Sun Dome photo update

[crambone]

AWESOME!!!

[South_Florida_Flip]

Something doesn't look right about this concourse. I can't quite put my finger on it.

No beer taps?

It doesn't look like that concession location is completed yet.

[Apis Bull]

Looks amazing!!

[BullFan98]

When are they installing the floors...cannot wait to see them installed.

Installing the floors?

You mean the basketball court?

Didn't realize that needed clarification?

[outrunner]

When are they installing the floors...cannot wait to see them installed.

Installing the floors?

You mean the basketball court?

Didn't realize that needed clarification?

I was confused because the court isn't really "installed" just placed on the floor and removed when there isn't a game.

[Dogma]

Not sure if all of these updates were brought up before (I know some have):

- The main entrance has moved from the southeast corner to the southwest corner, allowing easier access from classrooms campus and more available parking. The new entrance will include a ticket office and team retail store that will not only operate on event days, but also on non-event days. The team benches have moved from the north side of the court to the south side.

- A student entrance on the northwest corner of the building, near Champions Choice dining hall, opens into a student section on the west baseline. From there, students can make their way down to the floor and into the 1,500-square- foot “Student Club†under the stands, which features couches, televisions, refreshments and music while students wait for tipoff.

- Fans in the student section will be nearest the visiting team’s bench, meaning opponents will have to play offense and shoot toward the student body in the second half, a choice that USF staff made along with Populous, the architecture firm that designed the new interior.

- The new Sun Dome will also include a roughly 6,000-square-foot Arena Club located 10 rows away from the court that offers a stand-up bar facing the event floor and a full liquor license. On the south side of the court, 10 seating boxes will allow fans to order food and drinks via iPad to be delivered to their seats.

- The second level seats in the old Sun Dome were retractable, meaning when the rows were expanded the space behind them was useless because of cross struts and bars. In the new Sun Dome, the second level seats are permanent and the space beneath accommodates a full concourse. Students will have a dedicated concession stand with “student-friendly pricing,†according to Scott Glaser, associate director of Athletics for Facilities and Event Management.

The concourse will feature seven concession stands with four TVs apiece that show digital menus as well as game feeds from the event floor. The south side of the concourse will also feature a visual history of key dates in the history of USF and the Sun Dome.

- The court is brand new and uses the same type of wood and basket stanchions the men and women’s team practice on in the adjoining Muma Practice Facility. The four video boards from the old Sun Dome are being reused in the upper corners of the arena, with four additional boards making up a four-sided, center-hung scoreboard.

- Global Spectrum, an event management company, was hired by the University of March 20 to manage the Sun Dome and book performers. Global Spectrum also manages college arenas at Miami, South Carolina, Southern California, Central Florida and Temple, as well as professional sporting arenas such as the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Edited April 24, 2012 by dogma

[79 Bull]

This all looks fantastic - really excited about checking it out and basketball season this year. I agree with whoever brought up the concern about ticket window flow before an event. The area outside of the windows at the main box office looks a bit cramped and I just envision people piling up there and standing on the grass and landscaping if they don't have a queuing system. I hated waiting in line at the old box office as I always got in the wrong line. I really like the Disney/bank type system they use at the Trop.

[LETHALWEAPONMV]

for anyone that has a twitter or Facebook, Follow them on Twitter @USF_SunDome or Like the Facebook Page - http://www.facebook.com/USFSunDomeArena

The more people that interact with the pages, they will release more info, TRUST ME

[outrunner]

This all looks fantastic - really excited about checking it out and basketball season this year. I agree with whoever brought up the concern about ticket window flow before an event. The area outside of the windows at the main box office looks a bit cramped and I just envision people piling up there and standing on the grass and landscaping if they don't have a queuing system. I hated waiting in line at the old box office as I always got in the wrong line. I really like the Disney/bank type system they use at the Trop.

I would imagine they have some of those portable que line things to create a line out there.

[Triple B]

- A student entrance on the northwest corner of the building, near Champions Choice dining hall, opens into a student section on the west baseline. From there, students can make their way down to the floor and into the 1,500-square- foot “Student Club†under the stands, which features couches, televisions, refreshments and music while students wait for tipoff.

Hopefully they implement a system that only allows entrance from the student entrance, no exit and they HAVE to at least go into the arena to get out ...