So much has happened at Mercedes-Benz Stadium since the Spring of 2014 groundbreaking, and even more is yet to come. With the Falcons' final season getting started on Sunday and Atlanta United gearing up for its inaugural season, Mercedes-Benz Stadium is hitting the home stretch. That means everything that will make this place the most technologically advanced, fan-friendly and awe-inspiring stadium in the world is taking shape.
PROGRESS ON UNIQUE DESIGNS
Construction progress accelerated over the last year. New updates included the erection of the first steel truss, façade steel, ETFE fabric and exterior glass along with the installation of ribbon boards and closed caption video boards and the first seats. The stadium façade is now complete, seats continue to be installed this week and the fixed roof steel is nearly complete. Once the fixed roof steel is finished, all of the cranes – including one of the largest in the world at 2,500 tons – will be taken out and work will begin on the lower bowl. The amount of progress that has been made is incredible and it will only get better as Mercedes-Benz Stadium starts to look more and more like the spectacular building that will leave fans awestruck from the moment they walk in to the moment they leave.
The construction and scale of Mercedes-Benz Stadium isn't the only thing that will leave fans awestruck, though. There will be plenty of other unique features that set it apart from every other venue in the world. The first of those is the 360-degree Halo Board. At 58 feet tall and 1,100 linear feet long, the 63,000-square foot HD-video Halo Board will be the only one of its kind in size and scale. Another unique feature of the stadium will be its roof. It is a design that has never been done before and will help to create an experience like no other. Able to open in just seven minutes, the eight petals that make up the mechanized roof will all move at once in a straight line to allow for both an indoor and outdoor stadium feel.
It will also be possible to enjoy these features and many more at every game, match and event held in the stadium due to its unique scalability. While there will be 71,000 seats for a regular NFL game, the stadium can scale to 75,000 for a Super Bowl and also be reconfigured to soccer requirements with retractable seats and a mechanized curtain system covering the 300 level concourse seats to create a more intimate, highly-charged environment. To deliver a wold-class technology experience, Mercedes-Benz Stadium is partnering with IBM to create a "smarter stadium" with fast, reliable WiFi, over 2,000 video displays and digital signage – all while consuming less power. The stadium will have a more open feel thanks to wider seats, aisles and concourses and the Window to the City – a floor-to-ceiling window wrapped in ETFE fabric northeastern façade. The Window to the City and sky bridges will offer fans spectacular sights of downtown Atlanta and a unique gathering place to view the game. Fans will also enjoy more diverse transportation and parking options and one-of-a-kind fan-first pricing that will set Mercedes-Benz Stadium apart.
FAN-FIRST APPROACH TO FOOD AND BEVERAGE
The newly announced fan-first pricing for food and beverages at Mercedes-Benz Stadium is revolutionizing the fan experience. Fans want variety, quality, speed of service and value, so that's exactly what the stadium will deliver with more variety, higher quality food and speedier service at an affordable price. With options like $2 hot dogs, 20 oz refillable drinks, water bottles, pretzels and popcorn, fans can feed a family of four for just $28. That fan-friendly pricing will be featured throughout all concourses within the stadium. On top of that, Mercedes-Benz Stadium is making service a lot faster with 65% more points of sale, whole dollar pricing and free, self-serve non-alcoholic drink refill stations.
The entire food and beverage program has been created with the fan and fan experience in mind. From the beginning, fan experience has been the epicenter of this venue, every decision has been made based on what is best for fans, supporters and guests. After years of research and listening to their needs, Mercedes-Benz Stadium is responding by transforming the entire event-going experience. Not only will this be a magnificent place to watch a game or a match, but it will also be a place for friends and family to come together and create memories.
LESS THAN YOU THINK
The fans and fan experience for Atlanta Falcons games were also important factors when it came to seat licenses. A seat license gives fans the ownership and the flexibility to transfer their seats outside of their immediate family – to date, fans have not had the ability to do that. They will also be able to re-sell their ownership rights to their seats on the open market, instead of simply not renewing their season tickets and having no ability to recoup any money they had spent on tickets over the years. The pricing structure has also been designed with fans in mind. Pricing starts at just $50 down and nearly a quarter of the sellable non-club seating is priced at $75 down or less. Mercedes-Benz Stadium has also locked the ticket price for fans through the first three seasons. Historically, new stadiums such as those in Dallas and New York have not increased ticket prices once the committed time period ends. It costs less than you think to own seats inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium and to experience everything this amazing venue will include.
Anyone can build a spectacular building – what Mercedes-Benz Stadium is striving for is to exceed every expectation and make sure that fans are as blown away by the experience as they are by the building itself. The stadium will offer opportunities for fans and event-goers to experience sports and entertainment in an entirely new and different way right in the heart of Atlanta. With the 2017 Falcons season just a year away, Mercedes-Benz Stadium is quickly becoming every bit a premiere global venue that will set the standard in excellence and guest satisfaction.
