It Might Seem Like Magic, But T-Mobile Arena Conversion From VGK To UFC To VGK This Weekend Relies On Hard Work, ‘Meticulous Attention’
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By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher/Writer
During this jam-packed sports weekend in Las Vegas, there are sports venue workers preparing arenas, stadiums and even a NASCAR speedway for the tens of thousands of fans pouring through turnstiles and watching everything from UFC, VGK and NASCAR events to college basketball, MLB spring training and minor league football.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Las Vegas’ super sports weekend is the stunning venue conversion work at T-Mobile Arena, where workers turned Friday’s Vegas Golden Knights game vs the New Jersey Devils into a setting for Saturday’s UFC 285 event and then back into a NHL ice rink environment for today’s VGK vs Montreal game at 3 PM.
To walk LVSportsBiz.com through the process of this arena conversion activity, T-Mobile Arena General Manager Max Bizzarro gave us the inside look at how this all happens.
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LVSportsBiz.com: How do you convert a late-night UFC fight event Saturday for a 3PM VGK game Sunday?
Max Bizzarro: It takes meticulous attention by the entire Operations team to planning and scheduling. It’s like a fine-tuned machine, with each department owning select portions of the conversion and reaching their respective milestones in only a few hours.
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LVSB: How many people are needed to do the conversion, and how long does it take?
MB: It takes a full team from Production, Conversions, Housekeeping, Ice Operations, Audio Video, Engineering, Security, IT, Guest Services, and F&B. It takes approximately 12 hours to complete the conversion from beginning to end of a VGK game to the opening of our T-Mobile Arena doors for UFC.
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LVSB: Do you try and get fans and media out of the arena as fast as possible after the UFC fight show Saturday night to start converting for Sunday’s afternoon hockey game?
MB: We strive to accommodate our fans and media as long as possible after the events. Along with UFC, we identify strategic areas we can immediately begin to convert that do not directly impact our fans or media partners.
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LVSB: The UFC fight event sits on top of boards that cover the ice. How do you keep the ice in shape when the fight show is going on?
MB: We utilize specifically engineered panel boards to cover our ice floor. They are well insulated to assist us in maintaining the correct temperature while fitting tightly together to secure the future safety of the players.
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LVSB: What is the trickiest part of the conversion this weekend?
MB: Timing is always on our minds. With the proper planning in place, it’s incredible to see the conversion process come together. Although the VGK game starts at 3PM Sunday, we must be ready by 8AM, enabling our Ice Operations team enough time to prepare the ice surface for the game.
