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Wells Fargo Center Makes Front Office Sports’ Top 10 Venues List
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Front Office Sports put out a list on Wednesday of their ten best sports venues in 2024. Included was the Wells Fargo Center, with a blurb reading like this:
“Wells Fargo Center, home to Philadelphia’s Flyers and Sixers, raises venue standards with a recently-wrapped $400M renovation yielding cutting-edge in-venue technology and an overhauled visitor experience. The venue now features pioneering video board technology, modernized point-of-sale systems, and state-of-the-art security solutions. On the culinary side, the venue offers a range of food options reflective of Philadelphia’s rich food culture and inclusive menus catering to all. And with over 22,000 parking spots and excellent public transport connections, accessibility is straightforward. New luxury features for VIP sections and the addition of an affordable and social standing-room section underscore the venue’s commitment to every fan. On top of it all, the venue is part of a broader sports and dining complex with plans for mixed-use development that anticipates generating a vibrant community vibe.”
FOS noted the $400 million renovation, 4k kinetic scoreboard, Assembly Room, and OLED holographic video displays as “notable features.” In terms of how arenas were selected, they note that venues submitted applications and responded to questions about their “technologies, mobile app features, food options/dietary inclusivity, transportation offerings, mixed-use functionality, and overall venue design.” From there, analysts reviewed the entries and based their decisions on a number of criteria, from technology that improves the gameday experience, merchandise and concessions process, ingress and egress, security, design, etc.
The top 10 wasn’t ranked in any sort of order, but the other nine venues were:
- Hard Rock Stadium (Dolphins)
- State Farm Arena (Hawks)
- Globe Life Field (Rangers)
- Prudential Center (Devils)
- TD Garden (Celtics and Bruins)
- Churchill Downs Racetrack
- Citi Field (Mutts)
- Frost Bank Center (Spurs)
- Moody Center (University of Texas)
A press release was sent out by Comcast-Spectacor:
PHILADELPHIA (May 22, 2024) – The newly transformed Wells Fargo Center is receiving global recognition after completing its multi-year, $400 million renovation project. Front Office Sports, the leading media and news organization covering the business of sports, today released their 2024 slate of “Best Venues” with South Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center making the list of just 10 venues in the world that includes stadiums, arenas, racing and other mixed-used venues.
The award honors venues that have met and exceeded the evolving demands of fans while setting the new industry standard for success. Venues were evaluated by Front Office Sports in collaboration with Sports Innovation Lab on several criteria including new technologies that improve the guest experience, exciting and engaging menu items, design features and mixed-use development opportunities. Other winners include Churchill Downs Racetrack (Louisville), Hard Rock Stadium (Miami), Citi Field (New York) and Moody Center (Austin).
“As we completely transformed this iconic venue, we always had one goal: to elevate and enhance the fan experience,” said Dan Hilferty, Chairman and CEO of Comcast Spectacor. “We share this recognition with everyone who made the transformation possible including the building trades, carpenters, our employees and our fans. The completion of the renovation project is only the beginning of our reimagining of the Sports Complex, and we look forward to game-changing redevelopment in partnership with the Phillies.”
In addition to hosting its main sports tenants of the Philadelphia Flyers, 76ers, Wings and Villanova Basketball, the arena regularly attracts the top touring acts in music, comedy and family entertainment. Wells Fargo Center hosts approximately 220 events per year and continues to hold the biggest cultural moments in the Philadelphia region including the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament games, and WWE events during WrestleMania 40. Top performers in just the last two years include Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Madonna, Kevin Hart, Bad Bunny, the Jonas Brothers, Aerosmith, Nate Bargatze, Drake and Zach Bryan.
“For over three decades, we’ve booked the biggest and best touring acts and events in both sports and entertainment, continually raising the bar as a must-play venue,” said Phil Laws, Chief Operating Officer of Comcast Spectacor. “As we come out of our transformation, we’re more committed than ever to keep evolving, embracing new ideas, and advancing every guests’ experience for years to come. This recognition really encapsulates all the hard work from our team each and every day to make Wells Fargo Center one of the best venues in the industry.”
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com