Stadium Authority readies final push for development agreement
If Wednesday’s Las Vegas Stadium Authority agenda brings about a sense of deja vu, you’re not imagining things.
The nine-member board has a 35-item checklist that revisits many of the documents it approved in form on Thursday.
But this time, every attachment and letter is expected to be included on every document in the final push for approval of a stadium development agreement for the Raiders’ $1.8 billion addition to the south Strip skyline.
The board convenes at 9 a.m. at the Clark County Commission chambers.
As the authority board assembles for the final push to build the 65,000-seat indoor stadium at Interstate 15 and Russell Road, hundreds of Raiders fans from California already have made their way to the Raiders’ Preview Center at Town Square Las Vegas to discuss paying for a personal seat license to purchase season tickets starting in 2020.
The Raiders gave loyal Oakland fans the first crack at PSLs for access to suites and club seats in the Las Vegas stadium.
Mark Shearer, senior vice president and chief revenue officer for the Raiders, said 30 sales representatives, including four specifically devoted to suite sales, set up one-hour appointments and gave fans a look at an elaborate three-dimensional model of the stadium in presentations that began March 20.
Representatives can handle about 160 appointments a day. At Thursday’s authority meeting, Raiders President Marc Badain said about 1,100 appointments had been set in the first week.
Some fans, he said, were making their ticket meetings the centerpiece of a multiday Las Vegas visit.
Shearer said once existing California ticket-holders have had their opportunity, sales would be opened to Las Vegas fans probably in April.
The stadium model is one of the big draws of the Preview Center. But the walls are filled with memorabilia, and video screens show highlights and historic team moments. The team’s 1976, 1980 and 1983 Super Bowl trophies and rings are on display, as is the 1967 American Football League championship trophy.
Digital displays throughout the center provide information on the sales process, and some displays have cutaway views of every level of the stadium.
Shearer said the Raiders received an assist from the Vegas Golden Knights, which went through the process of selling inaugural season tickets a year ago.
The NFL typically releases its season schedule in April, but the Raiders will know at the end of the 2019 season which teams they’ll play in 2020. Some of the schedule is determined by where each team finishes in the standings and a rotation of games with teams from other divisions. The only given is that the team will play home and away games against the three other teams in the AFC West: the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs.
Town Square, which draws an estimated 18 million people a year, is also home to The Raider Image, an apparel store located just down the street from the Preview Center. A second Raider Image stores has opened at the Galleria at Sunset mall.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.
