Rose Carter did something she never thought she'd do -- go into a hockey player's locker room.
"It's a unique opportunity,'' Carter said Sunday while standing just outside the empty locker rooms in the basement of the new downtown arena. "I wanted to see them now, when they're clean. It's the first time I've ever been in a men's locker room.''
The Hermitage woman was among more than 26,000 people who converged on the new arena for its free grand opening to the public Sunday afternoon.
Along with visiting the plush suites, upper-deck seats, backstage area and the main floor where hockey, basketball and arena football will be played, thousands also toured the locker rooms and dressing rooms.
Other popular pursuits in the basement included inspecting the Zamboni, the vehicle that resurfaces the ice rink, checking out the rink's ice machine and wandering around in the area where the media will interview people and develop photographs.
The sunny, warm Sunday afternoon and festive atmosphere -- music and free sodas and hot dogs for everyone -- were just what the arena officials had hoped for, said Russ Simons, vice president of Leisure Management International, the arena's manager.
"This is for me the final period in the end of the sentence, turning it over to the public,'' said Mayor Phil Bredesen.
"I'm a very happy guy,'' Simons said.
On May 13, 2003 Ryan Voshell wrote: The The Sommet Center is a great hockey building, even if the hockey played in it isn't always great.
In a southern, football crazy city, it had to be a great building to draw interest to hockey. The building is easy to navigate and there is always a concession stand and restroom nearby. There is not a bad seat in the house, and that is from someone who has sat everywhere between the second row to the very top row. On most nights you will see a country music star or a member of the Titans in attendance. When the hometown Predators score a goal, fans seated near a giant can ofEdge Shave Gel get showered by confetti.
Fans in Nashville expect a good effort from it's players every night, fueled by the success of the Tennessee Titans. There is often unfair expectations placed on the Predators because of that, but the fans continue to learn and appreciate the game. The GEC was named loudest building in the NHL in it's first season and a banner hangs to recognize the Predators 7th man "The Fans". The loudest section by far has to be section 303, also known as "Cellblock 303" where colorful chants and cheers rain down to the ice throughout the entire game.
Although the building hasn't seen the best hockey from the Predators yet, it does seem to bring out the best individual performances by visiting players. The one moment that stands out most above all others, is the night that the Ney York Rangers visited with Wayne Gretzky. It was The Great One's only game in the GEC and he did nothing to tarnish his reputation by racking up five assists. Fans have seen great performances by the likes of Peter Forsberg, Kieth Tkachuk and Luc Robitaille. Although the fans appreciate these efforts, nothing will get the building rock like a big hit from Scott Hartnell, a last second goal by Scott Walker or a sensational save by goaltender Tomas Vokoun.
It is a very exciting time to be a hockey fan in Nashville, with a feeling that the Predators are right on the edge of becoming a top contender. And when the team finally turns the page and moves to the next level, there will be no better building to watch a game in than the The Sommet Center.
Sincerely,
Ryan Voshell
The The Sommet Center is the cornerstone of an incredible explosion of entertainment and business development in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. This state-of-the art arena is designed to host a variety of events from sports and family shows to concerts and conventions. The arena is convenient to three major interstate highways and is linked to the Nashville Convention Center, Renaissance Nashville Hotel and Church Street Centre Mall by a climate controlled walkway. The Nashville Arena is a show piece for the city whose reputation for music, entertainment and hospitality is world renowned. Nashville is one of the hottest cities in America and the new The Sommet Center is topping
the charts! Here are a few quick facts about Nashville's newest venue:
* The Arena design features a 22-story tower that houses in its base the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau visitors' center and a small theater.
* A tribute to Nashville's musical heritage, the entrance to the Arena is positioned on the corner of Broadway and Fifth Avenue to face the Ryman Auditorium, the original home of the Grand Ole Opry. The architects designed this as a tribute to Nashville's music roots.The arena features:
Technical Information
Seating Capacity:
* 20,000 In the round
* 18,500 Proscenium stage
* 10,000 Half house (masking curtain)
Electrical:
* Four thousand (4,000) amps power located in two backstage areas.
