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Philadelphia’s planned new basketball and hockey arena is being designed to extract more profit from the region’s diehard sports fans, 76ers co-owner David Adelman said Wednesday.
Adelman, whose company Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment is partnering with Comcast Spectacor to open the new building in 2030, said they envision altering the traditional gameday experience so visitors spend more at the arena site even before the tip-off or drop of the puck.
“I joke, and I’ve been saying this for years — the tailgating experience in Philadelphia is, you park your car, pop your trunk, pull out a chair and a cooler, and that’s your pregame experience, right?” Adelman said during a panel discussion at the Kimmel Center.
“The question is: Can we convince you to kind of amend that a little bit and have some fun at our arena? We put out those plans — we’re going to have a big courtyard, we’re going to have retail, we’re going to have restaurants, bars, things like that,” he said.
The partners also want to capture more post-game revenue, he said. Currently, eventgoers typically head home after the final buzzer or entertain themselves at other businesses.
“As we thought to kind of reimagine what hospitality should look like at a sporting event, our goal is to create a building where you can come enjoy a dinner in kind of a lounge or a club, enjoy a great experience, but afterwards not have to be rushed out the door, and to be able to have a hospitality experience after the game or after the concert,” he said.
He spoke at a discussion of “The Business of Sports,” an event sponsored by the Greater Philadelphia Chamber, along with Comcast Spectacor CEO Dan Hilferty, state Deputy Secretary of Tourism Anne Ryan and investment firm manager Natasha Camy. Temple University professor Thilo Kunkel moderated the panel.
“You all, as fans, while you’re there to cheer the team on, we recognize that you’re also spending a lot of money, and you want to get value for that money,” Adelman said. “We want to provide that to you.”
