Raiders Pitching Their New Stadium As Place To Host Events, Too
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Though the Las Vegas Raiders will not allow football fans from entering their Allegiant Stadium during the 2020 season, the team’s stadium management company is trying to sell event space during the COVID-19 virus pandemic.
In fact, the domed stadium has more than 10 event spaces capable of hosting social gatherings from as small as 25 people to as big as renting the entire 65,000-person venue. Giant companies like Microsoft have been known to rent entire stadiums to host concerts and events for their workers.
ASM Global manages the 65,000-seat stadium for the Raiders, which built the stadium in less than three years. The overall stadium budget was $1.986 billion, which included $1.4 billion for only the stadium construction. The Southern Nevada public contributed $750 million to stadium construction and has a debt service of more than $1 billion over 30 years.
The Allegiant Stadium website said “the Coors Light Landing is the venue’s most highly anticipated location, accommodating up to 2,500 people.”
The Al Davis Memorial Torch is centralized in the space next to the 80-foot high lanai doors that overlooks the Las Vegas skyline on one side, and the Raiders field on the other. LVSportsBiz.com took a photo of this space from the press box.
“We are so excited to debut Allegiant Stadium to the private event industry,” Samantha Johnson, director of sales for Allegiant Stadium, said on the website.
“The unique variety of spaces within our venue allows us to host a wide range of events which plays a crucial role in our ability to tailor the event experience to individual client needs,” Johnson said. “We have the incredible opportunity of introducing a venue to Las Vegas that the city has never had before.”
ASM Global is a venue management and services company picked by the Raiders to run the stadium. The company was formed by the combination of AEG Facilities and SMG. AEF Facilities is part of Los Angeles-based AEG, which partnered with MGM Resorts International to build T-Mobile Arena, which opened in April 2016.
One thing I like about the Raiders stadium is the lack of commercial ad clutter in the interior. Thanks to the digital boards, brand names and company advertisers can be displayed via electronic boards and there’s little fixed ad signage around the venue.
MGM Resorts International has a sign on the stadium’s northern side, while Coca-Cola has two signs on the south side. Take a look:
Here’s a stadium concession that will go silent this Raiders football season because of no fans at Allegiant Stadium in 2002.
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Don’t forget, the Raiders’ retail store will be in the stadium.
The stadium rolled in the Raiders’ retractable grass playing field. It sits outside most of the time, but the Raiders use it when they practice and play games.
You can watch a game — when fans are allowed in the building –from a cocktail bar on the main concourse.
This is the second time the Raiders have practiced at the stadium. They were here a week ago. The team typically holds its drills and practices at its headquarters and training center about 10 miles to the south and east in the suburban city of Henderson.
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