The Sandman Suite:
The new Sandman Suite within Lane Stadium will provide a one-of-a-kind viewing experience not only for the game but for the best entrance in sports. Located at field level, the suite will offer a unique perspective of the game and provide complimentary food and beverage. Seating 16 fans in the northeast corner of Worsham Field, the suite will be sold in its entirety on a per game basis, and pricing will vary based on the game and demand ranging from $15,000 to $35,000. Game tickets are included in each suite purchase.
The Lane Lounge:
The Lane Lounge offers an exclusive and intimate setting for our valued supporters. Located between sections 110 and 112 on the concourse level of Lane, this area features complimentary food options, protection from the elements, and a place to relax on gameday. Though the Lane Lounge does not have a view of the field, multiple displays will be in the area so fans can keep tabs on the game. Lane Lounge access is priced at $1,000 per season. Passes will be limited to 4 per account and a separate game ticket will be required.
Comments
Smart move in the current streaming and economic era. Win for the school and win for (wealthy) fans. Not really a downside for other fans.
Edit: you get to watch the game from the field, and you get an open bar, all you can eat food, and no line for the bathrooms? That's pretty sick. I don't really get why people are clowning on this.
At least they didn't take away 60 seats and block the view of 30 more to make a
deckscaffold for 20The concept is there but the execution isn't. Make the seating/area look decent (especially for a press release). This looks like 2 freshman engineers threw it together during an hour long class. Its a ramp to a small platform with a tarp over it (which is what all the other ones I've seen are) the worst part is the black padding they just leaned up there with exposed plywood on the back. As a donor (that's not in the market for a 5 digit ticket) I would hope we could utilize our money to make the suite sweet.
I mean it absolutely looks like they saw or heard about what UNC is doing and scrambled to see where they could shoe-horn in a similar concept.
Thing is, I actually like this location. I think its brilliant, those jagged corners in the Lane Stadium walls are perfect for this sort of concept, especially the ones at the end, and it should be a great location for those 'field level' suites that have seemingly taken over sports lately.
But it does bother me that they didn't make the awning align with the stadium wall. Just makes it look incredibly hastily thrown together.
I think that would block more percentage of the field view if you put it up against that wall
I mean to be fair, that corner doesn't take well to a perfectly squared off awning, so they probably did the best they could.
I have to think that if this works, the plan would be to make something more permanent going forward, that is more flush to the side and back walls, and follows the curve of the stadium better. Ideally, I think they would dig into the structure to put in a private lounge, restroom, and bar for everyone in the suite with a permanent cover for the outdoor seating/lounge area. And maybe make it a suite for up to 30 or so people.
Yeah youre idea below to make kinda a cave lounge area would be awesome
Someday, I need to do a thread that explains procurement, design timelines and processes, and construction timelines and processes so that everyone has a better understanding of how this works, especially when dealing with a state entity like VT. I've been seeing a lot of grumpy comments about locker rooms lately. And keeping thinking that these people have no idea what the requirements are. There is no snap your fingers and make it so.
This is a temporary structure, which still requires permitting within the building code. However, it is much easier to get something like this done than to actually construct something.
Oh 100%.
That said, because this is made almost exclusively for the highest dollar donors, you better believe this is a trial run to see if the concept works before going through a formal renovation to make it permanent. And when they do, it'll have all the bells and all the whistles you'd expect.
Yeah but they could have put some fabric over the ply wood to make it look nicer. It even some stain, just something a bit cleaner looking.
There's still a week before the first game to smooth over the edges to make it appear more high end than it is. Even UNC did somewhat decently put lipstick on the pig
The ridiculous Argyle- pitched to Dean Smith by Alexander Julian as an over the top joke because Dean didn't want to change uniforms- ever- but figured "screw it" he knows more than me- is now their main brand. and they lean in more than ever. lol. A fashion statement on sweaters in the mid 80's is plastered on football uniforms. Glorious.
