D.C. United increased its premium offerings by 25% with three new field-level seating areas at Audi Field, reports SBJ’s Bret McCormick. Existing seating was replaced on the stadium's south end and the west sideline, while a new area behind the north goal fills unused space. The increased options should lead to a roughly 15% bump in premium revenue, said D.C. United President/Business Operations Danita Johnson.
“We wanted to figure out a way to create more offerings for smaller, mid-sized premium [seating] -- groups of four, eight, 12 and even up to 20,” she told SBJ on Friday. "Premium offerings for smaller-based groups, as opposed to just the 20-person suite."
The three new sections add 144 premium seats to the nearly five-year-old stadium (which also hosts the NWSL’s Spirit and XFL’s Defenders). Four new loge boxes, starting at $48,000 annually, replaced between 50 and 75 seats behind the south goal and offer space for eight. They include in-seat waitstaff service as well as access to the stadium’s FanDuel Sportsbook. The eight sideline tables replace what was essentially a front porch for field-level suites beneath the stand on that side and have room for four at each table, starting at $20,000 per year. And four cabana suites -- which include 20 tickets per match -- make better use of what was otherwise an open space tucked partly beneath the stand on the north end of the venue. They start at $100,000 per year.
Johnson said the club would like to sell the new premium on full-season terms, but some of them will be reserved for sale on a per-game basis. The spaces offer all-inclusive food and beverage packages of varying levels, something that D.C. United features for its other premium seating areas, too.
“Once you start to move into premium, food and beverage is an important part of the experience, so we definitely wanted to add that in,” said Johnson. “Gives you less to have to think about.”
