Hawks fans: You ready for a [revamped] arena?

[Jamaaliver]

Hawks offering plenty of other options in new-look arena



The Atlanta Hawks may not win a lot of games this season.

Not to worry.

There will be plenty of options other than basketball for fans after a nearly $200 million arena renovation.

The Hawks will debut their newly renamed State Farm Arena on Wednesday night, hosting the Mavericks in a home opener that features two of the NBA’s most touted rookies, Atlanta’s Trae Young and Dallas’ Luka Doncic.

But both teams are in the midst of massive rebuilding projects that will likely take years to pay off — they posted matching 24-58 records a year ago and could be even worse this season — so fans might be checking out some of the arena’s new amenities.

There are all sorts of fancy food items, from chicken and beignets to lemon pepper wings to a signature Italian pizza. Grammy-winning country star Zac Brown has his own place, which includes Southern-style gourmet dishes crafted by his personal chef and music memorabilia.

There are also three ritzy courtside clubs — including one which has a bar area shaped like the Hawks logo behind a basket, where fans can sip cocktails while they watch the game.

More budget-minded patrons can take advantage of a dozen discounted items such as $1 chips, $2 jumbo pretzels or a $4 bottomless bucket of popcorn, seizing on a popular trend that started next door at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the NFL Falcons and Atlanta United soccer team.

But it’s some of the other features that figure to draw much of the attention in the new-look arena.

Most notably, there is Killer Mike’s Swag Shop, a partnership with the Atlanta-based rapper that includes a full-service barber shop with four chairs facing the court on the second level, allowing customers to keep up with the home team while getting a fresh cut.

Or, if the game gets out of hand, the Topgolf Swing Suites might be a welcome alternative. While fans won’t be able strike actual golf balls onto the court, they can try their luck on the simulators.

Spoiler:

This renovation — or “transformation,” the preferred nomenclature of its supporters — was largely carried out over the past two summer breaks, a frenzied job that allowed little room for dallying or delay. The most striking part of the project was the removal of the stacked suites on one side of the building formerly known as Philips Arena , which required the Hawks to play all of last season with a giant covering over that construction zone and reduced capacity to just over 16,000.

Even now, with much of the work complete, the arena will seat only about 16,500 for basketball, a drop of almost 3,000 seats from the original configuration when the arena opened in 1999.

But the Hawks have traditionally been one of the NBA’s worst-drawing seats, so there wasn’t much hesitation about cutting back capacity to allow for a major upgrade.

“The first thing we knew needed to do was knock down that wall of suites. Take that premium area and redistribute it around the building a little more evenly,” Stefansson said. “It creates a lot more balance in the building.”

Many of the Atlanta players got their first look at their revamped home on Tuesday. After playing their first three games on the road, the Hawks practiced for nearly two hours on the newly installed court, beneath a massive new scoreboard and video screen.

They were impressed with the new surroundings, which includes a much larger locker room and training area.

The Associated Press

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[jayu70]

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[Jamaaliver]

Sorry but why do you need a barber shop in an arena?

Seriously. The buzz and press coverage alone has made the addition worth it:

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(When did Killer Mike become the darling of mainstream media?)

[Robo_Claw]

Sorry but why do you need a barber shop in an arena?

Seriously. The buzz and press coverage alone has made the addition worth it:

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(When did Killer Mike become the darling of mainstream media?)

Prolly when that run the jewels song got put into every movie/commercial/etc

And he got that gigantic drill named after him, not too many people have that going for them lol

[bargnanimvp]

Sorry but why do you need a barber shop in an arena?

Seriously. The buzz and press coverage alone has made the addition worth it:

Read on Twitter

(When did Killer Mike become the darling of mainstream media?)

Prolly when that run the jewels song got put into every movie/commercial/etc

And he got that gigantic drill named after him, not too many people have that going for them lol

I've never heard of him. I still don't get why you have a barber in the arena.

[Jamaaliver]

I've never heard of him. I still don't get why you have a barber in the arena.

Sounds like you may not be the target demographic then....
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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[dms269]

Seriously. The buzz and press coverage alone has made the addition worth it:

Read on Twitter

(When did Killer Mike become the darling of mainstream media?)

Prolly when that run the jewels song got put into every movie/commercial/etc

And he got that gigantic drill named after him, not too many people have that going for them lol

I've never heard of him. I still don't get why you have a barber in the arena.

I know he is quite involved in Atlanta and Georgia politics. But that is the extent.

[Robo_Claw]

Seriously. The buzz and press coverage alone has made the addition worth it:

Read on Twitter

(When did Killer Mike become the darling of mainstream media?)

Prolly when that run the jewels song got put into every movie/commercial/etc

And he got that gigantic drill named after him, not too many people have that going for them lol

I've never heard of him. I still don't get why you have a barber in the arena.

