Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) and consultant KPMG have teamed up to open a KPMG Ignition Center at Capital One Arena, offering year-round access to an upgraded meeting space with bonus access to sporting events and concerts.
The KPMG Ignition Center was installed in an existing arena suite at Capital One Arena, home of the Washington Wizards (NBA), Washington Capitals (NHL) and Washington Mystics (WNBA) in Washington D.C. While it’s fairly common for sports venues to offer year-round business centers and meeting spots, the new KPMG Ignition Center takes it further by placing the space in a suite. When a game, concert or event is hosted in the arena, KPMG will also be able to offer traditional live-event hospitality to their clients as part of an innovative customer experience.
“When KPMG and the senior executives at Monumental Sports came together on this idea, I thought it was brilliant,’” said Ted Leonsis, Founder, Chairman & CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, via press release “Taking a suite normally used to host clients to watch Capitals and Wizards games and innovate within it–bringing customers into an environment that’s unexpected and creating a destination to engage people to think differently–is such a big idea. This reinforces the notion that arenas play a central part in the business community’s ecosystem–and that we are now creating a new real estate category of shared workspace—turning suites normally used a few hours per game day into workspace, all day and year-round.
“This reimagining of suite space is another innovation our team is bringing to our community of business partners. So, I congratulate the leaders at KPMG for being a first mover and an exemplar in finding new uses for the convening operation we have built, and I’m sure others will soon join them.”
This 28-person, 900-square-feet suite on the second level concourse can be transformed to meet clients’ needs. From its walls to its furniture, the suite’s modular and movable functionality creates a unique room design for each business session.
The suite is fully equipped with cutting-edge technology. The central video wall displays stories and demonstrations to facilitate discussions. Interactive screen displays are scattered throughout the room, along with high-resolution monitors on the ceiling and at the entryway that showcase relevant visuals during meetings. Plus, video streaming enables people to join sessions from anywhere in the world.
“This is the first partnership of its kind–an innovation space in a sports and entertainment facility–and a forward-thinking blueprint for arena suites of the future. Innovation can happen anywhere, anytime. KPMG Ignition–DC will provide an opportunity to engage with clients in a collaborative environment outside of their traditional office spaces to lean into disruption and uncover opportunities to create value,” Tim Gillis, KPMG Washington DC area Office Managing Partner, said via press release.
Image courtesy Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
