Stadiums & Arenas of Canada, Part 3

[esquire]

Originally Posted by EpicPonyTime

So are you suggesting they don't spend anything on a new arena and keep using Sask Place? I don't believe that is tenable, nor is renovating it to try and keep it operational. That huge price tag is going to be paid eventually; it's just up to the city whether they want it to be $250 million, or $350+.

The huge price tag will have to be paid eventually, but why pay it sooner than you have to when the existing venue will do the job for at least another 20 years?

I mean, I have no dog in this fight so it makes no difference to me if Saskatoon goes out and spends a billion dollars on the most spectacular rink in the world. But I wouldn't see the point of that any more than spending $250 million on a new rink that really serves no purpose that the current one can't.

[SaskScraper]

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

You can reduce the number of seats in an arena and still have similar capacities for most concerts. Concert tours like Metallica which have a 360 degree concept are in the minority. Most concert tours use a 180 degree concept for which seats beside the stage and behind it are tarped off. Examples of arenas that have an unbalanced seating (continuous lower bowl seating, but no upper bowl seating at one end) are Budweiser Gardens in London and the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. For most concert set-ups they have a similar capacity to the Sasktel Centre.

Regina's Brandt Centre & Medicine Hat's Canalta Centre are an example of this too, with end stage concerts of 1,000 more than what hockey seating capacity of each arena.
If Saskatoon's next arena is horseshoe shaped seating with 15,000+ seats, it would allow all concerts to be at least that capacity instead of the 13,500 that's the typical end stage capacity.

FYI Highest capacity for Budweiser Centre in London, Ontario is 10,000, SaskTel Centre is 17,000

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

The Last 2 years, Hamilton and London have sold more tickets than Saskatoon for non-sporting events. I suspect that means they are attracting more major concert tours than Saskatoon. Having larger populations and being located in areas with relatively higher population densities appears to be important factors.

https://www.pollstar.com/Chart/2017/...Venues_350.pdf

https://www.pollstar.com/Chart/2018/...Venues_628.pdf

2016

151. Sasktel Centre 91,716
108. FirstOntario Centre 145,040
86. Budweiser Gardens 176,826

2017

140. Sasktel Centre 99,807
122. Budweiser Gardens 122,399
106. FirstOntario Centre 163,341

FYI the Pollstar ticket sales per venue are only for REPORTED ticket sales to pollstar and not the actual total for each of the arenas each year.
For example, Garth Brooks sold over 92,000 tickets for his Saskatoon shows in 2016... that's more the the entire tickets for SaskTel Centre reported to pollsatr for the entire year of 2016.

https://leaderpost.com/entertainment...ht-to-remember

It was estimated that the economy of Saskatoon benefited to the tune of $30 million from the Garth Brooks concerts alone that week.
A solid case for Saskatoon having an arena the size or larger than SaskTel centre long into the future. especially considering both Saskatoon & Regina 2 hours drive to the South are projected to have combined population million people within a couple decades.

originally posted by EpicPonyTime
All I have to say for infill is go check out the past two months of the Saskatoon Construction page and read up on the community response to the Broadway and University Drive condo proposals. Other cities might be opposed to infill, but Saskatoon takes it to a while new level. Apparently we can't even be Halifax according to some people in this city.

WTF? you completely took the discussion out of context about UrbanCapital's open house forum earlier last month for highrise on South bank in Saskatoon & the developers comparison to it's Halifax current development. The developer made a lot of comparisons about how they did it in Halifax and one of the Saskatoon neighbourhood citizens piped up to simply say 'We are not Halifax'.
There tends to be a lot of NIMBYism in residential neigbourhoods in Saskatoon but development downtown hasn't had much opposition, none what so ever for Riverlanding or the hotel highrise built on College Quarter last year anyway...

Originally Posted by esquire
Somehow it feels like the arena discussion in Saskatoon is about nothing more than keeping up with Regina... "they got their stadium, so we should get an arena".

originally posted by EpicPonyTime
Honestly the way the debate has been framed, it isn't about keeping up with Regina so much as it is keeping up with Edmonton. Rogers Place and the role it had in revitalizing Edmonton's downtown comes up all the time when a downtown arena for Saskatoon is discussed, despite the obvious differences. No one really cares about Mosaic Stadium because it serves a different purpose.

