[Moncton] Centre Avenir Centre | 26.65m |~6 Fl | Completed

[felip_ars]

Council just approved changes for the seat. This could lead (according to them) to a lost of max 580 seats.

They will have a depth of minimum 20 inches.

This move will be able to get a lil over 9k seats, and potential 10k for concerts.

Sources
@ATrepanier_RC

[NBNYer]

Originally Posted by felip_ars

Council just approved changes for the seat. This could lead (according to them) to a lost of max 580 seats.

They will have a depth of minimum 20 inches.

This move will be able to get a lil over 9k seats, and potential 10k for concerts.

Sources
@ATrepanier_RC

In a subsequent tweet, ATrepanier is reporting that the change in seats mean the total amount of fixed seats will decrease from 9000 to 8500. 10,000 total seat capacity will still be possible for concerts.

[lirette]

Originally Posted by felip_ars

Council just approved changes for the seat. This could lead (according to them) to a lost of max 580 seats.

They will have a depth of minimum 20 inches.

This move will be able to get a lil over 9k seats, and potential 10k for concerts.

Sources
@ATrepanier_RC

Anyone know what the depth of the current coliseum seating is ? This is the right decision if the level of comfort is significantly better. Seating comfort is a major complaint around most maritime arenas including at the scotiabank centre where their new and improved seating is apparently unbearable for anyome 5'10 or taller.

[NBNYer]

Originally Posted by lirette

Anyone know what the depth of the current coliseum seating is ? This is the right decision if the level of comfort is significantly better. Seating comfort is a major complaint around most maritime arenas including at the scotiabank centre where their new and improved seating is apparently unbearable for anyome 5'10 or taller.

Seems to me like this issue should have been addressed during the Events Centre design stage.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by NBNYer

Seems to me like this issue should have been addressed during the Events Centre design stage.

Indeed.

This is a good news/bad news announcement. In general, more roomy seats will make for a better customer experience (and poor seats were a major complaint about the existing coliseum). The loss of 500 seats worth of capacity shouldn't matter the vast majority of the time, but I wonder if this could impact on the success of the events centre on bidding for major events like the Brier, the World Junior Hockey Championships or the Canadian or World Figure Skating Championships. If they can still cram in 10,000 people for concerts, I don't think this change will mean anything as far as touring acts are concerned.

Only time will tell about the impact of this decision. The new events centre will still seat 2,000 more people than the existing coliseum.

[flyer99]

Originally Posted by lirette

Anyone know what the depth of the current coliseum seating is ? This is the right decision if the level of comfort is significantly better. Seating comfort is a major complaint around most maritime arenas including at the scotiabank centre where their new and improved seating is apparently unbearable for anyome 5'10 or taller.

I would really like to know this as well, just to place the seat width into perspective with regards to the Coliseum's seat width.

[Monctoncore]

According to Dawn Arnold's Facebook post they upped the seats from 19" to 20"... I'm not sure if losing 500 plus seats is really worth it..

[felip_ars]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I don't think this change will mean anything as far as touring acts are concerned.

Only time will tell about the impact of this decision. The new events centre will still seat 2,000 more people than the existing coliseum.

The number of seats will not impact the touring acts. It will be the attendance when shows will come by, and right now it doesnt look good.

While the Casino shows are doing very well, shows at the Coliseum has been lacking for a while. The last show to get more than 5k at the Coliseum, Pitbull/Flo Rida back in 2012!!

Plus promoters seems to be seeing Moncton as a "small venue" type of town.

In November, there's 4 shows happening at Scotia Bank Centre: 3 of them are playing at CasinoNB (and not sold out), and the 4th one (Simple Plan) was canceled after 3 days of tickets going on sale.

Moncton better step up, or promoters will just go to Halifax and St-John's for big shows.

[Nashe]

Originally Posted by Monctoncore

According to Dawn Arnold's Facebook post they upped the seats from 19" to 20"... I'm not sure if losing 500 plus seats is really worth it..

How much knee room on an airplane? They measure seat pitch from back of seat to back of seat, I think, and are in the 30"-32" range. Not sure how much legroom that gives. Or did the mayor mean 20" wide? Because most plane seats are 17.5"-20" wide...

[NBNYer]

Originally Posted by Vorkuta

How much knee room on an airplane? They measure seat pitch from back of seat to back of seat, I think, and are in the 30"-32" range. Not sure how much legroom that gives. Or did the mayor mean 20" wide? Because most plane seats are 17.5"-20" wide...

Yes, she's referring to the width of the seats.

[Nashe]

Originally Posted by NBNYer

Yes, she's referring to the width of the seats.

Then 20" is "relatively" generous, at least for an airplane.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by felip_ars

Plus promoters seems to be seeing Moncton as a "small venue" type of town.

In November, there's 4 shows happening at Scotia Bank Centre: 3 of them are playing at CasinoNB (and not sold out), and the 4th one (Simple Plan) was canceled after 3 days of tickets going on sale.

