When the Prudential Center opened in 2007, it had 74 traditional 20-person suites within this building.
“It was very reflective of the time that this arena was built,” Prudential Center President Jake Reynolds said.
It’s not reflective of today’s needs.
That’s why, when the New Jersey Devils play their home opener tonight night, they’ll do so with even more premium seating options.
“When you fast forward to what business needs are today, I think the expectations have shifted from 20-person suites to smaller- and medium-sized businesses that may want a 6- to 10-person premium and exclusive experience,” he said.
If there was one benefit of the Devils disappointing season last year (Reynolds will be the first to suggest it “didn’t meet expectations”), it was that the team had more time to adjust the arena.
“We looked at, ‘How do we reduce the number of suites that we have, but we used that as an opportunity to create a new offering that is going to resonate and speak to what a lot of the businesses of today need and want to use to help drive their business,” he said.
That idea became the Pier Club, on the second suite level.
Reynolds notes it has a Jersey Shore theme – see the herringbone wood plank floors that are reflective of going down the boardwalk – but even more, it comes with four different inventory types within this space.
Loge boxes: Which are smaller suites that are designed for six to eight people – they are available for year-round access and Devils only access;
Banquette seating: Available in 2-8 seats, they offer premium plush seating with a small table – they are available for year-round access;
Club seating: Available for 2-8 seats, they offer prime viewing of Devils games and concerts – they are for year-round access and Devils only;
Ledge seating: Available for 2-8 seats, they are barstool seating with center views – they are available for year-round access.
While options remain available in all categories, Reynolds said the banquette seating is really catch the attention of patrons.
“They may be some of the coolest seats in the arena,” he said. “They sit at dead center ice, so if you look straight ahead, you’ve got the most massive TV screen you could ever hope to have right in front of you but also an incredible view when you look down, whether it’s for a game or a concert.”
The biggest difference from 2007? Reynolds said the Prudential Center is better able to find packages that meet today’s needs and wants.
“We obviously want to be able to allow as many people to experience this as possible,” he said. “Some people and some businesses want to know that they have that for the 200 events that we host here every year – and use that as a vehicle to help drive their business.
“But we recognized that we have some individuals that, from a scheduling and a calendar perspective, can’t make it out to 41 Devils games and concerts – but they still want that same type of experience.”
The Pru Center and Devils offer half-season packages. But it doesn’t stop there. Single-event purchases are possible too, tickets permitting.
“We want to be able to provide people the opportunity to be able to taste test this on a single-event basis,” he said.
The team also updated the Prudential Lounge, which it opened last season.
In both spots, fans will get a chance to try out the new food, too.
Reynolds said the arena again worked with Levy to create new offerings (see full story here). It was another benefit to the early end to last season.
“We were really excited to have a full off season in terms of being able to work with Levy to reshape the food experience is within this building,” he said. “We recently launched East Back Kitchen, our white label culinary brand, and said, ‘Where are some of those opportunities? Where can we have some fun? Where can we bring some new menu items into play here? And how do we continue to enhance the flavor and the experience of our fan base coming into this building?
“We’ve added over 20 new items to the menu for this upcoming season. And we’ve got some fun ones: Funnel cake fries, chicken and waffles, steak sandwiches, Taylor Ham and we obviously still have the Devil Dog.”
New seats, new food, new players and, thanks to two wins the team had during the Global Series in Prague last week, new optimism.
“When you look at where we are right now, I would say this is the most anticipated and exciting Devils team that we’ve had in well over a decade,” he said.