It looks like a fancier death trap now!
I feel real bad for anyone who already bought the seats behind this now. There is no way to see the field from the section behind those.
I'm' pretty sure they didn't sell any seats behind it. That section had the worst sales of all of the sections, so probably when they sell the 20 in the special section at a premium versus the empty seats, they are coming out ahead and not blocking anyone at all.
View seems not terrible from that section without the new addition.
The article I read said it was the worst selling section. Maybe the 2 seats only in a row had something to do with it.
That looks more like a bad photoshop then an actual cosmetic improvement.
It's on the field though, not in the stands. If the wood is stained all of a sudden it's a modern design look.
Idk, the fact that it is ON THE FIELD makes me feel like it needs to be simple. I'm here for this.
Yep...here's the thing...generally people who have a large amount of discretionary income are going to look for a premium product.
Exposed OSB is real far from Premium.
I know this is where college sports are at this point, scrambling to find revenue sources to hold together our Pay for Play teams full of guys with so much "NIL" that they don't get recognized at the grocery store, but do it right.
While this is better than UNC (not exactly a huge compliment)...it falls pretty short of what most would consider impressive.
If we are still rocking this 3 years from now, then I'll complain, but from everything I've read from what Duke and UNC are doing (and I assume what we are doing as well) is that the structures this year are temporary until they can either undergo a permanent renovation to eliminate seats to make it (Duke) or are using it as a trial run to see if the demand is there before renovating unused sections of the stadium to make them permanent going forward (UNC).
Have to believe we are doing the same. See if the demand is there, if it is, go all in with a dedicated renovation for the top dollar donors to give them everything they want in their own financial flex suite specifically built for them.
Keep in mind, this is pro football now. It's all about the money. If we can sell dog shit in bags, we will because we have salaries to pay. The falcons and braves demanded new stadiums replacing ones less than 25 years old. The 49ers built a facade basically just to get more suites, and they too will build a new one much earlier than they should. The titans stadium will be 26 years old when its demolished for the new dome. Here in AZ, the diamondbacks want a new, huge retractable roof dome to replace the huge retractable roof dome they have now. Why? money, as much as you can possibly squeeze.
Reasonable point...make sure the concept works at all first, but there are still some basic, inexpensive touches that would make it look more appealing.
Actually square the walls, cover or paint the exposed wood, find chairs that look even semi-comfortble and not like they came from the Patio Clearance section from Lowe's.
Other than watching the game from the field, to me an unacceptable view, I have all those amenities right here at Chez Fish, not to mention my Lazy Boy and the convenience of DVR.
🙄
Gotta admit this is hilarious coming after we just got done roasting the Devil's Deck.
EDIT: you can see the damn plywood in the promo pics.
They didn't block any current seats with it though.
Need to adjust the sign behind it so it can still be read by anyone not in the suite.
LOL- lame as fuck and we mocked Carolina for theirs. Ours is just as tacky/pop tent looking. But I get it- we have a salary cap to cover now.
All salary no cap babeyyyy
The positive view is that while UNC took seats away and UVA took away standing room, VT is added capacity
me - going straight to the comments because all week I've been lurking in that Carolina thread. 🤣🤣🤣
Field level right next to the tunnel and looks a whole lot better than the NC deathtrap. Does not interfere with any other fan view. Completely new seating as in, doesn't cover existing seats.
Only improvement I'd make is maybe upgrade the quality of the furniture and put cloth over the plywood on the interior. Win!
To be fair, at least its at field level and the only thing it appears to be blocking is an ad on the wall, so I consider that a bit of a win.