I think that is the major impulse for push for new Saskatoon arena is to have an arena downtown instead of putting more money into renovating an old arena on the outskirts. The Arena Board has been trying to strike a lot of fear in Saskatoon citizens by saying the arena may begin to loose concerts soon if new arena isn't built.

A new 6 lane bridge opened last month on same street as SaskTel Centre which should help link Saskatoon's fastest growing neighbourhoods to the arena, but renovating SaskTel Centre could cost upwards of ~$100 million. Other arenas in America that had roofs raised and renovated have cost in the $50-$60 Million range:

-Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium cost approximately $52.6 million in 2017 dollars to renovate, increase seating capacity from 10,449 to 15,858, added new upper level with stairways, escalators and upper exits, getting rid of exit tunnels from lower levels & a new scoreboard upgrade.

-San Antonio's Hemisfair roof lift cost $4 million in 1970's USdollars and increased seating by 6,000.

-Allen County War Memorial Coliseum In 2002, had an extensive $35 million renovation and expansion raising the roof by 41 feet (12 m), increasing seating by 2,500.

-Gallagher-Iba Arena completed in 2000 cost $55 million, increasing seating capacity from 6,381 seats to its current 13,611 seats.

-Greensboro War Memorial Coliseum's $45.7 million expansion project in 1990 added 7,000 new seats to final 23,200 seats & doubled the size of the adjoining Special Events Center.

All the above arenas are still in use except for Buffalo's and San Antonio's that each lasted about a quarter century after roof raising.

Fortunately SaskTel Centre hasn't lost much of the concert business due to it's lower roof/lower weight capacity. SaskTel Center usually beats out Saddledome for concerts, Carrie Underwood and Elton John have included Saskatoon but not Calgary for next year. SaskTel Centre gets concerts Winnipeg doesn't get like Maroon5 and Neil Diamond. SaskTel gets substantially more concerts than Hamilton & London, Ontario.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

Fortunately SaskTel Centre hasn't lost much of the concert business due to it's lower roof/lower weight capacity. SaskTel Center usually beats out Saddledome for concerts, Carrie Underwood and Elton John have included Saskatoon but not Calgary for next year. SaskTel Centre gets concerts Winnipeg doesn't get like Maroon5 and Neil Diamond. SaskTel gets substantially more concerts than Hamilton & London, Ontario.

On one hand you're saying that SaskTel Centre hasn't lost much concert business, but on the other you're saying that stands to lose so much concert business due to whatever deficiencies that it is necessary to spend $250 million plus on a new arena.

If Saskatoon wants more concerts that badly, it would probably be less onerous for the City of Saskatoon to just cut a cheque for $100,000 to every act capable of filling at least half the current arena's seats. Same end result and way less expensive than building a new arena.

Is there another example of a city with a perfectly adequate major sports arena that meets the needs of the tenants, that has opted to demolish and rebuild just for the sake of attracting more concerts?

[drew]

Originally Posted by esquire

On one hand you're saying that SaskTel Centre hasn't lost much concert business, but on the other you're saying that stands to lose so much concert business due to whatever deficiencies that it is necessary to spend $250 million plus on a new arena.

If Saskatoon wants more concerts that badly, it would probably be less onerous for the City of Saskatoon to just cut a cheque for $100,000 to every act capable of filling at least half the current arena's seats. Same end result and way less expensive than building a new arena.

Is there another example of a city with a perfectly adequate major sports arena that meets the needs of the tenants, that has opted to demolish and rebuild just for the sake of attracting more concerts?

This is what Calgary wants to do.

[esquire]

^ I see what you're getting at, but they haven't actually made any decisions yet.

And in fairness to Calgary, they are in a situation where they have one of the only arenas with a major league tenant playing in a venue that predates the modern era of lounges, restaurants, the full array of skyboxes, and all the other moneymakers. They added some in during the 1990s renovations, but it's a far cry from what would exist if they built something new now. The economics of the NHL makes that stuff a necessity (who should pay for it is another story)... however, the WHL and NLL do not need it.

And I'm assuming that the lack of the standard massive trusses high up in the Saddledome rafters present a bigger issue to concert rigging than the more usual setup at SaskTel Centre?

[Calgarian]

The biggest thing for proponents of a new arena here is the amount of concerts that bypass Calgary as the Saddledome roof is either too low, or structurally unable to carry the massive speaker stacks and line arrays. Despite my avatar, I think the Flames can get bent in this regard, but as a Calgarian, my pride wants more world class shows to come here as I don't like having to go to Edmonton. The Saddledome is 100% fine for hockey, but it's is extremely limited for anything beyond that.

