FOOTPRINT CENTER - PHOENIX, AZ

Design: Ellerbe Becket
General Contractor: Okland Construction
Products: MXP telescopic platforms; Quattro nose mount chairs; Quattro fixed chairs, padded Fusion chairs

Footprint Center (formerly known as America West Arena, US Airways Center, Talking Stick Resort Arena, and Phoenix Suns Arena) is a multipurpose indoor sports and entertainment venue located in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. It serves as the home arena for the Phoenix Suns, the city's professional basketball team in the NBA, and the Phoenix Mercury, the city's professional women's basketball team in the WNBA.

The arena has a seating capacity of approximately 18,000 for basketball games and can be configured to host other events such as concerts, ice shows, and other sporting events. Over the years, the arena has hosted notable entertainment events including NBA playoff games, NCAA basketball tournaments, NFL Super Bowl Media Day, major concerts, and more.

In addition to hosting sporting events and concerts, Footprint Center Arena has been committed to sustainability and environmental responsibility. In 2021, it underwent a name change to Footprint Center as part of a partnership with the sustainability company Footprint, emphasizing its dedication to reducing waste and promoting eco-friendly practices.

With its central location, modern amenities, and commitment to sustainability, Footprint Center Arena continues to be a prominent and popular entertainment destination in Phoenix, Arizona.

CHALLENGE

Hussey Seating Company supplied and installed the original fixed seats and telescopic platform seating when the arena was built in 1992 and continued to provide maintenance services throughout the life of the products, lasting nearly 30 years.

When the time came for a seating update, Hussey Seating Company’s products were in particularly high demand and thus unavailable to meet the aggressive timeline of the venue’s construction. Ultimately the arena settled on telescopic platform seating solutions manufactured by an alternative source, but after just seven years of use plagued by mechanical and quality issues, venue management was again looking for a new seating, and the proven and trusted Hussey name was at the top of their list.

In addition to selecting durable and reliable spectator seating, conversion efficiency and safety are of the utmost importance to the multipurpose arena due to the large number of events and variety of seating configurations.

SOLUTION

The seasoned experts in Hussey Seating Company’s Major Projects Division worked with the Footprint Center staff to understand their needs and goals and tailored a selection of products to help get them there.

Arena Seating Renovation
The project called for MXP™ telescopic platforms which are designed and engineered with professional arenas in mind. MXP telescopic platforms, also known as retractable platforms or ‘risers’ to the operations staff of Footprint Center, provide nearly endless customization options including the ability to truncate seating at any row. They operate easily and quickly and withstand the abuse of constant changeovers and energetic crowds. A mix of Quattro® nose-mount chairs, Quattro fixed chairs, and padded Fusion™ chairs were selected to provide comfortable and durable seating throughout the various sections of the arena.

PAYOFF

The result is renewed confidence in the arena’s telescopic seating system, quicker conversions, increased opportunities to host a wider variety of events, and sleek and comfortable seats fitting for Footprint Center’s $230 million renovation.

Reliable Telescopic Seating
Footprint Center’s vice president of facility management Gary Gillespie puts it plainly, “Having a dependable and reliable seating system is a no-brainer. We have to. We could have trucks sitting in the dock waiting to unload. And if we weren't able to convert that space as quickly as we needed to, that's money and time. So that's why we really had to go with the best seating system that we could possibly get our hands on.”

Efficient Seating Conversions
“The last system we had, we were averaging 10 to 12 hours,” recalls Anthony Lee, Senior Conversion Manager at Footprint Arena. “The Hussey system cut down the change over time by 2 to 3 hours.”

Maximum Seating Configurations
“One of the things about our riser system is that we have the flexibility to do a different configuration which optimizes our seats. And because we’re competing with other arenas, that’s one sellable point for us,” says Megan Duffy, Director of Facility Operations

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