That being said, its an interesting spot to put a built-in suite. If it works, I could see them put in another one opposite it on the NW corner. You could dig into the stands structure and create a dedicated suite, too, with outdoor seating to give a truly unique experience for very high dollar donors. That is absolutely one way you can make some changes to Lane that keeps up with the Jones' while keeping the exact college feel we love,
I will never understand the fascination or demand for endzone/near endzone field level seats. If you have ever stood there for a game, it's nearly the worst seat in the house. Who would pay a premium for that? People that aren't hard corps interested in watching the game- that's who. Its the opposite of golf- in golf any seat above the action is a better one. The golf boxes make sense- you can actually see the ball/shot.
Those seats are for showing off your wealth to whoever you bring with you.
Yes, the views will suck, but its a financial flex, and sadly, that alone will drive sales to our most affluent donors and fans. If you want to watch the game, we already have indoor lounges and seats in the Beamer Tower (how have we not officially named it this, yet) that will go for a bit less.
I also floated the idea out there of maybe filling in the South corners with suites, kind of like what Lincoln Financial Field did. Could be a way to get instant ROI if the demand is there
I recall there was a discussion a while back about "filling in the corners" and connecting the South End Zone sections to the East and West stands, and someone (sorry, can't remember who or I'd give credit) said if they connected everything up then both the East and West sides would then be subject to newer codes like ADA compliance or something. Maybe someone with more knowledge of the topic could chime in, but that's my (perhaps faulty) understanding why the sections are still separate.
Definitely not your imagination. I totally remember that comment and explanation too.
To be clear, I'm talking about a standalone structure that fits in the gap between the South and East or West stands, so it should skirt all the fire code limitations.
I think the next move should be to make the north endzone more permanent - like the south endzone. I heard that encroaching on the practice field more was the big issue- but improvement there is needed
I don't know if there is anyone else thinking the same thing, but these pics and the press page pics really do look like renderings and not real photos. I'll wait to see it before complaining about the digitally chosen plywood finishes drawing all the complaints. Just win games!
The timing seems off. If I'm a high-level donor (which I'm not), I have already bought my high-end seats for this season. Unless I truly just want to show off as mentioned above, what's the incentive?
limited seating for home games?
https://hokiesports.com/news/2024/08/26/homecoming-matchup-with-georgia-tech-now-sold-out
That makes 4 home sell outs so far before a snap this season.
edit: we are at 5 sellout games this season so far if we include the Vanderbilt game https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/college/vanderbilt/2024/08/30/vanderbilt-football-virginia-tech-sold-out/75014956007/
Paint the town maroon!!!!
Good grief the press release and "renderings" are embarrassing. Why do we do such bush league stuff such as this? It literally looks like a game day pop up right on the field which isn't acceptable. Please pull the release, delete the half baked idea and try again next year and do it right.
It's gonna look goofy as hell on TV, but get that bag I guess
LOL
Came across this and had to share based on the earlier conversation
My gosh, how bad does your offering have to be to allow Duke football to successfully troll you? I guess we know now.
Wonder how many empty seats that Duke deck is subsidizing.....
I am a very very small time donor and I just got this email from the school.
Maybe they blasted this out to everyone? Regardless, it seems like it may not be as popular as they were hoping.
I go through that tunnel every April. But I am not paying an extra $1000 per seat to sit on the field with a worse view of the game than my normal seats.
I'll pay $1000 to tag along during the walk and the tunnel entrance. Then mosey on back to my nosebleeds in South Endzone.
Isn't that the tunnel vision experience they're selling now? Its like $300/person.
https://hokiesports.com/maroon-and-orange-memories?utm_source=ticket_ser...
That says it's 40 minutes before kickoff so I don't think that is with the team. However there is the South Endzone Sandman Experience which is being on the field for the run in from the team.
Naw, suit me up, put me in the back, and let me blend in with the team. No one would ever know. I'll run right over at the end and stuff $1000 cash in Babcock's pocket.
My thoughts immediately went to this
NCAA eligibility enforcement: "We'll allow it!"
I guess USC ( west coast) let's fans lead the team out for about 1k a PSU fan did in full PSU gear.
There's only one USC.
And despite how much I hate them I will admit there's only one Carolina.