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The Dallas Mavericks have hired Legends Global to represent the owners and lead premium sales for their arena project, a significant move as the franchise works toward opening a new venue in 2031.
The team announced the renowned firm's hiring Tuesday, a little more than a month after the Mavericks signed an option agreement for the right to purchase 104 acres at the former Valley View Mall site.
Partnering with an independent third party such as Legends Global, which has a corporate office in Frisco and whose work includes more than 450 venues, signals the work is accelerating to pursue a new home for the Mavericks before their American Airlines Center lease expires in five years.
The team tapped Legends Global to serve essentially as the project manager - coordinating all aspects of construction and ensuring planning stays on budget and on time - for developing an arena the Mavericks say will redefine sports and entertainment in North Texas.
Co-founded by the ownership groups of the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees, Legends Global will also coordinate with the Mavericks on premium sales - an increasingly critical element in arena design as the modern-day fan seeks more varied, social experiences. That includes high-end seating and social clubs; hospitality areas; and food and beverage offerings.
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"A huge priority for us is surrounding ourselves with the right strategic partners, and those partners that share the vision that we have, which is to create the best fan and premium experience in all of sports and entertainment," Mavericks team president Ethan Casson told The Dallas Morning News. "Legends Global is exactly that kind of partner."
Legends Global's venue portfolio includes Caesars Superdome, NRG Park, AT&T Stadium and many other prominent facilities. Chad Estis, the firm's executive vice president and chief revenue officer, said Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont is motivated to create "the greatest arena to ever be built," providing an unrivaled fan experience.
"There's great projects all over the country, but the combination of what the owner desires to create, the executives that he's hired [CEO Rick Welts and Casson] and the market that we're in, I just think this is a one-of-one and really special to be a part of," Estis told The News. "The best way to think of it is that we're the project manager."
Legends Global will be 'eyes and ears of project'
Over the last 20 years, as expectations for the fan experience have evolved and prices of arenas have escalated, arena projects have become more complex. Estis said franchises are required to operate two separate businesses simultaneously when they embark on multibillion-dollar projects like the Mavericks have.
A firm like Legends Global, he said, provides depth and expertise and, in the case of the Mavericks, will dedicate some 30 employees to the arena project. That gives the Mavericks an extra layer of expertise while they continue to operate their day-to-day business.
Casson has first-hand experience with the firm dating to his time with the San Francisco 49ers. Working on the Levi's Stadium project, Casson said, Legends Global helped create and sell one of the most successful premium programs in professional sports ever for an outdoor football stadium.
"They've got a portfolio like no other," Casson said. "Whether it's in the owner's representation space, premium sales, partnerships, food and beverage, merch, fan experience."
On behalf of Dumont, Legends Global will help coordinate vendor and material selection and serve as a liaison to contractors, architects and engineers.
"We're kind of sitting in a bit of the quarterback seat of the project right now on behalf of the owner," Estis said. "At its core, it's understanding the construction process and making sure that a project stays on budget and on time."
Casson echoed Estis' sentiment about the growing complexity of arena projects, with thousands of decisions needing to be made before the venue opens for the 2031-32 NBA season and other entertainment events.
"We simply can't get those decisions wrong," Casson said.
An owner's representative gives the Mavericks a third party focused on protecting the team's interests, from design and budget to construction schedules, quality and risk management.
"They are really the eyes and ears specific to the project," Casson said.
Arena will have more premium offerings for more people
On the premium sales side, Legends Global will help the Mavericks evaluate and study what they should offer fans.
Casson stressed that the Mavericks will create premium experiences for everyone in the arena.
"When people hear the word premium or exclusive, they think that it might not necessarily be for them," he said. "We're looking at it in a completely different way. This is going to be for every seat in the building."
For the past six months, the Mavericks have been working with CSL, a strategic consulting firm within Legends Global specializing in sports and entertainment venues. They've conducted surveys and hosted focus groups to talk directly with fans, covering everything from seating manifests and the premium product mix to pricing, parking, food and beverage, technology and the game-day experience.
The latest trend in the arena world is to create premium experiences throughout the entire venue at various price points, personalized for the modern fan experience.
"The way we talk about it privately is we want everybody to feel like this arena was designed specifically for them," Casson said. "You're one of those 18,000 folks that check out a Mavericks game or come for a concert, we want you to leave feeling as if the Mavericks organization and Patrick Dumont built this exclusively for you, from sight lines to technology to food and beverage to ingress, egress, to parking.
"That's exactly what we're trying to achieve, and that will just mean more product offerings for more people."
Legends Global has been working with the Mavericks in a separate partnership to deliver in-venue merchandise for fans. The firm is also working on new venue projects for the Athletics, Cleveland Browns, New York City FC and the Buffalo Bills.
Estis stressed that it's important to be on the front lines of what's new and what's next to future-proof the arena and get the inventory mix right. How do you bring fans closer to the action and the athletes, offer high-end food and beverage options, alleviate the inconveniences of going to an event with 18,000 fans, and ensure access to the premium spaces feels special and convenient?
"You don't want to break up a building so much that you don't have an incredible experience to create a home-court advantage," Estis said. "So I think that gets balanced in, and of course, you know Patrick wants a home-court advantage, and you know he wants a basketball-first arena."
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