I don't get why arenas have to be a destination and have so many things to keep people out of their seats? A barber shop doesn't bother me more than anything else they've been adding like a golf simulator suite or 20 different clubs or whatever else people need to be entertained for 48 minutes of basketball.

Guess I'm one of the few people who go to actually watch the games?

[jayu70]

Prolly when that run the jewels song got put into every movie/commercial/etc

And he got that gigantic drill named after him, not too many people have that going for them lol

I've never heard of him. I still don't get why you have a barber in the arena.

I don't get why arenas have to be a destination and have so many things to keep people out of their seats? A barber shop doesn't bother me more than anything else they've been adding like a golf simulator suite or 20 different clubs or whatever else people need to be entertained for 48 minutes of basketball.

Guess I'm one of the few people who go to actually watch the games?

I don't get it either. I go and sit and watch the game, be entertained then go home.
Like you, I get the barbershop - guys hanging in a barbershop talking sports vibe. The courtside bar, sure.
The golf thing threw me though.

[dms269]

Prolly when that run the jewels song got put into every movie/commercial/etc

And he got that gigantic drill named after him, not too many people have that going for them lol

I've never heard of him. I still don't get why you have a barber in the arena.

I don't get why arenas have to be a destination and have so many things to keep people out of their seats? A barber shop doesn't bother me more than anything else they've been adding like a golf simulator suite or 20 different clubs or whatever else people need to be entertained for 48 minutes of basketball.

Guess I'm one of the few people who go to actually watch the games?

We need to remember that the arena has a purpose other than hosting Hawks games.

The same idea with Benz and people wondering why there is a Chik-fil-a there.

[Jamaaliver]

$192m redevelopment of Atlanta Hawks arena brings 'community indoors'

The State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta has fully reopened, following a US$192.5m (€169m, £152m) renovation project which has transformed the 20-year-old indoor venue.

Completed in phases, the redevelopment has been driven by Tony Ressler, owner of the Atlanta Hawks NBA franchise, which is the arena's primary tenant.

Ressler acquired the Hawks in 2015 and made upgrading the venue, formerly called Philips Arena, a priority focus in his plans to keep the Hawks in Atlanta.

In particular, the designs were heavily influenced by the surrounding BeltLine community.

The BeltLine is an ambitious urban redevelopment project that is connecting many of Atlanta's neighborhoods through the creation of a 22-mile loop of trails and parks.


"As part of our design process, the Hawks took several team members on a tour of the BeltLine so we could experience firsthand the impact of this project and the new community connections it is establishing," Louchart said.

"Inspired by the BeltLine, the team approached the redesign of State Farm Arena with a goal of creating a series of interconnected, diverse social experiences.

"A desire to connect the concourses and provide clear views into the seating bowl influenced every part of the renovation."

With a nod to the BeltLine, the arena's new 360-degree concourses have been redesigned to service as "active hubs" linking a wide variety of seating and social experiences.

The concept of "bringing the community inside the arena" extends to the venue's food and beverage experience. HOK created an innovative market area, including new shops and upgraded concourses, which reflect Atlanta’s diversity and unique food culture.

Leisure Management -- UK

[Jamaaliver]

Damn, that's cool!

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[Jamaaliver]

Atlanta Hawks take first place in NBA Experience Survey

State Farm Arena continues to receive accolades based on environment and fan experience.

Biz Journals

Code: Select all

“We are extremely honored to receive this response from our fans,” said Steve Koonin, CEO of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. “In reimagining the all-new State Farm Arena, our organization has been wholly focused on operational excellence. That has resulted in an amazing, state-of-the-art venue with superior amenities and gold-standard customer service, creating the ultimate night out for the city of Atlanta.”

NBA.com

[HMFFL]

Atlanta Hawks take first place in NBA Experience Survey

State Farm Arena continues to receive accolades based on environment and fan experience.

Biz Journals

Very cool.
I have been to every NBA arena and seen everywhere inside of them. I'm very impressed with state Farm Arena after the renovations. The club room sunder the stands are very nice.
The locker room is amazing, the hallways are nice, and nothing bad I can say about it.



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[dms269]

I went to State Farm back in March for a concert and I wasn't terribly impressed. Felt like a sardine in the seats.

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[Duff Man]

I gotta get to a game down there.

[ATL Boy]

I've loved everything about the arena since the renovation. Just looks super cool and all the staff does such a great job.

[Jamaaliver]

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[_s_t_u_r_t_]

FB video: https://www.facebook.com/atlhawks/posts/10157238599722047

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Love the idea of a stained-glass pacman logo... execution could have been a little better, imo, but that's okay. And love it so much that I wish THAT was a prominent feature of the MLK unis. As-is I believe there's a tiny pacman on the trunks, but you need a microscope to make it out.

[Spud2nique]

Look at this beauty!