Originally Posted by esquire

And I'm assuming that the lack of the standard massive trusses high up in the Saddledome rafters present a bigger issue to concert rigging than the more usual setup at SaskTel Centre?

It's crazy how innovative the roof of the Saddledome is, it's a hyperbolic paraboloid shaped precast concrete roof supported on massive steel cables. The design is definitely what limits it though, the space inside is smaller, and the structural capacity is probably half what a truss roof would have been. The funny part is the design was chosen as it reduced the volume of air inside that would have to be conditioned, and was thought to be a money saver. Now, 35 years later, that money saving feature is actually preventing them from making money lol.

[esquire]

^ So there we go. The Saddledome has apparently real limitations. But what limits SaskTel Centre? How are the trusses there any less capable than any number of other arenas when it comes to holding up all the necessary concert rigging?

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by JHikka

My point about the three is that all three have been relegated to dreadful suburban arenas, limiting their ability to market and get fans out to games easily, in contrast to all other franchises in the league. It's no coincidence that the three teams in suburban locations are also three of the worst in regards to attendance.

I was super disappointed the ASU arena deal fell through. If the Coyotes are playing out of Scottsdale or Tempe, the team would be making a fortune.

Not sure what to do in Florida. That team is very exciting to watch. It's heartbreaking to see how poorly attended the games are.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

I was super disappointed the ASU arena deal fell through. If the Coyotes are playing out of Scottsdale or Tempe, the team would be making a fortune.

Not sure what to do in Florida. That team is very exciting to watch. It's heartbreaking to see how poorly attended the games are.

Is arena location not an issue for the Panthers too? I was down around Fort Lauderdale the last couple of winters but I never bothered going to a hockey game since the arena was such a long drive from the coastal areas. It's right on the western edge of the metro, right before the swamps begin.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by esquire

Is arena location not an issue for the Panthers too? I was down around Fort Lauderdale the last couple of winters but I never bothered going to a hockey game since the arena was such a long drive from the coastal areas. It's right on the western edge of the metro, right before the swamps begin.

It's a pretty big issue: Sunrise isn't exactly in Miami. The Panthers are tied into a pretty sweet deal with the arena...the concerts that tour through that building are profitable enough to make owning the losses on the Panthers manageable.

Tampa and Nashville got their arenas 100% right, at least in terms of location.

[Biff]

When we were last in Miami, we wanted to attend a Panthers game but it was a 45 min drive from the downtown area. Too far so we decided to go to a Heat game instead which was a 5 min cab ride. Sunrise seems to be in the sweet spot of too far from both Fort Lauderdale and Miami...the perfect storm of a bad location.

[blueandgoldguy]

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

Regina's Brandt Centre & Medicine Hat's Canalta Centre are an example of this too, with end stage concerts of 1,000 more than what hockey seating capacity of each arena.
If Saskatoon's next arena is horseshoe shaped seating with 15,000+ seats, it would allow all concerts to be at least that capacity instead of the 13,500 that's the typical end stage capacity.

FYI Highest capacity for Budweiser Centre in London, Ontario is 10,000, SaskTel Centre is 17,000

Most concert acts do not sell out and that's not a shot at Saskatoon -that's the case in most cities. I doubt we will see a 100% publicly financed arena in the coming two decades (a reno is more feasible), but if it was to come to fruition, something in the range of 12 - 13,000 capacity with an unbalanced seating arrangement would make sense. There would still be a similar capacity to the current arena for 180 degree concerts (10 - 11,000) and there would be the added benefit of a larger lower bowl, separate areas/levels for improved suites and club seats, greater variety of concessions, ribbon boards and larger big screen at centre ice. A smaller capacity arena would generate more revenue and cost less to build.

Given that the Blades don't draw particularly well and the novelty is already wearing off with the Rush with lower attendance despite winning the title last season, it doesn't really make sense to have such a large arena.

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

FYI the Pollstar ticket sales per venue are only for REPORTED ticket sales to pollstar and not the actual total for each of the arenas each year.
For example, Garth Brooks sold over 92,000 tickets for his Saskatoon shows in 2016... that's more the the entire tickets for SaskTel Centre reported to pollsatr for the entire year of 2016.

https://leaderpost.com/entertainment...ht-to-remember

Those are also the REPORTED ticket sales for BUdweiser Garden and FirstOntario Centre as well, not actual ticket sales. Given the huge difference in those sales between those two arenas and Sasktel Centre, I think it's safe to assume they both host more non-sporting events then Saskatoon.

