The doors of Charlotte Bobcats Arena opened on Wednesday, giving members of the media a sneak preview of the arena before it hosts The Rolling Stones in its first event on Friday night and opens its doors to the public for two Bobcats Open House events, presented by The Charlotte Observer, this weekend.
If the reactions of media members at Charlotte Bobcats Arena Media Day are any indication, fans in and around Charlotte will be blown away by what they see this weekend.
That's exactly what Chief Operation Officer of Charlotte Bobcats Arena Barry Silberman wants to see.
"I'm hoping that people's jaws will drop, their eyes will open up wide and I'll hear oohs and ahhs out of people's mouths," Silberman said. "I've always tried to approach this as what can we do to create the biggest wow effect for our fans. I've done what I would like to see as a fan and used that as a guide for 'Joe Fan.' It gets a wow from me, and I'm hoping it gets a wow from the public, too."
Charlotte Bobcats Arena is loaded with numerous things that are expected to produce that wow effect, ranging from the largest scoreboard in the country in an indoor arena to what Silberman calls the "world's best tailgaiting experience" inside the arena at Rock the Rooftop.
"I have a great sense of anticipation, a great sense of excitement and a real sense of pride in the process here that has created this wonderful platform," Bobcats President and Chief Operating Officer Ed Tapscott said. "It's going to be a wonderful place for the city, that I think will be an iconic part of the center city of Charlotte and will obviously be a wonderful platform for our basketball business and our arena event business.
"There are so many things that have to go right and come together to create these special moments, and I certainly know we're endebted to many people - the city side, the team side, the county side to come to this day. I think all of us are walking around a little bit overwhelmed."
And this was just what Tapscott called "the test run."
Some fans will get their first glimpse at Charlotte Bobcats Arena at The Rolling Stones concert on Friday, but the arena will open its doors to the public on Saturday and Sunday from 2:00-6:00 p.m. with the two Bobcats Open House events, presented by The Charlotte Observer.
The free open house events will feature a raffle where guests can enter to win an arena season pass - tickets to every event in the arena for a year - as well as live entertainment and self-guided tours. Visitors will receive a navigation map highlighting must-see areas and amenities and will be able to take a peek backstage and in the team locker rooms on behind the scenes guided tours. Charlotte Bobcats Arena staff will be on hand to answer questions and provide additional information.
The Bobcats Open House events will feature the best opportunity for fans to purchase Bobcats ticket packages and sample available seats. One-of-a-kind autographed items signed by Bobcats players will be provided to fans who purchase ticket packages during the open houses.
"These events provide an opportunity for everyone to see something that will become a major feature attraction in Charlotte," Tapscott said. "There are lots of reasons to come out, but aside from the technical reasons, we want people to come out for the fun of it. It will be fun to go through this building. You can take a look at your seats and see what your sightlines are like. You can imagine what a great game, a concert, a circus or a children's show will look like here."
The open houses will not only provide the opportunity for fans to view the building, but to also give them the chance to feel the sense of hospitality they can expect when they walk through the Charlotte Bobcats Arena's doors.
"People are going to get a chance to see how we are going to operate this building from a fan-friendlieness perspective," Tapscott said. "I think that's extremely important for people to understand - as wonderful of a platform as this building is, if we don't make the right fan connections and have folks feeling very positively about being our guests here, then we won't have maximized the impacts of this building. We are comitted to being as fan-friendly as we can and as welcoming as we can."
By Matt Rochinski, charlottesting.com
Arena Media Day Gallery
