Re!magine Spectrum Center project tips off

Work is underway on a two-year renovation project to re-model the Spectrum Center arena in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The 19,000 seat Spectrum Center is the home arena of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets and hosts numerous concerts and shows.

Owned by the City of Charlotte and operated by Hornets Sports & Entertainment, Spectrum Center has been the Queen City’s NBA arena since opening in October 2005.

Members of Hornets Sports & Entertainment’s ownership group, as well as HSE executives and staff packed Spectrum Center’s Trade Street Plaza along with representatives from the City of Charlotte, the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA), Turner/DA Everett, Perkins + Will, CAA Icon and Levy ahead of construction work beginning.

Renovations are expected to take place during the next two NBA off-seasons and be completed prior to the start of the 2025-26 NBA season.

Upgrades will focus on:

• Elevating the Overall Guest Experience – Throughout the arena there will be more gathering spaces for fans with increased visibility into the bowl. Renovations completed in 2024 will focus on modifications to better support traffic flow, including the addition of a fourth vomitory in the lower level, wider corridors and entrance alterations. In 2025, the Main Concourse will be renovated, unveiling four themed “destinations” for fans, inspired by the unique communities across the Carolinas. New, enhanced fan engagement areas will be introduced and the retail experience will be improved.
• Additional Seating – An additional 2,500 lower-level seats will be added in 2025, allowing many more fans to be closer to the action. All seats throughout the bowl will also be replaced at that time.
• Uptown Concourse Enhancements – In addition to significant improvements to Uptown Concourse lighting, signage and concession locations on the Uptown Concourse, the Dr Pepper Pavilion and The Nest fan section will be redesigned in 2024, offering new amenities for some of the Hornets’ most passionate fans.
• Club & Hospitality Experiences – All premium spaces, including clubs and suites, will be transformed over the course of the two summers. In 2024, the two existing Event Level clubs will be relocated and a new Courtside Club will be added, allowing for hundreds more seats to be inclusive of club amenities. In addition, the entire Suite Level will be renovated in 2024, followed by the Founders Level in 2025.
• Diversified Premium Offerings – The reimagined Suite Level will offer five different suite options that can accommodate anywhere from two to 130 guests, providing increased access to premium spaces at a wider range of price points. In addition to 28 Standard Suites, Spectrum Center will have four Party Suites, 13 Mini Suites, one Super Suite and one Theater Box that will offer a completely new all-inclusive experience.
• Food & Beverage Experiences – Throughout Spectrum Center, impactful technology will be utilized to create more frictionless interactions that will improve the overall concession experience, including additional grab-and-go markets. There will be expanded and enhanced menu options and additional bar offerings that will delight all patrons. In addition, more social gathering spaces will be near food and beverage areas, with increased visibility into the bowl, creating an unmatched experience for guests regardless of where they are in the arena.
• Back-of-House Upgrades – In addition to public facing areas, the arena’s back-of-house spaces will see significant changes to better support team, promoter, crew and entertainer needs – helping set Spectrum Center up for long-term success.

Re!magine Spectrum Center is part of the larger renovation project approved by the City of Charlotte in June 2022, which also includes the construction of a training facility and the extension of the Hornets’ lease at Spectrum Center until 2045.

Hornets Executive Vice President and Spectrum Center General Manager, Donna Julian, said:

This building is truly special to each and every person that walks through its doors, and I’m so excited for the future that Re!magine Spectrum Center will deliver. The renovations we will make over the next two years will allow us to draw even more top-tier events and have an even greater impact on our community by bringing more guests uptown to Uptown Charlotte.

Now entering its 19th year in the City of Charlotte, Spectrum Center has welcomed more than 20 million visitors, not only from Charlotte and its surrounding areas in the Carolinas, but from a national and global audience as well.

Source & imagery, credit: NBA Charlotte Hornets

Sports Venue Business has launched a raft of new offerings under the SVB LIVE banner for 2024, including Networking Events and a Webinar Series, the pinnacle of which being the 2024 SVB LIVE Conference & Exhibition. The next Networking Event is taking place at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, on June 25th.