Moncton better step up, or promoters will just go to Halifax and St-John's for big shows.

A new downtown venue with lots of height for staging and superior acoustics and proper ventilation will address a lot of issues that face the current coliseum. I think once the events centre opens that a lot of the acts currently using the casino will relocate to the new venue.

Novelty will bring customers to the new events centre, but a superior experience and a downtown location close to bars, restaurants and hotels will keep them coming back.

[MonctonRad]

Apparently even the 19" seats were wider than the seats in the old coliseum, so the 20" seats should be comparably luxurious.

Club seating will have 22" seats.

According to councilor Greg Turner, the seating capacity for the events centre will be:
Hockey - 8,500
Basketball - 9,600
Concerts - 10,000 (max)

[BlackYear]

2017 Bier at St John's Mile One Centre. Seating cap: 7,000

2017 Memorial Cup at Windsor Family Credit Union Centre (WFCU). Seating cap: 6,450

Looks like Moncton's Downtown Events Centre will be in fine shape with a seating cap of 8,500.

[David_99]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Apparently even the 19" seats were wider than the seats in the old coliseum, so the 20" seats should be comparably luxurious.

Well, NB is likely still "Canada's Fattest Province" after all...

[Taeolas]

Losing 500 seats is a slight disappointment; but probably won't mean too much in the end. Not with all the other advantages the new Events Centre is bringing.

There's probably some industry standard seating formula based on a standard ( 19"?) seat size times length of rows and what not. Moncton after the fact has decided to go with the bigger seats for comfort or for other reasons, which would understandably cut into the seating. (Expanding by 1" means you lose 450 seats minimum in the same space).

Since it is the city that seems to be deciding this, I would hope it won't affect the designer/contractor's bonus for planning on a 9k seat arena; it would be a bad faith technicality to try and wiggle out of the clauses.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Taeolas

Since it is the city that seems to be deciding this, I would hope it won't affect the designer/contractor's bonus for planning on a 9k seat arena; it would be a bad faith technicality to try and wiggle out of the clauses.

I was wondering the same thing.

Having been involved in RFP processes in the past, these can be highly technical (and very legal) documents. The bonus in this case was to be given to any proposal exceeding a seating capacity of 9,000. Having after the fact decided on a seating capacity of 8,500, this sort of goes against the spirit of the RFP and might cause a certain degree of umbrage amongst the losing proponents of the bid. I hope this decision has been vetted by the city's lawyers.........

[felip_ars]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

A new downtown venue with lots of height for staging and superior acoustics and proper ventilation will address a lot of issues that face the current coliseum. I think once the events centre opens that a lot of the acts currently using the casino will relocate to the new venue.

Novelty will bring customers to the new events centre, but a superior experience and a downtown location close to bars, restaurants and hotels will keep them coming back.

I doubt that SMG will book bands that usually sell 1-2k at the Casino in their new 10k arena, thinking that an extra 2-3k will appear just for the "better experience" lol

As far as I heard, the Casino is a great place for concerts, but if an act doesnt sell out a day or two after tickets goes on sale there, promoters will not risk booking them at the new Centre, where I'm guessing will needs at least 3-4k per concerts to not lose money.

Smaller configurations still means covering the entire ice surface, and losing Club Seatings as the stage will be at the middle of the rink (less $$), and paying a good portions of the staff to show up

I could be wrong, but in the last few years I heard tons of "behind the scenes" story about promoters and booking happening in the Maritimes, that I dont believe in the "Build it and they will come" as much as some people do...

[Ire Narissis]

Regarding the depth of the seats, what I can tell you is that the lower bowl (the blue retractable seating) at Harbour Station is nigh-unbearable for me at 6' tall.

I hadn't noticed because when I go it's usually into one of the boxes through work, but I went to the free pre-season game and sat in the bowl, and the distance between the seats was literally too short to fit my thighs. I was very uncomfortable and had to constantly adjust my position the whole time.

Hopefully the Moncton centre will have a little more front-to-back space so as not to inflict the same discomfort on people.

[josh_cat_eyes]

This is very unfortunate, had they known about the seat size, they easily could have added an extra row or 2 around the arena to make up the difference.

In regards to concerts, what is going to happen is acts that don't come to the Atlantic Canada because of the old, small, crappy venues, will start coming. Bands often do Canadian tours but will stop in Montreal or Quebec City cause it's not worth their while to.play in a venue like the Coliseum or Metro Centre. Look at the events calendar of The Budweiser Gardens in London or Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon. Expect Moncton to have similar shoes booked here. Even compare to Credit Union Place in Summerside. They've had Elton John (x2), John Fogerty, Bryan Adams, Chicago, Jerry Seinfeld, Steve Miller Band, Hedley etc. and that is only a 3500 seat arena. It just goes to show, bands want to play somewhere with good acoustics, where the performance will sound good.