Located in downtown Houston, Toyota Center first opened its doors to fans in October 2003. Now, as the 2023-24 NBA season begins 20 years later, the arena is getting something of a facelift.
According to Gretchen Sheirr, president of business operations with the Rockets, Toyota Center is undergoing a substantial renovation to upgrade its amenities. Parts of the renovation are already complete, while others are slated for the coming months and years.
In all, the renovation — fully funded by the Rockets and owner Tilman Fertitta, according to Sheirr — is estimated to cost $30 million, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
“We’re really looking at the way that the consumer has changed over the last 20 years since Toyota Center has opened and making sure that when we go through these renovations, we are looking forward to the next 20 years,” Sheirr said on our latest The Lager Line podcast.
The modernization changes, which could also help Houston lure other marquee events to the arena (such as future NBA All-Star games and top concerts), have and will include these amenities:
- For 2021-22 season, upgraded arena lighting and cellular connectivity and added a new WiFi system;
- For 2022-23 season, upgraded club suites areas with new concept suites: Sneaker Suite and Greenroom, along with adding the Sire Spirits Social Club and courtside loge boxes;
- For 2022-23 season, added Gentle Ben as main concourse concession and bar;
- For 2023-24 season, replaced arena’s original LED ribbon board and installed new LED ribbon boards above and below the original, doubling the square footage of displays;
- For 2023-24 season, updated and expanded two end-zone scoreboards while adding new courtside signage and a fresh outdoor marquee sign;
- For 2023-24 season, added more frictionless grab-and-go concession stands (first introduced in 2022-23) while introducing new options such as Lance McCullers Jr.’s Maven Coffee and Garrison Brothers Distillery;
- For 2023-24 season, renovated and updated media workrooms and media dining areas;
- For 2023-24 season, expedited point-of-sale system for team’s official Toyota Center store;
- After 2023-24 season, will install a new control room and new center-hung scoreboard;
- For future, further upgrades are still under consideration.
“Tilman runs a first-class organization across all of his businesses,” Sheirr told The Lager Line. “And if you wait too long and let anything slip, and you lose that status, it’s hard to get it back.”
“Our fans spend their time and hard-earned money. They can do plenty of things with that, but they choose to come to Rockets games, and they choose to come to Toyota Center for concerts. So, we want to make sure we’re delivering the best experience possible. That means keeping things new, fresh, and up-to-date to today’s standards.”
Sheirr offered further context and insight on the changes in the latest episode of The Lager Line podcast, sponsored by Karbach Brewing.