Directly Backstage:
* Four (4), 400 amp per leg, 30-240 v., fused disconnect
* Two (2), 200 amp per leg, 30-240 v., fused disconnect
* 2,000 amps total
Stage Left Rear:
* One (1) 800 amp per leg, 30-240 v., fused disconnect
* Two (2) 400 amp per leg, 30-240 v., fused disconnect
* Two (2) 200 amp per leg, 30-240 v., fused disconnect
* 2,000 amps total
Designated house electricians to make all connections.
Lighting:
Arena seating bowl lighting consists of metal halide floodlights with 3400 Ok lamp color temperature and 65 minimum color rendering index to provide light levels ranging from 30 foot candles in the horizontal plan for conventions, tradeshows, etc., and a minimum of 200 foot candles in the vertical plane for televised events.
Loading Dock:
Located at the South end of the building and accessible through the service ramp at Sixth Ave. and Clark Place, the 30,000-sq. ft. loading dock can accommodate up to 24 buses and trailers. Dock entrance 20' x 16'7" with direct floor access through 22'x15' door. Overhead door and closed circuit cameras ensure security.
Freight Elevator:
One (1) Class C1 10,000-lb.-capacity traction elevator equipped with 8' x 8' bi-parting doors accessible to high steel (125) feet. A second similar sized freight elevator with access to each level is dedicated to food service operations.
Spotlights:
Twelve (12) spotlight platforms equipped with four (4) Super Trooper II's and eight (8) Strong Gladiator III's.
Staging:
One (1) 40'x60' stage with 12' x 24' sound wings featuring bridging or floating deck design, complete barricade system and ADA compliant ramp.
Dressing Rooms:
Five (5) star dressing rooms ands three (3) team/chorus dressing rooms each equipped with bath and shower facilities located in immediate backstage area.
Green Room:
1,500 sq.ft. equipped with catering pantry and two (2) separate bath and shower facilities.
Rigging:
Tubes and "H" beams are located 125' from floor in a square grid pattern, approx. 10'-12' between beams with a total end stage live load capacity of 120,000 lbs. and a total center stage capacity of 80,000 lbs. Maximum pick point capacity ranges from 4,000 lbs. to 8,000 lbs. per tube or beam. All rigging plans, including desired hanging points, must be submitted to the The Sommet Center operations department prior to tickets going on sale. Safety lines are required on all rigging points located over seating area.
Production Offices:
Four (4) offices located in immediate backstage area equipped with telephone and cable TV outlets.
Backstage Dining:
1,800 sq.ft. dining area located in backstage area.
Ticket Office:
Full-service ticket office providing computerized ticketing, remote outlets and telephone order service for all events. Daily ticket office with fifteen (15) windows located at main entrance and event ticket office with five (5) windows located at south entrance. Daily WILL CALL ticket pick up, dedicated credit card windows and ATMs are available for patron services.
Security:
Local off-duty police officers, private uniformed security guard service and peer group security available.
Sound:
Six (6) public address sound clusters located in the high steel supported with nine (9) sound delay speakers at the sound end.
Disabled Patron Services:
Seating for patrons with disabilities is available on each level. Accessible parking is available in attached garage and all entrances into the arena are accessible. PHONIC EAR is available on request and T.D.D.s are located at phone banks on the main concourse level. All concession stands and restrooms (including eight (8) unisex restrooms) are accessible.
Directions
Coming to Nashville Arena from West Tennessee on I-40:
Follow Nashville signs and exit on Broadway (209B). Turn left on Broadway and Nashville Arena will be on your right, between 6th and 5th Avenue.
Coming to Nashville Arena from East Tennessee on I-40:
Follow I-40, take the Memphis fork, exit on Broadway (209A). Turn right on Broadway and Nashville Arena will be on your right, between 6th and 5th Avenue.
Coming to Nashville Arena from the South on I-65:
Stay North on I-65 to I-40 West towards Memphis, exit on Broadway 209A). Turn right on Broadway and Nashville Arena will be on your right between 6th and 5th Avenue.
