Throughout its planning and construction process, Little Caesars Arena—the new home of the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons—drew plenty of attention. The anticipation for its debut was heightened until its September opening. In the months since, it has been delivering on some of its expectations by acting as a versatile arena that can serve fans and event attendees with a good experience.
When Little Caesars Arena first opened its doors in 2017, it marked the completion of a venue that was expected to fulfill multiple purposes. In addition to providing new homes for the Red Wings and Pistons—the latter of which moved into Detroit from nearby Auburn Hills to play at the venue—the arena was to offer an event experience built on strengths that included its social spaces, technology, and a seating bowl with good sightlines.
As far as the NBA and NHL gameday experiences are concerned, Little Caesars Arena provides an experience that caters to every type of fan—from those who place an intense focus on the action, to those who relish in the more social aspect of attending the game. For the more social fan, the venue features numerous offerings that can take the arena beyond the experience itself.
The lower concourse features a portion that is designed with wide walkways and multiple restaurant and bar areas. The Budweiser Biergarten and Goose Island Pub are among some of the spaces on the lower level, while several bar areas highlight the upper concourse. While the arena features numerous premium club areas, one of the most unique is the Labatt Blue Club, a two-level space on the north end with a solid viewpoint of the action that offers standard bowl and barstool seating.
With its steep design, Little Caesars Arena is able to provide viewpoints of the action that are fitting for both basketball and hockey. While this is apparent in many of the social spaces that face the floor, those in the main seating bowl will be treated to a strong perspective regardless of the sport. The arena also makes unique use of gondola seating, which is suspended from the rafters and offers a birds-eye view of the floor.
By using its design to enhance several aspects of attending the game, Little Caesars Arena manages to incorporate the interests of multiple types of fans. The same can be said for the technology offerings at the arena, which consist of a multi-faceted slate that gives fans a way to stay connected. While the arena’s robust Wi-Fi network helps fans connect to their smartphones and share their arena experiences on social media, the concourses and social spaces offer plenty of monitors to ensure that the action can be seen outside of the bowl.
When it comes to the games themselves, technology also plays a major role. While many design aspects of the arena will resemble each other from sport to sport, there is no mistaking which team is playing at Little Caesars Arena. Thanks to the incorporation of digital signage on the exterior, the Red Wings or Pistons logos are highly visible before entering the arena.
Inside, there are two notable components to Little Caesars Arena’s technology offerings. One is a ceiling that can change colors from event to event, thanks to an arrangement of nearly 1,700 LED strip lights. Another is the jewel skin, a feature that stretches 600 feet and features hundreds of dimensional metal panels. Videos and graphics that are tailored to the event can be projected onto the jewel skin, making a strong visual presentation within the arena.
As a modern venue, Little Caesars Arena also features a state-of-the-art four-sided videoboard that hangs over the floor. Billed as the largest seamless centerhung video system in the world, the display ensures that fans sitting in any part of the arena’s bowl are treated to the same quality of video experience and information relating to the event.
Now that Little Caesars Arena has moved beyond the anticipation stage and into the phase in which it can provide a firsthand impression for event attendees. The venue ultimately uses its features to provide a solid gameday experience for both the Pistons and the Red Wings, helping to ensure that many of its elements meet their lofty expectations.
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