Author: Don Muret

HOK to showcase expansion of Halas Hall

HOK to showcase expansion of Halas Hall

Posted by | Oct 10, 2019 | , ,

The weight room at Halas Hall grew by 2,000 square feet as part of expanding and renovating the Chicago Bears’ practice facility. (Courtesy HOK) Bears’ $100 million practice facility upgrade adds a state-of-the-art football operations building HOK plans to showcase the expansion of Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Ill., the architect’s first NFL practice facility project, to other teams in need of upgrading their facilities, said Nate Appleman, principal-in-charge and director of its sports practice. The Chicago Bears hired HOK to design the expansion, which amounted to a $100 million investment, according to the Chicago Tribune. The Bears did not publicly release the project cost, but the reported figure is close to what they paid for the improvements, said team President Ted Phillips. The project, which opened for the 2019 season, includes a new 162,500-square-foot football operations building attached to the existing facility and renovations to the north side of Halas Hall.… Continue Reading HOK to showcase expansion of Halas Hall

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Marshall Forms Messenger Sports

Marshall Forms Messenger Sports

Posted by | Oct 8, 2019 | ,

Scott Marshall, a veteran of 25 years in sports concessions, has joined Messenger Corp. to launch a hospitality consulting group to help teams develop food and retail destinations at stadiums and arenas. Marshall, president of the newly formed Messenger Sports, spent the past seven years with the San Diego Padres as chief hospitality officer after coming over from Centerplate, where he was senior vice president of operations. He joins Mark Hawksworth, co-founding partner of Messenger Sports and its executive vice president. Other key executives are design director Russell Nishimoto and Ben Brady, director of architecture. Hawksworth and Nishimoto were already with Messenger, and Brady ran a small architecture firm in Brooklyn. During his tenure with the Padres, Marshall worked with Messenger, a 94-year-old Seattle firm, and Delaware North Sportservice, the team’s food provider, to transform concession spaces at Petco Park into restaurant and deli style stands such as Buona Forchetta… Continue Reading Marshall Forms Messenger Sports

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San Francisco Treats in Store

San Francisco Treats in Store

Posted by | Oct 8, 2019 | ,

Chase Center’s center-hung videoboard can be hoisted out of view for concerts. (Brett Murray) Chase Center experience extends to upgrades in event production SAN FRANCISCO — Chase Center general manager Kim Stone jokingly told Eric Bresler to stop booking events at the new San Francisco arena. Bresler is Chase Center’s executive director, responsible for booking special events.  Eighteen shows, including 16 concerts, fill the first two months of operation through October. The arena officially opened Sept. 6 with the first of two Metallica/San Francisco Symphony dates.  Those numbers do not include several soft openings and private events, such as Stevie Wonder (Sept. 3), at the 18,064-seat building. “I told Eric, ‘I need some fix-it days. Should I just rent the building back from you?’” Stone said. It’s no joke. For the Golden State Warriors and their arena management team, the honeymoon is in full bloom. The $1.6 billion facility has taken… Continue Reading San Francisco Treats in Store

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Experimenting With It All, Including Season Tickets

Experimenting With It All, Including Season Tickets

Posted by | Oct 6, 2019 |

Theater boxes are among the premium seat options the Oakland A’s are testing for their proposed new ballpark. (Don Muret / Staff) A’s use RingCentral Coliseum as lab to test new kind of subscription OAKLAND, Calif. — Chris Giles fills the role of mad scientist in the laboratory known as RingCentral Coliseum. Giles, the Oakland A’s chief operating officer, has thrown the traditional season-ticket model out the window as the Major League Baseball team tests premium-seat concepts for its proposed ballpark along the city’s waterfront.  It’s all part of A’s Access. The subscription-style model provides flexibility across 81 home games and allows many fans to buy premium seats in small pockets of the lower bowl between the first and third base lines.  The program launched for the 2019 season and covered all seating sections. Fans could buy reserved seats for a set number of home games. For the remaining games… Continue Reading Experimenting With It All, Including Season Tickets

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