After last night’s vote, the city of Sacramento and the Kings are moving full speed ahead on plans to build a new arena located at the Downtown Plaza. To generate buzz for the new building, the Kings have opened up an “Experience Center” in one of the office buildings located just off J Street.
“We’ll showcase our products here,” Kings president Chris Granger said while touring media around the 8,000-square-foot space. “We’ll showcase our commitment to sustainability, some things we have in mind from a technology standpoint and some things we have in mind from a food and beverage standpoint. So this is really going to give people their first opportunity of what we’re planning downtown.”
The “Experience Center” (or XC for short) offers folks a first-hand look at what the new arena may look and feel like. Artwork produced by local artists along with an augmented reality model of the new arena are just some of the many things featured at the XC.
The XC is open to fans who make an appointment to visit if they are looking to purchase premium tickets at the new arena. SacramentoESC.com has more details for those who are interested.
Inside the Kings new “Experience Center”
Above is an exact replica of what 26 of the 30 suites inside the new building will look like (there will be four suites bigger than this model). The sample suite includes a communal table that would also function as a wireless charging station for mobile devices. The suite pictured above is 650 square feet, approximately 250 square feet bigger than the suites inside Sleep Train Arena. There’s also a large video screen to show potential suite holders different vantage points from the arena.
“These suites will compare well against any suites anywhere in the country in terms of their spaciousness, in terms of their finishes,” Granger said. “People will really be excited by this product I think.”
Suite holders will have the ability to use iPads as a control panel for their boxes. As you can see above, fans will be able to order food, control television screens inside the suite as well as view advanced statistics from the game using the provided tablet computer.
Above is an example of the wireless charging technology the Kings plan on implementing. These won’t be exclusive to just suite holders. Rather, they will also be available in multiple places throughout the new arena, potentially even on seats themselves.
“What we want to do throughout the building is use technology not only to enhance the experience, but to remove friction from the fan experience,” Granger said. “And wireless charging ,we think, is a great opportunity to do that.”
There’s a look at Sactown Royalty’s Blake Ellington taking a virtual tour of the arena using Oculus Rift. The technology allows a person to get a first-hand, digital view of the arena from the plaza level, inside a suite and even center court. A virtual version of Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins is seen here on center court.
When it comes to seating, fans will be treated to a major upgrade. After 20-plus years of dealing with plastic seats with minimal cushioning, seats inside the arena will be wider and more padded. Fittingly, they’ll also be purple.
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