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

It was estimated that the economy of Saskatoon benefited to the tune of $30 million from the Garth Brooks concerts alone that week.
A solid case for Saskatoon having an arena the size or larger than SaskTel centre long into the future. especially considering both Saskatoon & Regina 2 hours drive to the South are projected to have combined population million people within a couple decades.

I hope you don't actually believe those Brooks concerts provided a net gain of $30 million in economic activity for Saskatoon. The majority of those people attending the concerts would have lived in Saskatoon and the immediate surrounding area. If he had not come it's not as if there would have been a shortfall of $30 million. That money would have been spent on other entertainment options or frivolous things.

A physically larger arena? Sure, that would make sense as the seats would be wider, concourses bigger, and there would be additional level(s). IN terms of seating capacity? No, in fact something slightly smaller would make more sense. As I stated previously, most concert acts do not sell out, especially in smaller cities. There is no need to have an additional 1 - 2,000 seats that will sit empty the majority of the time. It's a waste of money.

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

I think that is the major impulse for push for new Saskatoon arena is to have an arena downtown instead of putting more money into renovating an old arena on the outskirts. The Arena Board has been trying to strike a lot of fear in Saskatoon citizens by saying the arena may begin to loose concerts soon if new arena isn't built.

A new 6 lane bridge opened last month on same street as SaskTel Centre which should help link Saskatoon's fastest growing neighbourhoods to the arena, but renovating SaskTel Centre could cost upwards of ~$100 million. Other arenas in America that had roofs raised and renovated have cost in the $50-$60 Million range:

-Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium cost approximately $52.6 million in 2017 dollars to renovate, increase seating capacity from 10,449 to 15,858, added new upper level with stairways, escalators and upper exits, getting rid of exit tunnels from lower levels & a new scoreboard upgrade.

-San Antonio's Hemisfair roof lift cost $4 million in 1970's USdollars and increased seating by 6,000.

-Allen County War Memorial Coliseum In 2002, had an extensive $35 million renovation and expansion raising the roof by 41 feet (12 m), increasing seating by 2,500.

-Gallagher-Iba Arena completed in 2000 cost $55 million, increasing seating capacity from 6,381 seats to its current 13,611 seats.

-Greensboro War Memorial Coliseum's $45.7 million expansion project in 1990 added 7,000 new seats to final 23,200 seats & doubled the size of the adjoining Special Events Center.

All the above arenas are still in use except for Buffalo's and San Antonio's that each lasted about a quarter century after roof raising.

Since many of these arenas are still in use, that sounds like a good case for a renovation in Saskatoon.

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

Fortunately SaskTel Centre hasn't lost much of the concert business due to it's lower roof/lower weight capacity. SaskTel Center usually beats out Saddledome for concerts, Carrie Underwood and Elton John have included Saskatoon but not Calgary for next year. SaskTel Centre gets concerts Winnipeg doesn't get like Maroon5 and Neil Diamond. SaskTel gets substantially more concerts than Hamilton & London, Ontario.

The loss of concerts in places like Saskatoon is only partially due to aging facilities. Certain interested parties would have you believe that is the primary and only reason for this. In reality, most concert tours have designated routes they follow, often starting on the west coast and working their way inland...sometimes starting on the east coast and working their way inland. When the city is larger, these concert acts will go out of there way to accomodate them should the designated arena for the show has already been booked for another event (ie. basketball or hockey). The primary reason being money - they can charge more in larger centres seeing as there will be greater disposable income. Not so much in smaller cities.

Another factor are the rising costs to secure concerts. Artists are increasingly reliant on concert tours for income with the collapse of record sales over the past decade-plus. Promoters are required to bid ever higher prices to secure these artists and that has to passed on to the consumer in the form of higher ticket prices. We have seen this astronomical rise in ticket prices over the past 5 - 10 years.

If the promoter does not believe they will sell enough tickets to recoup the costs of the bid, they will simply offer a lower bid (which the artist will reject in favor of a bigger payday elsewhere) or withdraw it altogether. This is another reason it would not make sense to build a larger capacity arena in Saskatoon. There is less disposable income in smaller cities and with the increasingly competitive concert industry it will be left on the outside looking in. Even Edmonton can't escape this new reality as they have secured fewer concerts in recent years despite moving into a newer arena.

