Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 80

trendspotting sports tourism
A rendering of NEOM Stadium within the Line in Saudi Arabia,
proposed as part of the country's bid for the 2034 FIFA World Cup
A rendering of Aramco Stadium in Al Khobar, Saudi
Arabia with a spiralling form that evokes waves
A rendering of the bar at the Vaults at Capital
One Arena, home to 10 exclusive suites
A rendering of the Capital One
Arena refresh in Washington, DC
Additional stadiums are slated to be built in
Riyadh (including the 20,000-seat sports and
entertainment venue the Arena in Diriyah,
courtesy of HKS), Jeddah, Abha, and Al Khobar,
where global fi rm Populous is designing the
47,000-seat Aramco Stadium for the 2027 AFC
Asian Cup within a 8.6 million-square-foot
masterplan for the city's Sports City district.
In the U.S., fans spend $6 billion on spectator
sports each year, and a spate of new venues
off ers much for them to experience. Consider the
upcoming Las Vegas Athletics ballpark, being built
for the Oakland Major League Baseball team's
anticipated relocation in 2028. Conceived by
Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), in collaboration with
infrastructure design fi rm HNTB, the exterior is
inspired by baseball pennants with overlapping
shells on the roof, while passive shading and
natural light add to a welcoming ambiance. When
it debuts, the 33,000-capacity stadium will feature
an open atrium that will serve as a multipurpose
exhibition space, as well as 22 suites, a kids' zone,
and several bars.
Traveling beyond their hometown arenas to
experience major events and rivalry matchups-
according to SkyScanner, nearly a third of 25to-35
year olds are planning trips around sports
080
events next year-has spawned savvier fans,
spurring stadiums to take a more hospitalityinspired
approach. " It's pure hospitality in
many ways, but we have to also understand the
sophistication of the crowds and the volumes of
people that come and go, " says Mason Hansen,
senior principal and interior design director
with Populous.
Operational effi ciency is therefore a
hallmark of Populous' arena designs as is
feedback from its in-house event planning team
that considers circulation and optimization.
Elements like expanded daylighting are also
employed, ensuring that every design detail
caters to the evolving expectations of discerning
fans. " While we do sports, a lot of them are
hospitality within sports, " Hansen says. " We
might have 20 hospitality amenities that are
strung through a sports stadium, but each one
of those stands alone for that human experience
and making memories. "
Gensler also designs its sports facilities to
accommodate activations beyond the main event
with versatile F&B and social areas. " We've
come up with the term 'hospitality halo,' " says
Gensler principal, studio director, and mixeduse
and retail centers leader JJ Rivers. " It's
this idea that when you're walking around,
you're gett ing that entertainment quality at the
same time you're gett ing the energy and the
atmosphere of the games or concerts. "
Gensler-designed venues like Boston's TD
Garden also demonstrate the potential for a
sports facility to serve as a community generator,
hosting an onsite hotel, residences, and
offi ces that activate the site beyond game day.
" Flexibility nowadays has become paramount, "
Rivers points out. " Having the broader notion
and vision of what a mixed-use district is-[one]
that's anchored by sports and entertainment-
has been super successful for us. "
From corporate retreats to podcast
recordings, so-called " dark spaces " are seeing
action beyond game day as well. " The corporate
or private sponsors that get access to the suites
are using them, and we're designing those
in ways that they can be used almost as a
touchdown space, " Rivers adds. " It creates this
cool boutique experience for folks. They get some
connection to the sports teams, while at the same
time, gett ing this community benefi t. "
Populous recently struck gold by
repositioning an area by the end zone as a social
club as part of a $200 million renovation of
December 2024 hospitalitydesign.com
http://www.hospitalitydesign.com
Hospitality Design - December 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - December 2024