Coming to Nashville Arena from the East on I-24:
Follow I-40 West towards Memphis, Exit on Broadway (209A). Turn right on Broadway and Nashville Arena will be on your left between 6th and 5th Avenue.
Coming to Nashville Arena from the Northwest on I-24:
Follow the 265 Memphis loop, take the 40 West fork following the Nashville signs. Exit on Broadway (209A), turn left on Broadway and Nashville Arena will be on your right between 6th and 5th Avenue.
GAYLORD BUYS NAMING RIGHTS TO NASHVILLE ARENA
August 5, 1999
Copyright 1999 MediaVentures
Gaylord Entertainment Co will pay $80 million over 20 years for naming rights to the Nashville Arena. The venue will be called the Gaylord Entertainment Center. The venue is home of the NHL Predators, which are 20% owned by Gaylord. The team gets all naming rights revenue.
THE ULTIMATE SPORTS ROAD TRIP
By: Andrew Kulyk & Peter Farrell
| Sommet Center Ranking by USRT |
| Architecture |  | 8 |
| Concessions | | 5 |
| Scoreboard | | 5 |
| Ushers | | 5 |
| Fan Support | | 6 |
| Location | | 9 |
| Banners/History | | 3 |
| Entertainment | | 6 |
| Concourses/Fan Comfort | | 6 |
| Bonus: Walk of Stars | | 2 |
| Bonus: Fat Lady Singing | | 1 |
| Bonus: Signature Tower | | 1 |
| Total Score |  | 57 |
January 8, 2000 - The Gaylord Entertainment Center sits amidst the core of downtown Nashville and is at what you could call the epicenter of the the country music world. Across the street from this building sits the old Ryman Auditorium which was the showplace that made the Grand Ole' Opry an American institution. On the opposite side of the arena sits the new home of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum set to open in May 2001. And outside the arena you will see the building's signature structure, a 22 story tower meant to symbolize a radio tower that would broadcast events from the Ryman once upon a time.
Once you enter the building from the main entrance you step into an impressive lobby with high ceilings, balconies from which those in the upper concourses can look down into the lobby from, and the escalators that take people up to the upper levels. The floor of the lower concourse appears to have a mural of a continous musical score piece going continously around the oval. There are many plaques on this to commemorate the many sold out events that had played here in the arena's short existence. Unfortunately, one of the plaques was there in honor of Dr. James Dobson and his Focus on the Family, one of the pillars of hate and intolerance in our society. As with most other venues, plenty to eat and drink, and don't forget to make a stop at the Predators Pro Shop at the base of the signature tower.
 |
Step inside the bowl from the concourses and you will see a seating area that varies a bit differently from most other arenas we have seen. Yes, there are large lower and upper seating areas and a small club level with suites. However this design exists only from the end of one sideline around behind one of the nets to the end of the other sideline. In the remaining sections behind the other net there is not as much of a club level and the upper seating level is lower and closer to the ice than in the rest of the building. An asymmetrical design unique to Nashville as we were split as to whether this was a cool thing or not. The bowl was decked out in team colors which was a cool thing to us.
As we said before we had just been forced to suffer through the debacle of the Music City Miracle and we were bracing ourselves for the reaction in the building that night. As expected they replayed it on the Jumbotron during a break in play, then came something during another break that gave me the urge to take my Predators jersey off and burn it right on the spot. They showed a Jeopardy style trivia question that went something like this....A. Scott Norwood, Brett Hull, and Frank Wycheck. Q. Name three players who broke the hearts of Buffalo fans?? THAT DOES IT!!!! LET'S GO BLACKHAWKS!!!! We definitely thought that one went a bit too far. On the other hand we did see a funny movie clip later on. With time winding down and the Preds scoring an empty net goal to seal a 6-3 win, the Jumbotron showed a clip of a, shall we say "fuller figured" woman dressed in opera garb belting out a high note. Definitely a classic clip we have not seen anywhere else!!