As for concerts, I doubt hamilton and London draw fewer concerts overall...they probably draw more. All the places you listed as not getting concerts while Saskatoon, well, they also get concerts that Saskatoon does not get. Just as an example, I looked at the acts coming to Bell MTS Place vs. Sasktel Centre and there are about 20 additional events happening in the former that will not be at the latter. This despite Bell MTS Place being booked for about 35 more sporting events throughout the year.

[Franco401]

The other thing to remember in Florida is that TV revenues have always been solid and ownership is committed to the area. As I've said earlier, it's not like the commish can just snap his fingers and send them to Hamilton or Quebec.

[Calgarian]

The Panthers are the team that I hope relocates to Quebec in a few years.

[EpicPonyTime]

Originally Posted by esquire

The huge price tag will have to be paid eventually, but why pay it sooner than you have to when the existing venue will do the job for at least another 20 years?

I'll have to try and find the article, but I believe it was recently said that Sask Place is going to be well past its expiration date in twenty years.

Besides, it's going to be more expensive in twenty years.

[Dalreg]

Originally Posted by EpicPonyTime

I'll have to try and find the article, but I believe it was recently said that Sask Place is going to be well past its expiration date in twenty years.

Besides, it's going to be more expensive in twenty years.

By this logic might as well do every arena now, as they are ALL going to be well past their expiration dates in twenty years. Even Edmonton will be outdated by then.....

[esquire]

An arena isn't a car, it's not like the trade value of an existing arena is going to dwindle if you wait too long.

It's a bit of a false economy to build a new arena when you have one that's just fine and don't really need a new one.

[EpicPonyTime]

Originally Posted by Dalreg

By this logic might as well do every arena now, as they are ALL going to be well past their expiration dates in twenty years. Even Edmonton will be outdated by then.....

That's a pretty bad strawman. We're talking about a thirty-year old arena that was built for under $60 million dollars (with inflation), not a brand new half-a-billion dollar arena.

[Chadillaccc]

Originally Posted by drew

This is what Calgary wants to do.

How do you figure? The Saddledome does most definitely not meet modern day needs of tenants, ticket-holders, or performers. Many large concerts skip us because the roof is to weak.

[SaskScraper]

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

Most concert acts do not sell out and that's not a shot at Saskatoon -that's the case in most cities. I doubt we will see a 100% publicly financed arena in the coming two decades (a reno is more feasible), but if it was to come to fruition, something in the range of 12 - 13,000 capacity with an unbalanced seating arrangement would make sense. There would still be a similar capacity to the current arena for 180 degree concerts (10 - 11,000) and there would be the added benefit of a larger lower bowl, separate areas/levels for improved suites and club seats, greater variety of concessions, ribbon boards and larger big screen at centre ice. A smaller capacity arena would generate more revenue and cost less to build.

Given that the Blades don't draw particularly well and the novelty is already wearing off with the Rush with lower attendance despite winning the title last season, it doesn't really make sense to have such a large arena.

No shot taken! SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon systematically sells more tickets to it's concerts than Winnipeg does so if either city needs to have the larger arena I guess it would be Saskatoon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonshine_Jungle_Tour

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prismatic_World_Tour

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purpose_World_Tour

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tour_(Garth_Brooks)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul2Soul:_The_World_Tour

Saskatoon & Sask Rush owner, Bruce Urban, would never make the mistake of building an even smaller sized arena & then later have to shoehorn more seats in every nook & cranny, with obstructed views, just so it doesn't have smallest arena in the NHL like Bell MTS Centre did, it's just bad business sense.

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

Those are also the REPORTED ticket sales for BUdweiser Garden and FirstOntario Centre as well, not actual ticket sales. Given the huge difference in those sales between those two arenas and Sasktel Centre, I think it's safe to assume they both host more non-sporting events then Saskatoon.

we all know what happens when you assume,
means you probably missed something you don't know about & are wrong

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

I hope you don't actually believe those Brooks concerts provided a net gain of $30 million in economic activity for Saskatoon. The majority of those people attending the concerts would have lived in Saskatoon and the immediate surrounding area. If he had not come it's not as if there would have been a shortfall of $30 million. That money would have been spent on other entertainment options or frivolous things.

