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What Are The Experts
Saying About Philips Arena?
Sports Industry | Entertainment Industry | Media | Business Community
SPORTS INDUSTRY
"The world's greatest athletes will have a chance to showcase their talents to a
global audience in one of the NBA's finest facilities, Philips Arena."
-- David J. Stern, commissioner of National Basketball Association
(Excerpt from David J. Stern's announcement that Philips Arena would host the 2003 NBA All-Start Game.)
"We are very excited for the Hawks, their fans, and the greater Atlanta community. Philips Arena offers a complete entertainment experience for fans of all ages."
-- David J. Stern, commissioner of National Basketball Association
"This building is unbelievable. I give everybody a lot of credit. This is built differently than any new arena -- it took a lot of guts and I think it will pay off because every inch of the building is spectacular."
-- Gary Bettman, NHL Commissioner 10-2-99
"An extremely exciting building and with its unique design element, it certainly stands out among the many new arenas that have been built over the past several years."
-- Steve Solomon, EVP/COO of National Hockey League
"The Philips Arena represents well the trend of new venues in major league sports. It has very special features and it's own personality. Definitely, an unbelievable place for all kinds of entertainment."
-- Pierre Lacroix, president/GM of Colorado Avalanche
"When you hear that [the luxury boxes located on one side], your first thought is that it is going to look quite strange. But now that I'm here, that's really not the case at all. It's very impressive."
-- Richard Peddie, president/CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (Toronto Raptors and Maple Leafs)
"Like Gaylord's Entertainment Center, the Philips Arena will take its place among the premier new venues in North America. The Nashville Predators eagerly look forward to their inaugural visit to Philips Arena to launch the NHL's newest rivalry."
-- Tom Ward, Executive VP of Business Operations of NHL Predators
"A fabulous, high energy arena with great site-lines. Tremendous atmosphere with all the amenities."
-- Al Coates, EVP/GM/Alternate Governor of Calgary Flames
"Of all the rinks I have visited, Philips Arena stands out as one of the most unique. The concept of having all the suites on one side of the rink and the integration with the CNN tower and the outside windows are impressive."
-- Marshall Johnston, GM of Ottawa Senators
"It's beautiful. Last time I was in here I was playing, and it was the old Omni. As a matter of fact, the whole Atlanta downtown has changed a great deal since last time I was here. This probably goes right in line with the whole renovation of the downtown - beautiful building. Of all the new arenas, this is the most unique with the one side of basically all suites. It's a hell of a nice arena."
-- Kevin McHale, GM of Minnesota Timberwolves
"Philips (Arena) is a beautiful building..., they went out and made a lot of changes..."
-- Pat Riley, head coach of Miami Heat
"The reason we're playing [the 1999 ACC-Big Ten Challenge] here is the Philips Arena. This is as fine a facility as you'll find."
-- Bobby Cremins, head basketball coach of Georgia Tech
"First impression, it's a great arena. I really like how the skyboxes are located on one side of the arena, because it makes it a lot more enjoyable for the fans. I know that the team appreciates having their own facility now instead of going back and forth between arenas. I wish the team luck, and hope they have a great season."
-- Phil Jackson, head coach of Los Angeles Lakers
"I think it's beautiful. It's the first time I've seen it. I'll like it a lot more if somehow we can win. The locker room is gorgeous. It's one of the best visiting locker rooms I've seen. It seems to be a great facility. I'd like to take a walk up there and see what it's like with all the suites on one side. It's spacious. They did a great job underneath. The court itself has a lot of extra room on both ends, which I think is great. My first impression is it's a beautiful building. They did a hell of a job."
-- P.J. Carlesimo, head coach of Golden State Warriors
"I think it's a very nice building. All the new arenas around this year have come in and made a nice impact for the fans. This is definitely a unique configuration as far as the boxes on one side of the building."
-- Chris Ford, head coach of Los Angeles Clippers
"I think it's a gorgeous building. I didn't get a chance to go through the building that much, because we got here late...This is much better for basketball here in Atlanta. It's quite a change from the Omni, and the people ought to be proud of it."
-- Jerry Sloan, head coach of Utah Jazz
"It's a nice arena and it's unique it's design. I've never seen anything like that (the location of the suites on one side) before. It's great atmosphere for basketball, and I like it!"
-- Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat
"It was different. One side stands, and one side, boxes...it was cool, and I liked it. It is one of the better arenas in the league and I enjoyed the experience."
-- Jamal Mashburn, Miami Heat
"It's unreal. Lots of new buildings look the same, but nothing looks like this place. It's pretty fantastic."
-- Colin Forbes, Tampa Bay Lightning
"I think it's beautiful. Tonight was even better because it was full. And I love that. I think the sitelines are great. Aesthetically, it's great. It's a fun place to play."
--Larry Brown, Head Coach, Philadelphia 76ers
Sports Industry | Entertainment Industry | Media | Business Community
ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
"Elton John was thrilled to perform at the Grand Opening of Philips Arena. Elton loved the venue and his sound engineers applauded the acoustics; a great venue for everyone."
--Howard Rose, longtime agent for Elton John
"Philips Arena - What a great venue!"
--Don Watson, Champions On Ice
"[Philips Arena President Bob Williams] told us they wanted to put all the box suites on one side rather than in a circle, and we said that if they were glassed in it would screw with the acoustics. I'm really very surprised they took our advice."
-- Mike Mills, guitarist for R.E.M.
"We have a new home in Atlanta and it is truly magnificent. Philips Arena is a facility designed with the customer in mind."
-- Kenneth Feld, Chairman & CEO, Feld Entertainment ("The World's Largest Producer of Family Entertainment" including Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Sports Industry | Entertainment Industry | Media | Business Community
MEDIA
"Philips Arena has been selected among AtlantaCitySearch.com's top audience picks for 'best place to hear live music,' 'best family outing,' and 'best landmark' of 2001."
-- AtlantaCitySearch.com, 9-01
"The crews and staff at Philips Arena are fantastic - so friendly and professional. Bravo!"
-- Kristen Stultz, Entertainment Editor, Gwinnett Daily Post
"The Arena will host up to 21,000-plus visitors, and, as the most technological advanced building in the city, will bring the new millennium to Georgia's sports fans with a file bang!"
-- Guide To Georgia, 9-99
"With its playful, softly swooping contours, Philips Arena is gliding toward a grand-opening concert Sept. 24 that observers believe will signal a turning point in downtown's moribund entertainment market. While first and foremost a nest for the Hawks and Thrashers, the $213 million bowl also is being heralded as an energy pill for the neighborhood, a landmark tourist destination and a state-of-the-art stage for the next millennium."
--Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 9-5-99
"From its sweeping roof - patterned after the opera house in Sydney, Australia - to the unique seating configuration to the 300-foot-wide ATLANTA sign at the main entrance, this place is determined to stand apart from sports palaces that have opened over the past decade."
--Associated Press, 9-11-99
"There's truly not a bad seat in the place, and even if there was, fans could follow the action on the, count 'em, eight giant TV screens - four surrounding the scoreboard and two in each end zone. All are made, of course, by Philips."
--Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (Ga.), 9-11-99
"In most every aspect of the new Philips Arena in Atlanta, from the multi-tiered naming rights deal to the bowl design, project developers were thinking out of the box."
"The Philips deal is perhaps the most multifaceted relationship in the history of the naming rights game. The technology giant fully makes if presence known in the new arena. And any technological participation by Philips in the arena goes above and beyond the naming rights deal."
--Amusement Business Magazine, 9-13-99
"Covering 4.4 acres, Philips Arena could have been an overbearing hulk. The architectural team cleverly manipulated the roofline, the facades, the materials and even the siting to break up its massive scale and create an aesthetically pleasing structure."
--Atlanta Journal-Constitution, architectural writer Catherine Fox, 9-19-99
"If the arena's designers wanted to evoke intimacy and still seat 20,000 music fans, they succeeded. The venue's interior all but glows. Up high, the open architecture just under the ceiling boasts a trendy, industrial feel that, oddly, is reminiscent of old-time ballparks. Down low, tucked just behind the stage, you can watch the performer interact with ga-ga fans and feel like a shameless voyeur."
