Rio Tinto Stadium, home of Real Salt Lake (Major League Soccer) installed nearly 6,500 solar panels to offset 73 percent of Real Salt Lake’s total annual stadium power needs. It’s the largest offset among North American professional sports and entertainment venues.

“Auric Solar’s expertise and innovation have made them the perfect partners to convert Rio Tinto Stadium toward energy self-sufficiency in the venue’s seventh year, while also improving our fan experience with the addition of covered and lit parking,” said Andrew Carroll, chief business officer for Real Salt Lake, in a statement. “Our unique ability to assist Auric Solar in building brand awareness, both locally and across the industry, makes this partnership fully-integrated, mutually-beneficial, and uniquely symbiotic. The entire Auric team – led by founders Trent Vansice and Jess Phillips – consists of great people, providing all of the ingredients for an exceptional long-term partnership.”

The project only took six months to complete and includes enough panels to cover the entire field at the stadium. The 2,020-kilowatt system of solar panels were installed on the stadium as well as new covered parking areas as seen in the picture below.

Although a soccer specific stadium with just over 20,000 seats, Rio Tinto Stadium now boasts the fourth-largest solar array of any professional sports stadium in the U.S.

(Top image: Jeremy Piehler/Creative Commons)

Spectra by Comcast Spectacor has launched Spectra Presents, a live event touring and promotion service, Ray Waddell reported for Billboard.

“Former Global Spectrum (now Spectra Venue Management) vp of Bookings Brock Jones will lead Spectra Presents as senior vp of Concert Touring and Events,” Waddell wrote. “Spectra Presents will bring live entertainment content to arenas, performing arts centers, theaters, convention centers, and fairgrounds across North America. The focus will be on venues in secondary and tertiary markets, regardless of whether or not they are clients of Spectra by Comcast Spectacor.”

Spectra Presents plans to be open to a variety of touring opportunities and will deal directly with agents in acquiring acts. However, Jones said that venues need to be prepared to collaborate.

“The financial realities of the touring paradigm necessitate venues co-promote dates,” Jones told Waddell. “It’s imperative that risk is shared and mitigated. I need venues to be my partners, not passengers.”

Please visit Billboard for more on the story.

These are selected news articles that showed up in our inboxes on Monday morning that we want to pass along to you.

Three Cricket All-Star Series Matches to be Held at MLB Stadiums in November (ESPN)
“The group will play at Citi Field (Nov. 7), Minute Maid Park (Nov. 11) and Dodger Stadium (Nov. 14).”

Greater Columbus Convention Center Opens First Section of its Renovated Meeting Space (Exhibitor)
“The first section of renovated meeting space at the SMG-managed Greater Columbus Convention Center has been completed and already hosted events for both the Minor League Baseball Promotional Seminar 2015 and the Materials Science & Technology (M S & T) 2015 Conference and Exhibition.”

URTA Sponsors New Arts Leadership Initiative (American Theatre)
“Thanks to a generous sponsorship from the Westin Michigan Avenue (the site of URTA’s National Unified Auditions and Interviews in Chicago), the newly-instituted Arts Leadership Initiative will allow URTA candidates in theatre management to waive their application fees and participate in free seminars and workshops.”

Indiana Convention Center & Lucas Oil Stadium Extends Contract with Smart City Networks (Nevada Business)
“Under the new contract, Smart City will continue to offer a full suite of services at the facilities, including high-speed Internet access, network cabling, high-density WiFi and turnkey data networking services.”

Disney Is Looking at Surge Pricing to Better Control Crowds (Skift)
“The pricing move is an attempt to thin crowds during summer weekends and holidays including Thanksgiving and winter break between Christmas and January 1.”

(Image: Pulkit Sinha/Creative Commons)

Events DC has selected architectural firm OMA to develop short- and long-term concepts for the future usage of the RFK Stadium-Armory Campus. OMA will collaborate with Brailsford and Dunlavey and existing subcontractors on the project and help develop a holistic conceptual plan.

“On behalf of Events DC, we are tremendously excited about bringing OMA on board to help us reimagine the RFK Stadium-Armory Campus. OMA will help us develop both short and long-term redevelopment concepts for this important site in our nation’s capital,” said Max Brown, chairman of Events DC Board of Directors, in a statement. “They will bring world-class credentials and ideas to this effort, and we are looking forward to working with all our stakeholders on this important effort.”

OMA’s conceptual designs will address connectivity across the 190 acre site – while creating a sense of place for the Campus that resonates with the surrounding community and across the District. The conceptual concepts will be available and made public in mid-January 2016.

“It’s an honor to work with Events DC on a sports and recreation hub for the residents of our nation’s capital, on a site that will play an important part in reconnecting the city to the Anacostia waterfront,” said Jason Long, partner-in-charge of both projects, in a statement.

This project marks the second development plan project for OMA in Washington, D.C., following their award of the 11st Bridge Park in 2014. OMA is globally recognized for international partnership architecture, urbanism, and culture analysis. Additional OMA projects include the Qatar National Library, the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec, and the Faena Arts Center in Miami.

(Image: Ken Hammond/Public Domain) 

The Paris Bercy will now be known as AccorHotels Arena and will reopen on October 17 after an 18-month, €140 million refurbishment that increased its capacity to 20,300 seats (from 17,000) and upgraded the facility.

The naming rights for the French venue managed by AEG and the city of Paris will last 10 years.

“AccorHotels have seen how beneficial the naming rights model can be for brands such as O2 and Barclaycard,” said Paul Samuels, executive vice president of AEG Global Partnerships, in a statement. “By acquiring the rights to the upgraded and renovated arena, the brand will connect with music, sport, and entertainment fans in a new and exciting way, a first for the French market and a hotel chain. We’re excited for what this partnership can do for the venue and AccorHotels customers.”

In addition to receiving naming rights, AccorHotels will have the ability to provide a series of benefits to their card holders, including priority ticketing, fast-lane entrance to the venue as well as access to exclusive lounges and suites. AccorHotels will also receive exclusive opportunities, including the ability to deploy a wide array of digital activations thru the venue’s Wi-Fi facilities.

“We are proud to have been selected by the city of Paris and AEG and involve AccorHotels tag for this emblematic place of sport and entertainment,” said Sébastien Bazin, AccorHotels chairman and managing director, in a statement. “We built this partnership with the objective of making AccorHotels Arena a showcase of French hospitality, welcoming, warm, and innovative.”

AccorHotels Arena now features 30 different seating configurations ranging from 8,000 to 20,300 seats. The redesigned venue also offers more than 4,000 square meters of hospitality space, including 54 lodges (increased from 18) over four levels.

(Image: Facebook)