A physically larger arena? Sure, that would make sense as the seats would be wider, concourses bigger, and there would be additional level(s). IN terms of seating capacity? No, in fact something slightly smaller would make more sense. As I stated previously, most concert acts do not sell out, especially in smaller cities. There is no need to have an additional 1 - 2,000 seats that will sit empty the majority of the time. It's a waste of money.

The loss of concerts in places like Saskatoon is only partially due to aging facilities. Certain interested parties would have you believe that is the primary and only reason for this. In reality, most concert tours have designated routes they follow, often starting on the west coast and working their way inland...sometimes starting on the east coast and working their way inland. When the city is larger, these concert acts will go out of there way to accomodate them should the designated arena for the show has already been booked for another event (ie. basketball or hockey). The primary reason being money - they can charge more in larger centres seeing as there will be greater disposable income. Not so much in smaller cities.

Another factor are the rising costs to secure concerts. Artists are increasingly reliant on concert tours for income with the collapse of record sales over the past decade-plus. Promoters are required to bid ever higher prices to secure these artists and that has to passed on to the consumer in the form of higher ticket prices. We have seen this astronomical rise in ticket prices over the past 5 - 10 years.

If the promoter does not believe they will sell enough tickets to recoup the costs of the bid, they will simply offer a lower bid (which the artist will reject in favor of a bigger payday elsewhere) or withdraw it altogether. This is another reason it would not make sense to build a larger capacity arena in Saskatoon. There is less disposable income in smaller cities and with the increasingly competitive concert industry it will be left on the outside looking in. Even Edmonton can't escape this new reality as they have secured fewer concerts in recent years despite moving into a newer arena.

Saskatoon has a higher income per capita than Winnipeg and Saskatchewan has a larger GDP than Manitoba so Saskatoon would be a better bet for promoters of concerts based on disposable income alone. Maybe that's why some concerts go to Saskatchewan instead of Manitoba, example Thomas Rhett concert tour last year.
plus:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maroon_V_Tour

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melody_Road_Tour

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

As for concerts, I doubt hamilton and London draw fewer concerts overall...they probably draw more. All the places you listed as not getting concerts while Saskatoon, well, they also get concerts that Saskatoon does not get. Just as an example, I looked at the acts coming to Bell MTS Place vs. Sasktel Centre and there are about 20 additional events happening in the former that will not be at the latter. This despite Bell MTS Place being booked for about 35 more sporting events throughout the year.

SaskTel Centre has more concerts than either London Ontario or Hamilton plus SaskTel Centre 100% of the time has more spectators per concert than the Budweiser arena etc. I looked at SaskTel Centre's FB page list of events coming up, outside of main tenants sporting events, they have just as many as Bell MTS in comparison.

originally posted by SaskScraper
-Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium cost approximately $52.6 million in 2017 dollars to renovate, increase seating capacity from 10,449 to 15,858, added new upper level with stairways, escalators and upper exits, getting rid of exit tunnels from lower levels & a new scoreboard upgrade.

-San Antonio's Hemisfair roof lift cost $4 million in 1970's USdollars and increased seating by 6,000.

-Allen County War Memorial Coliseum In 2002, had an extensive $35 million renovation and expansion raising the roof by 41 feet (12 m), increasing seating by 2,500.

-Gallagher-Iba Arena completed in 2000 cost $55 million, increasing seating capacity from 6,381 seats to its current 13,611 seats.

-Greensboro War Memorial Coliseum's $45.7 million expansion project in 1990 added 7,000 new seats to final 23,200 seats & doubled the size of the adjoining Special Events Center.

All the above arenas are still in use except for Buffalo's and San Antonio's that each lasted about a quarter century after roof raising.

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

Since many of these arenas are still in use, that sounds like a good case for a renovation in Saskatoon.

I agree that Saskatoon should probably reno SaskTel Centre to it's full potential for the time being, add an additional couple thousand seats to it's current 16,000 configuration capacity by raising the roof and doubling it's concourse area. Lord knows SaskTel Centre has the room around building to do it, something that can't be said for Bell MTS in Winnipeg.

In a couple decades Saskatoon can revisit idea of building new building downtown with the new technologies that add to cost efficiencies to increasing the spectator experience, plus synergy of having hospitality & services downtown to benefit from having 18,000 people downtown after events.