Intrust Bank Arena tour on KSN

[wsushox1]

The arena Is looking good!

I know this is a little premature, but was there any planning in the design phase that would allow for a future increase in the seating capacity, if needed? Is the present structure at its maximum seating allowable, with no possibility for future expansion?

I do not know. I know that the ford Arena down in OKC wasn't built for expansion but it is being expanded. If there is a will there is a way. I think they could re-arrange the suites if they wanted to add more seats. Adding seats where the suites are now and then moving the suites somewhere else. I ,however, doubt it will ever be expanded. It might be cheaper and more feasible to build a new arena. Just speculation.

[Ricardo del Rio]

The arena Is looking good!

I know this is a little premature, but was there any planning in the design phase that would allow for a future increase in the seating capacity, if needed? Is the present structure at its maximum seating allowable, with no possibility for future expansion?

I do not know. I know that the ford Arena down in OKC wasn't built for expansion but it is being expanded. If there is a will there is a way. I think they could re-arrange the suites if they wanted to add more seats. Adding seats where the suites are now and then moving the suites somewhere else. I ,however, doubt it will ever be expanded. It might be cheaper and more feasible to build a new arena. Just speculation.

In a fumble, fest fashion (alliteration) the County has already passed up the most economical option and it is gone forever.

[SHOCKvalue]

This arena wasn't designed or built to be expanded. Likewise, converting the suites into traditional seats in the future wouldn't be economical, nor would it be architecturally pleasing. From north to south, the arena is very unsymmetrical, and I'm not talking about the exterior stuff you can see right now.

IBA is a big step forward for this community and downtown, and it will be built well, but make no mistake - the design, location, and capacity of this facility missed the mark in a fairly major way.

And thanks RDR for your consistent grammatical evaluations and explanations. We, the proletariat, would be simply lost without it.

[Ashockalypse]

I don't know about the design because I don't know about design, but what is wrong with the location? I think it makes a huge addition to Wichita's skyline where it is located, it is near oldtown allowing synergies there and with downtown, and it is fairly easy to access from the main thoroughfare, Kellogg. As for the capacity, I think most people feel a lot more excited about capacity or near capacity crowds than they do about having a big arena that is never full. The capacity is sufficient and if we just turn out to never have enough seats, I guess we will have to find a way to expand it. I hardly see the negative here. It is a great arena for the air capital city. Let it fly!

[wsushox1]

Take a look at the scoreboard for the new arena.....Not to fancy but I sure am loving the score!!!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=82274&id=85480898777&ref=mf#/photo.php?pid=1832072&id=85480898777

Possibly looks something like this http://www.ancsports.com/gallery/200...and-cavaliers/

We are supposed to have a ribbon board in the arena as well....now that I know the company making all of the Boards and Ribbons I will look for more information to pass along to you.

Edit: On a second look it will probably be something like this

http://www.ancsports.com/gallery/2008/11/25/minnesota-timberwolves/

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

iba has the room for ribbon board so I would say yes it should

[ShockerFever]

Thanks wsushox for the info. I wish they would have went with the scoreboards that have the circular ad ring on the bottom. Those look better IMO.

Ribbon boards will be at IBA.

[wsushox1]

Yea I agree the ad rings at the bottom look alot better. I still don't know if the top of the scoreboard is an LED video screen or something like they have at IBA.

[ShockerFever]

I would have preferred a scoreboard similar to the BOK Center's:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3149/2812250710_fae7d74913.jpg?v=0

The 18,000 + seat BOK Center, which looks pretty amazing, cost $178 million. IBA seats 15,000, looks somewhat more inferior, and cost $205 million. You'd figure our smaller venue would make up for better amenities, considering it's costing us more..

Kinda sucks..

[wsushox1]

Yea but the BOK Center's scoreboard was funded by private donations not by the sales tax. It looks nice but how big are the screens on it?

[ShockerFever]

Made by South Dakota-based Daktronics, the scoreboard has a total of 10 LED screens to display high-resolution live video, instant replays, statistics, graphics, animations and advertisements.

"Very few venues in the country will have better technology than Tulsa's events center," said Eric Covrig of Daktronics. "It will be equal in capabilities to the latest systems in NBA and NHL facilities."

The decorative top is made up of many neon lights and designed to promote the BOK Center.

Then comes the main layer of the scoreboard, which is an octagon of light-emitting-diode screens.

Four of them are 8-by-14 feet and 10 millimeters in resolution, which is essentially the spacing between the individual lights. The lower the number, the tighter the lights.

Four more screens, spaced between each of the others, are 8-by-8 feet and 16 millimeters in resolution.

Below that layer is a 9-foot-tall LED ring screen and then a 3 1/2-foot-tall ring screen. Each is 16 millimeters in resolution.

They're smaller but they have more screens with more information IMO. I think it'll look more organized than ours. But then again, I haven't seen IBA's yet. Aesthetically, it looks pretty awesome.

Yah, I realize a private donor stepped through but I think we could have gotten someone to step up here too. A scoreboard is a HUGE advertising tool. Oh well.

I'm excited to see more of the interior start coming to life.

[wsushox1]

Anything that Daktronics or ANC Sports makes is first class. I think the BOK Centers scoreboard looks really nice as well. The 9-foot tall LED ring on it looks amazing.

The advertising capabilities for the BOK Center's scoreboard are tremendous, you could potentially have 3-4 different advertisements going on at once on it. One thing I don't think the BOK Center has is a 30'X30' LED Screen. Its supposed to be used for advertising and even promotion.

Anyways if I get or find any more info that is worth sharing, I will....

[wsushox1]

Somewhat funny story here. I emailed SMG to see if they had a higher qualitiy rendering of the scoreboard and the LED Ribbons. They do not. I then emailed ANC Sports and TubeArt the two companies that designed the board. They do not have the renderings either. Then I emailed Ron Holt and he doesn't have the drawings either. It is seemingly lost in cyberspace.

[tropicalshox]

http://www.kansas.com/sports/story/896711.html

The Shox might have a January game there this coming season. In the future count on one non-conference game at Intrust Bank Area each year. I hope they are on Shockervision!

[DoubleJayAlum]

For those who have been to the Qwest Center, that scoreboard is also a Daktronics creation.