Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

New photos July 6 by Norman Oder When in January news emerged that the Barclays Center was dropping ticketing company SeatGeek for industry heavyweight Ticketmaster, that meant that, eventually, the signage designating SeatGeek Plaza would have to change. And it has. As shown in the image at right, the plaza is now branded Ticketmaster Plaza or, using the typeface preferred, ticketmaster PLAZA. (I'm not sure when the name appeared; I took the photos July 6.) Previous sponsor. Photo Oct. 12, 2021 Given the length of the name, it's a little longer than SeatGeek (at left), though the latter had the advantage of greater symmetry. Changing names Since the arena opened in September 2012, the plaza has been branded as, respectively, Daily News Plaza, Resorts World Casino NYC Plaza, SeatGeek Plaza, and now Ticketmaster Plaza. I'm not sure many locals notice or care much, but it does reinforce branding for ticketholders and others considering a visit to the arena. When the arena co...

An explosive Senate Judiciary Committee hearing (video) yesterday, was summarized by The American Prospect as Senators Berate the Ticketmaster Monopoly , with some suggesting that "it was time to unwind the disastrous 2010 merger between [concert promoter] Live Nation and Ticketmaster." Live Nation is already under investigation by the Justice Department. Though the hearing, That’s the Ticket: Promoting Competition and Protecting Consumers in Live Entertainment , was triggered in part by a high-profile snafu involving Taylor Swift ticketing, news that Barclays Center had abruptly canceled its contract with SeatGeek to return to Ticketmaster-- reported by the New York Times ten days earlier--got an important cameo. While Barclays operators eschewed comment to the Times, SeatGeek CEO Jack Groetzinger revealed yesterday that Barclays had sought to keep SeatGeek--an upstart company that prides itself on innovations like 3-D views from seats and a mobile-first approach--to ticke...

This signage will change Well, it's the first Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park surprise of 2023: as the New York Times reported last night, after barely 15 months into a 7-year contract with ticketing partner SeatGeek, the Barclays Center is returning to its original one, Ticketmaster, the industry leader. Unmentioned in the Times: surely the arena plaza, named  upon the arena's opening in 2012 for the New York Daily News and later Resorts World Casino NYC, will have to be re-branded from SeatGeek Plaza. That offers another sponsorship opportunity, and potentially new revenue. In either case, the ticketing process involves significant extra fees for ticket buyers. "Abrupt switch" aimed to book more shows? The Times article, written by music industry reporter Ben Sisario, suggested that the rare and "abrupt switch," which begins with newly booked shows--including one announced yesterday for May 11--may have been driven by a desire to book more concerts, given Tic...

Well, they made it--almost. While a week ago I observed that the area of the arena's SeatGeek Plaza under renovation seemed likely to be ready by the Brooklyn Nets' home debut yesterday, on Tuesday, as shown in the second tweet below, there were some 25 workers feverishly trying to make it happen. Yesterday, when I walked by before the game, the plywood fencing was all gone in the area where fans are supposed to line up, but a relatively small rectangle was cordoned off by metal fencing, given the need to finish installing the pavers. That said, fencing still surrounds the triangle behind the transit entrance, which contains the benches where the public can sit. In other words, serving the arena--of course--came first. The plaza repaving is almost complete in front of #BarclaysCenter SeatGeek Plaza A fairly small segment remains. But the area behind the transit entrance, with seats for the public, isn’t close to finished https://t.co/ESTn6PTgjF pic.twitter.com/h9WuFiIk5y —...

As I wrote in my recent FAQ about the kerfuffle over the missing Urban Room--the unbuilt atrium that was to be part of the unbuilt flagship tower--the defense of the status quo, and the avoidance of talk about fines, came from two sources. Those are the project's master developer, Greenland Forest City Partners, and the state authority overseeing/shepherding Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park, Empire State Development.  July 26, 2022 Missing was the arena company, controlled by Joe Tsai. They're sitting pretty.  They benefit from the unbuilt structure and the presence of a plaza, which they're currently revamping, after ten years, as shown in the photo at right. They're surely not expecting it to go away. The plaza allows for advertising, and is sponsored by SeatGeek. The original developer, Forest City Ratner, controlled all the sites on the project, as well as the team and arena company.  Was there a deal? When Forest City sold the arena company, in phases, to Russian oliga...

You belong here, except when you don't. An unsigned letter (below) yesterday, from Barclays Center Community Relations (community@bseglobal.net), indicates that the sponsored SeatGeek plaza outside the arena, from the building's doors to the flagpole near the Atlantic Avenue/Flatbush Avenue intersection, will be closed in stages for work to upgrade the pavers and light fixtures. The plaza will begin to be closed off on Monday, and work should start the following week, Access to the MTA transit entrance will be maintained, but limited; no access will be available from the Flatbush Avenue sidewalk, from the end of June to the end of July. Access will remain available from Atlantic Avenue. While arena spokeswoman Mandy Gutmann said at a meeting last month that the work should end in September, yesterday's notice said it's scheduled to end in October. The arena's 10th anniversary is 9/28/22. Presumably pavers honoring the New York Daily News, the plaza's first spon...

Photo: April 3, 2017 There's an interesting nugget in the Brooklyn Nets' press release yesterday (bottom) announcing that long-time ticketing partner Ticketmaster would be replaced this fall by SeatGeek, the mobile-focused ticketing platform: the deal--which surely means more revenues for arena operator BSE Global--also involves a new sponsor for the arena plaza.  From the press release: Beyond all aspects of ticketing, SeatGeek will become a key marketing partner across BSE Global properties. The Plaza at Barclays Center, which is situated under the arena’s signature Oculus, will be named SeatGeek Plaza, and become an activation hub driven by the partnership. SeatGeek sees this alliance as a tremendous way to grow its brand in its home market, through the combination of marquee entitlements like SeatGeek Plaza, in-game inclusion, and unique activations with SeatGeek’s influencer network, Team SeatGeek. That means a replacement for current sponsor Resorts World Casino NYC, whic...