With the 2018-19 NHL season approaching, the Nashville Predators are preparing to roll out a variety of improvements to Bridgestone Arena.
The Predators have worked in recent years to improve the facility, and are continuing that trend with the latest round of Bridgestone Arena upgrades. Audiovisual system overhauls are a major trend this year, as the Predators have added additional LED lighting, a new sound system, LED signage, and an upgraded control room.
That set of upgrades will be debuted this fall along with other changes, including the addition of more self-serve kiosks, a new bar/gathering place, a grab-and-go stand, and more. The changes made in the $12 million round of improvements came about through fan feedback, according to team CEO Sean Henry. More from the Tennessean:
The Predators also will install more self-serve concessions kiosks throughout the arena, renovate the team store near the front entrance at the corner of Bridgestone Arena and Fifth Avenue South, and add a new concourse bar/gathering place next to the large team store in the concourse.
Two years after the Twice Daily grab-and-go convenience store-style concept was first installed, Henry said the offering has been so successful that the Predators will be adding a third this season.
Henry said each of those upgrades came after fan feedback, a vital component of the Predators’ capital improvement strategy.
The upgrade that will affect the fan experience the most is the improved AV system. On the narrow boards that encircle the second and third levels of seating inside the bowl of the arena there will be new LED signage all around. That means no more static signage.
Those upgrades follow renovations that were completed prior to the 2017-18 NHL season, which included a new hospitality space, concessions upgrades, and improvements to the locker room. Changes on a broader scale to the arena and surrounding area could occur down the road, but the most recent renovations would seem to fit the trend of modernizing the facility through more immediate improvements. Bridgestone Arena originally opened in 1996, and has been home to the Predators since 1998.
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