Quote:
Originally Posted by Weitz
Here is a question to some of you saying that the new Arena needs to be downtown:
What happens if in the next few years more companies follow in Imperial Oils footsteps and move away from downtown (quarry park)?
In Houston which is the O&G hub of the USA there isn't a "downtown" like there is in Calgary. The major O&G companies have "Campuses" that are spread out among the city. Which means sales guys usually only make 1 or 2 "sales calls" a day.
In fact I would go as far as saying that the current growth in Calgary would make it unsustainable for everyone to continue working out of downtown. The road system and transit system just isn't designed for a continual growth of people.
Edit: This is in relation to some posts that were saying the arena needs to be close to the corporate people that get tickets to games.
|
This isn't Houston though. For the foreseeable future, downtown is where the business is, and that won't change. There simply isn't enough firms moving into suburban locations for the Flames to consider moving out to an area that far. Remember, there are no hotels or abundant amenities in those areas, which is a huge requirement for ticket purchasers, corporate clients and casual fans.
For a proper arena district, which is what is being looked at, you need to have not just a hockey experience but a full entertainment and hospitality infrastructure. That's the way all arena districts are being built these days, and they're proving to be very successful.
Columbus and LA is a good example of this. Rogers Arena, the ACC, the MTS Centre, the Bell Centre are all located downtown. Hell, when Edmonton and Detroit get their districts, they're going to be world-class.