Extra Points
The Predators began play as an expansion team in 1998 so there is not much history here yet. Still that didn't stop the team from retiring the number 7 in honor of their fans. Of course seeing that just gave us one more reason to be sick to our stomachs. We couldn't decide which banner was more insignificant, that one or the one signifying an Arena Football League Conference Championship.
Summary
As you may be able to tell we didn't really care for this place. We'll give this building the benefit of the doubt though, considering that we were still deeply saddened and angered to the point of numbness. The events of the afternoon frustrated us to the point that as we left for home the following morning we swore to ourselves we wouldn't spend another penny on anything until we crossed the border into Kentucky. If we got the chance to get back (Grizzlies) for another event (Grizzlies) I'm sure we would give this place a better rating.
PREDATORS MAY BUY OWN TICKETS TO QUALIFY FOR NHL CASH
January 22, 2009
Copyright 2009 MediaVentures
Nashville, Tenn. - The Nashville Predators' owners might buy thousands of unsold tickets so
they can qualify for a full share of the NHL's revenue-sharing plan, the team's lead owner
confirmed.
David Freeman stressed that he and the other owners haven't made that decision, but with
millions of dollars on the line, they've been discussing the possibility and they can't wait too long to pull the trigger.
Through 22 home games, the Predators' average paid attendance stands at 13,744, said Ed
Lang, president of business operations. That's 256 tickets short of the 14,000 average required for a full share of the NHL revenue-sharing pool.
The team also must increase its revenue at the same rate as the rest of the league to qualify.
That means the owners can't just buy up tickets on the cheap to get to the attendance requirement, Freeman said, adding that they would buy them at market rates.
Teams that don't fully meet the criteria can receive partial revenue shares, Lang said. For
example, falling just short of one target might mean a 75 percent share.
The revenue-sharing plan was worth a full share of about $12 million to the Predators after the
2007-08 season. The plan exists for small-market clubs like Nashville, which receive money from a
pool the NHL collects from the 10 highest-earning teams.
Lang declined to discuss the Predators' expected earnings from the revenue-sharing plan, but
he and Freeman said the money is key to the organization's business plan. (The Tennessean)
PREDATORS WANT TO ADD RETAIL TO ARENA
March 12, 2009
Copyright 2009 MediaVentures
Nashville, Tenn. - Trying to increase revenues wherever they can, the owners of the Nashville
Predators are looking at one of the only major assets they have that isn't on skates: their building.
The pro hockey team, which has a lease there for 19 more years, is exploring the possibility of
developing parts of the arena as shops and restaurants accessible from surrounding streets.
David Freeman, leader of the Predators' ownership group, said retail could fit in nicely with a
proposed new convention center and hotel, which Mayor Karl Dean hopes to open by the start of
2013. The convention center campus would be across Demonbreun Street from Sommet.
Freeman and Arnett Bodenhamer, chairman of the Metro Sports Authority, the Predators'
landlord, said they would have to consult the lease to see what's possible. Some amendments could
be necessary, Bodenhamer said. The agreement says clearly that the sports authority must approve
in advance any arena alterations or improvements costing more than $25,000.
Freeman sees great potential. Sommet is on the edge of Lower Broadway, where the
honky-tonks and country music-themed gift shops reel in tourists and Middle Tennessee residents
alike. The Ryman Auditorium and Country Music Hall of Fame are nearby.
Freeman said he also has noticed the development of the Gulch area on the western edge of
downtown. (The Tennessean)
PREDATORS MAY OWE CITY FOR UNPAID TAXES
March 19, 2009
Copyright 2009 MediaVentures
Nashville, Tenn. - The Nashville Predators hockey club could owe the Metro government
almost $400,000 in seat taxes that the team apparently has been withholding from the city without
its knowledge.
A new lease agreement the team signed with Metro last April, retroactive to July 2007, says the
club is supposed to pay the city a $1.75 fee per ticket sold for hockey games. That money is meant to offset Metro's expenses at the city-owned Sommet Center.
