectations will shape live entertainment 20 years from now. But venues can be designed to change with them. The smartest renovations set the stage for whatever comes next.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Mahdi Shahsavand