--Atlanta Journal-Constitution, music writer Steve Dollar, 9-25-99
"The dazzling new Philips Arena, a sports and entertainment Xanadu designed with technological wizardry, should serve the city well into the 21st century. "
--Guide to Georgia, 10-99
During last night's Red Wings-Thrashers game from the new Philips Arena, ESPN's Gary Thorne called the facility "beautiful," but added it is "literally still under construction here with work still being done around. But certainly ready to go." Thorne noted that one side of the arena "is entirely suites, which is an all-new concept in sports arenas." ESPN's Bill Clement: "This is one fabulous building, folks. And they've thought of everything." Thorne: "An amazing accomplishment, no matter how you cut it" ("Red Wings-Thrashers," ESPN2, 10/7).
--Sports Business Journal, 10-8-99
"The newly opened Philips Arena is quite an experience, from the moment you sport the massive steel beams out front that spell 'Atlanta' to the second the puck drops for a Thrashers game. There's not a bad seat in the house at this state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue.
--Atlanta Now Magazine, 11-99
"Philips Arena seems to be the 'in' spot for just about everything."
--Jezebel Magazine, 11-99
"Philips Arena - like [Evander] Holyfield's moniker, it's the real deal."
--Creative Loafing, sports writer Dan Sadowski, 11-13-99
"Philips Arena on any night that the Thrashers are playing is pure pleasure for all the fans in attendance."
--Bruce Berns, The Gazette, (Vinings, Ga.) 11-22-99
"I've been to a lot of venues across the country, and the acoustics at Philips Arena are phenomenal. There's no stadium echo - we really enjoyed our concert experience there."
--Michelle Cumbo, sr. producer for Atlanta's WXIA-TV (NBC) "Peachtree Morning," 12-6-99
"We have seen and heard great reports about Philips Arena. I am very impressed with this venue."
--Ben Boles, news director for Huntsville, AL's WAAY-TV (ABC), 12-8-99
"Philips Arena, the crowning jewel of a 25-acre redevelopment tract in downtown Atlanta, plays good and sounds great. The sound quality at Philips Arena has nothing to do with luck. It's all in the design."
--Carlton Fletcher, news editor of Albany Herald (Ga.), 12-10-99
"Philips Arena, the city's new sports and entertainment complex that opened last fall, has hit a chord with residents - they love it."
--KNOWAtlanta Magazine, January 2000
"The five most popular ticketed events of 1999 in metro Atlanta: 2. Elton John concert opens Philips Arena, Sept. 24; 4. Backstreet Boys at Philips Arena, Nov. 24; 5. Ricky Martin at Philips Arena, Oct. 24."
--Atlanta Journal-Constitution "1999 Stepping Out" survey results, 1-1-00
Sports Industry | Entertainment Industry | Media | Business Community
BUSINESS COMMUNITY
"In a way, Philips Arena is a perfect new symbol for Atlanta: bold, on the cutting edge of technology and attracting thousands of people every day."
--Sam Williams, president of Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
"Ted Turner and Turner Sports and Entertainment's commitment to make Philips Arena a one-of-a-kind sports facility is what sets Atlanta apart from its competitors. Atlanta is the only city in the U.S. to have all of its major sports facilities and professional teams centered downtown within two miles.
--Gary Stokan, president of Atlanta Sports Council
"The arena is huge for downtown, a breakthrough. It's wonderful for the entire community because we have a new downtown destination for people to enjoy, whether they are locals, conventioneers visiting, or people from around the region. This is going to be a regional destination for people. We are one of the leading convention cities, and I think the arena will encourage conventioneers to either come a day early or stay a day later.
"We're going to have 200 events a year down there for people to visit and enjoy, and it won't be just sporting events. It could be the circus or concerts. It gives people a reason to come to downtown Atlanta. It provides more impetus for downtown development."
--Spurgeon Richardson, president of Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau
"Philips Arena promises to be the hub of activity for downtown Atlanta. What's exciting to me is not only the sporting events, which will take up about 80 dates a year, but the literally hundreds of other performances and events that will take place in the arena which will animate that whole end of downtown. That's good news for CNN Center, Underground Atlanta, and all of the businesses near Centennial Olympic Park."
--Paul Kelman, president of Central Atlanta Progress
"[My] favorite Atlanta Sports Venue: Philips Arena - they really did it right."
--Mike Kenn, Fulton County Commission Chairman and former Falcons player
"I can tell you that this [arena] would be the best venue for me."
--Edwin Moses, Olympic Champion, 1976 and 1984 400m hurdles
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