With the 2009 Terrapin football season less than three months away, only 36 of the 64 luxury suites and about half of the mezzanine seats added in the ongoing Tyser Tower renovation have been sold, according to Athletics Department officials.
Senior Associate Athletics Director Brian Ullmann said sales are expected to be slow at this point since construction on the tower has yet to be completed. It’s hard to sell a seat that a customer cannot actually see or sit in before they purchase it, especially when the price ranges from $40,000 to $85,000, according to Ullmann.
But with construction nearing completion, tours of the suites are taking place, and sales have begun to increase.
“We’re going to move a lot of suites this summer and into next football season,” Ullmann said.
AThe construction aspect of the project is going well. The new tower should be completed in time for the 2009 season.
“It’s hard to put a percentage on [the construction],” said Senior Associate Athletics Director and Chief Financial Officer Randy Eaton. “But we are still on track for substantial completion at the original date of August 31.”
The Terps play their first home game of the season Sept. 12 against James Madison.
The finished project will add 64 suites, 440 mezzanine seats and a university suite that can host 200 guests. Although the project is still under the $50.8 million budget and on schedule, there have been some hurdles to overcome.
“As you’re going in to refurbish an existing building, you run into a lot of things that you don’t know are there until you tear the walls down,” Eaton said. “But there hasn’t been anything we have not been able to overcome.”
The biggest obstacle during construction was a partial blockage of the existing light structures. The remodeled Tyser Tower was built too high during construction last offseason, and the field lights on the south side of the stadium did not fully illuminate the field. This problem was discovered last season, and when night games were held, temporary lighting had to be brought in.
“What were doing is adding lights to the top of the new structure,” Eaton said. “As well as re-lamping and re-aiming all of the existing lights. … By using cost saving measures it’s going to fit within the budget of the project.”
To go along with the pressure of completing construction for the 2009 season, the Athletics Department has had to come up with new ways to encourage suite sales.
Last fall, the Athletics Department reversed course on their alcohol policy. Originally the policy was no alcohol permitted anywhere in the stadium, but the change allows beer and wine to be sold in the suites.
“Tyser Tower is a very controlled environment,” Ullmann said. “Athletics and Dining Services felt like we could provide alcohol to our leaseholders in a very responsible way. Ultimately that was the deciding factor in being able to offer it.”
When asked in 2007 about the possibility of allowing alcohol in the suites, Athletics Director Debbie Yow told The Baltimore Sun, “I know [the fans] drink in the parking lots across the street but we’re not giving it to them.”
But Ullmann acknowledged more corporations or companies might purchase a suite now because beer and wine are being offered.
“I think we do have a few people who would prefer to have alcohol,” Ullmann said. “We were at a little bit of a disadvantage against other facilities that did allow it. So, I think there are a couple [buyers] that with the alcohol, it will make them feel a little better about their purchase. … At the same time there are suite holders who don’t drink. So, it’s just another option for people.”
The policy is not that different from other NCAA and ACC schools. Although the sale of alcohol at those stadiums is strictly prohibited, many other schools have long offered the alcohol option to suite holders.
At Virginia Tech, suite holders are allowed to bring in alcohol the day before a game. The same goes for Virginia and Florida State. The difference is the bring your own beverage policy, whereas in Byrd, suite holders are going to have to purchase it.
As the renovation of Tyser Tower reaches its conclusion, the Athletics Department hopes suite sales will pick up, and mirror the apparent success of the construction end of the two-year project.
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CORRECTION: The Athletics Department is on schedule in Tyser Tower sales, as remaining vacancies were expected.
