After years of debate and negotiations on the political stage, followed by more than two years of construction, Rogers Place will officially open its doors to the public Thursday.
More than 50,000 people will take a tour of the facility Saturday.
READ MORE: How to get tickets to the Rogers Place open house
Michael McFaul and Sheena Way moved to Edmonton to take over the responsibilities of facility, as operations assistant general manager and live entertainment assistant general manager respectively.
The married couple doesn’t regret the decision. It’s been a great experience and the city will love the facility, the couple agrees.
“When we came here this December to take a look at the project and to meet the executive team we knew hands down right away, there is no other facility like this in North America and we wanted to be a part of this project,” Way said.
“It’s really going to wow people when they walk into the building,” McFaul said.
READ MORE: A look back at the debate over Rogers Place as it sets to open in Edmonton
McFaul is particularly impressed with the technology at Rogers Place, which includes over 1,200 TVs, access to Wi-Fi, an HD scoreboard, and a Rogers Place app.
“The technology package that’s in Rogers Place is just really really impressive, and the other thing that really drew me to this project was the design around it that was specific to live entertainment.”
Way said the new arena is critical in attracting top tier performers like Drake, Keith Urban and Cirque Du Soleil.
“You need a facility that tours can get in and out of, and Mike’s team, they have this amazing loading bay where you can get four trucks in all unloading at the exact same time which is a big deal, parking another 20 of them, all indoors, so it doesn’t matter what the weather’s like.”
READ MORE: Cirque Du Soleil’s ‘TORUK – The First Flight’ coming to Edmonton
Way added another important aspect of attracting live entertainment is providing them with first class amenities which Rogers Place will do.
Watch below: If you’re wondering what’s on the menu at Rogers Place, on Tuesday the media got a sneak peek at what’s on tap. What’s still missing, though, are the prices. As Shallima Maharaj shows us, the menu goes way beyond your basic rink burger.
The first concert scheduled at Rogers Place is country star Keith Urban, who will perform on Friday, Sept. 16.
The Oilers will inaugurate their new arena on Oct. 12 when they face the rival Calgary Flames on the opening night of the 2016-17 NHL season.
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