IMPROVEMENTS SCHEDULED FOR INDIAN WELLS MAIN STADIUM IN TIME FOR 2017 TENNIS BY RICKY DIMON

Written by: Staff on 20th March 2016

IMPROVEMENTS SCHEDULED FOR INDIAN WELLS MAIN STADIUM IN TIME FOR 2017 TENNIS BY RICKY DIMON |

Photo by Francisco Resendiz

The Indian Wells Tennis Garden will make numerous improvements to Stadium 1, Chief Executive Office Raymond Moore announced on Sunday. Prior to the 2017 BNP Paribas Open, Stadium 1 will be upgrading, expanding and adding concessions, restrooms, and suites.

In an effort to continue enhancing the overall fan experience in the world’s second largest tennis stadium, concessions will be improved. Four premium walk-in concessions will be added to the main concourse allowing for the introduction of new food concepts and a greater menu variety. In addition, concessions will be created for the second suite level and the upper bowl. The existing open patios at the perimeter of the suite level will become shaded venues, offering tables and chairs with great views of the Tennis Garden grounds.

All of the restrooms on the concourse and second level will be replaced, increasing both the quantity of facilities and integrating the design aspects of Stadium 2 restrooms. Restrooms will also be added to the upper bowl, where there previously was none.

The suites will be completely renovated. Additionally, the existing open air portion of the concourse level will be covered to allow the suites on the second level to be significantly expanded, and include private bathrooms, and larger food service and hospitality space.

“We continue to strive to enhance the overall experience at the BNP Paribas Open and Indian Wells Tennis Garden,” Moore explained. “Food and restrooms are two very important things that shape a fan’s overall perspective of an event, and we want to improve upon those areas in Stadium 1 to make them exceptional. In addition, for our fans in the suites, we believe it should be a premium experience, and our changes will reflect that.”

Adjacent to the concourse, a new private club venue will be added for the Indian Wells Tennis Garden members. It will feature a shaded outdoor deck with great views of the practice courts during the tournament, and create a yearlong vantage point for watching tennis by club members. A greatly expanded workout area will be added to this venue, which will be utilized by the players.

A new player services building will also be constructed as a two-story space that will provide seamless access to areas such as the locker rooms and the players lounge. In addition, it will consolidate functions such as credentials, stringing, transportation, and laundry services for the players.

The existing broadcast booths will be upgraded, and two new broadcast booths on the east side will provide great vantage points of the grounds and include state-of-the-art technology.

“It’s not as extensive (as the recent renovations to Stadium 2),” Moore concluded. “We have 44 suites. We looked at all the suites. Not all of them have bathrooms. We want to address that, which might mean instead of 44 we might end up with 34 suites. I don’t know. The architect is still looking at the drawings. We will increase the size of some suites and decrease the size of others. Like our big suites, the ones that are 3,000 square foot, we might subdivide those. We are looking at all those things right now.

“So the fans will see. They will notice the improvements we make. If you’re talking about painting and carpeting and new doors, we are going to do all those things for Stadium 1. It won’t reduce our capacity. I think capacity will remain the same or very close.”