I was there when Arthur Blank, whose prescient business acumen sparked the multi-billion dollar home improvement retail revolution, announced his plans to revitalize a franchise for which he had recently written a check for a cool $545 million.
"Providing fans a driveway-to-driveway experience," one of the three tenets of Blank’s simple but effective plan, has resonated throughout the hallways of the club’s Flowery Branch headquarters since that muggy June afternoon in 2002.
So it’s fitting just five years into his ownership, Blank and the Falcons – in conjunction with Georgia World Congress Center officials – embarked on what has been dubbed "the ultimate home improvement plan." The Falcons’ organization invested $30 million in the two-year Georgia Dome renovation project, the first phase of which is nearing completion.
The countdown clock on the front page of Atlantafalcons.com indicates just 29 days until the first home preseason game, a Monday night affair against the Cincinnati Bengals. The game will mark the end of a 140-day whirlwind of concrete, contractors, sheet-rock and stainless steel.
"We had to wait until after April 3 to start anything, because of the Final Four taking place at the Dome this year," said Falcons Chief Financial Officer Greg Beadles.
Beadles stresses that fans should view these improvements in two stages (this season and next), as the team simply didn’t have the time complete all the upgrades in time for the 2007 season.
The improvements consist of the following:
Complete in August of 2007
- Completely remodeled Verizon Club Lounge areas on north and south side of the Dome.
- Complete overhaul of all traditional suites on A and B levels, including all new furnishings, faux-leather seating, fixtures, appliances and more.
- Creation of eight new "super-suites" (accommodating between 57 and 96 fans).
- High-impact end-zone to end-zone LED ribbon boards on the mezzanine level of the Georgia Dome.
- Brand new Falcons-themed field wall artwork.
Scheduled Completion by August of 2008
- Doubling the size of the video replay boards on each end of the Dome and allowing for high-definition programming on both new boards.
- Repainting the mauve and teal exterior of the Dome in Falcons colors and theme.
- Renovation of lower-level and upper-level concourses, including new Falcons-themed aesthetics, improved lighting, improved concession areas.
- Renovation of the gate areas where fans enter the Georgia Dome.
The cavernous new Verizon Club Lounge area – which now occupies a space on the concourse that previously contained rows of concessions and rest rooms – is one of the most striking changes among those on the remodeling docket. Fans entering the Verizon Club Lounge for the first time will be confronted with a massive signature bar area on the south side and three "media lounge" areas, each of which include a 63-inch plasma, flanked by eight 52-inch hi-def plasma screens and contemporary, upscale furniture and Falcons-themed aesthetics that would feel right at home in the heart of Buckhead.
"We brought [VP of Football Communications] Reggie Roberts up there a few days ago, and he remarked that this looks like the hottest club in Atlanta," Beadles said.
A glass wall separates the concourse from the lounge, creating a unique new immersive experience for club goers. "If you’re walking by, you see the new LED boards popping out around the bowl of the Dome and you can hear the crowd noise," Beadles explained. "There’s a connection that’s never been there before. Even though you’re in the Club Lounge, you really feel like you’re still at the game."
Gone are the 40 of the Dome's original 204 suites, replaced by eight new super-suites that allow individual fans a premium-seating experience. Super-suite seats, which include food and soft drinks, are priced at $4,000 per season.
Both A and B level suites will receive floor-to-ceiling overhaul, including new stainless steel fixtures, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, contemporary backsplashes, new carpeting, and brand new bathrooms.
Falcons Vice President of Sales Dave Cohen said the renovations have been received extremely well, with 157 of 164 traditional suites, nearly 500 of 676 Super Suites and almost 4,500 of 4,600 club seats already leased.
While prices have been raised for these new suites, they still remain below the NFL average for stadium premium seat pricing. Beadles said the average suite price league-wide this year is $110,000.
The new LED boards will likely be the most noticeable of all the changes to those attending home games this fall. Spanning 300 feet along both mezzanine level sidelines from end-zone to end-zone, the two new boards are bigger, brighter and contain the latest in LED technology. Manufactured by Optitech, Inc., the board projects dazzling moving images across a grid 40 pixels high and 3680 pixels wide. Fans can expect to see continuous offensive and defensive statistics and fantasy updates from all games being played throughout the NFL on the old upper-level fascia scoreboards, while the new LED boards will be utilized for high-impact in-game messaging and crowd motivation and reactionary elements.
Fans throughout the Georgia Dome will also be drawn to another visual focal point – the new black chairs around the club level, which more closely align with the Falcons-themed aesthetic throughout the building.
Needless to say, Falcons’ faithful trekking to the Dome for the Monday night tilt in late August will have much more to look forward to than start of the 2007 home schedule. The architectural marvel that hosted its first Falcons game in 1992 ushers in a new era in just a few weeks.
The Georgia Dome itself took 859 days to build after the November, 22, 1989 groundbreaking. The Falcons’ game day home encompasses 8.6 acres and reaches 275 feet (27 stories) into the downtown sky.
"The improvements [announced last September] will provide more value to our fans on game day and hopefully be another step in keeping the Dome a first-class facility," said Falcons Owner and CEO Arthur Blank. "Since the Dome was built in 1992, 23 NFL stadiums have been built, substantially renovated or are in planning stages. Like our commitment to putting a competitive team on the field, we are also committed to being competitive in others areas such as this. We want to provide a great game day experience for our fans, and this is one more way in which we can do that."
The Falcons and Georgia World Congress Center officials will continue to explore additional upgrade opportunities in 2008 and beyond.
"Continued improvements to the Dome are important to our long-term relationship with the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, as well as to providing value to our fans over time," Blank said last September. "Our talks with the Authority over the past 1 ½ years have brought us to this point, and we hope to continue discussions that will lead to more agreements that will benefit our fans, the Falcons and the Georgia Dome."