The team hasn't been paying the full amount, according to totals on ticket settlement
statements the team filed with Metro. Team officials say they were operating under a provision in
the previous lease signed in 1997 that allowed them to charge 5 percent of the ticket price or $1.75 - whichever was less. That meant some cheaper seats had a lower ticket user fee.
When asked about the apparent discrepancies in payments, the team's president for business
operations, Ed Lang, could not provide a clear explanation.
He acknowledged there was a difference in the language of the lease. He cited a term sheet
submitted during negotiations in November 2007 that the seat user fee would remain "at current
levels." The term sheet was an early road map for drawing up the lease, which eventually went
through many drafts before being approved by the city in April 2008. One of the drafts dated
February 2008 highlighted changes to the agreement. It clearly shows the 5 percent provision was
eliminated.
"It changed," Lang said. "We're trying to figure out, 'Did something in the negotiations
change?' I'm relying on our attorneys right now. They're reviewing it."
He said both sides had been operating under the belief that there was not a change. But there's
no indication from the record that Metro tracked the seat use fee very closely.
Through regular-season home games this year the team reported paid attendance of 471,083,
according to Metro records. At $1.75 per ticket, that would be about $825,000 in ticket taxes. But the team reported fees to the city of approximately $605,000 - or an approximate $220,000 shortfall.
That does not include preseason games or a couple of recent games of which reports were not
available.
Last season, the team reported paid attendance of 600,043 for the regular season and playoffs.
That would come out to $1.05 million in ticket fees at $1.75 per ticket. But the amount of ticket tax fees reported to Metro was about $875,000, or about a $175,000 difference. The revised lease that Metro Council approved last April was retroactive to July 2007, which raises the question of
whether the city would be owed money on any underpayments from last season. (The Tennessean)
CITY ACKNOWLEDGES ERROR IN PREDATORS' LEASE
March 26, 2009
Copyright 2009 MediaVentures
Nashville, Tenn. - Metro's chief negotiator in the Nashville Predators deal said that he and the
team's lawyers messed up when they drew up the team's renegotiated lease with Metro for use of
Sommet Center.
Larry Thrailkill, a private attorney who represented Nashville during the negotiations,
responded to a story that questioned whether the team was following the terms of a renewed lease
agreement as approved last April.
The contract said the team should pay Metro a $1.75 fee for each hockey ticket sold. The newspaper estimated that under those terms the city could be owed nearly $400,000 over the past two years.
Thrailkill said lawyers drafted the lease incorrectly, but the intent was to maintain the old
lease's seat user fee structure.
That included a provision which called for the team to pay the city 5 percent of the ticket price
or $1.75 per ticket sold - whichever was lower. The 5 percent was dropped from the new lease and
was not caught in some 20 drafts that passed back and forth between the lawyers. The team was
represented by Waller Lansden Dortch and Davis, one of Nashville's most powerful and prestigious
firms.
"Due to a mutual misunderstanding by the lawyers, the Amended and Restated documents
omitted the 5 percent language," Thrailkill said in an e-mail. "You have identified this mistake in the drafting and it should be addressed and corrected."
Thrailkill said the team had been operating under the old terms. He said that he did not believe
the city could retroactively hold the Predators accountable for the payments.
He added that the contract as drafted was inconsistent with state law, which allows for a
maximum 10 percent seat user fee or ticket tax for events at Sommet Center. The team couldn't
legally collect the full $1.75 for tickets sold for under $17.50.
The team was silent on the issue. They've provided little explanation since questions were
raised about the seat user fee payments.
Some Metro Sports Authority members still want additional answers.
The authority acts as the city's landlord at its major-league sports facilities and is charged with protecting the interest of taxpayers at these publicly owned buildings. Thrailkill acts as the board's attorney in matters related to the Predators renegotiated lease with the city.
Authority member Steve North, recently elected vice chairman, said it was the body's obligation
to look into the matter. Any changes or amendments to the lease likely would have to go through
the authority and Metro Council for approval. (The Tennessean)
