Exclusive: Take a look at the Milwaukee Bucks new arena preview center: Slideshow

June 21, 2016

The Milwaukee Bucks are putting the final touches on a “preview center” designed to give prospective season ticket and luxury suite buyers a virtual-reality feel for the new arena.

The sales center occupies 6,000 square feet in the same Schlitz Park Stock-House building as the Bucks front office at 1543 N. Second St. and is scheduled to be completed in time to be used by the team for a private event on Thursday during the NBA draft.

Bucks sales staff will give tours to buyers of premium tickets over the next two years before the new arena’s planned opening by September 2018.

“We think it’s one of our most ambitious ventures to date,” said Bucks presidentPeter Feigin. “It gives prospective clients a taste of what the building will be like.”

The preview center exemplifies the significance for the Bucks of increasing season ticket sales and selling luxury suites to make the new arena a profitable venture for the team’s owners.

The Bucks have increased season ticket sales to about 6,500 from about 4,000 in the past two years, Feigin said. The team’s goal is to reach 10,000 by the time the new arena opens, he said.

The Bucks have been increasing season ticket prices at the existing BMO Harris Bradley Center for seats closest to the court, Feigin said. The team will further increase rates at the new arena – especially for the 2,000 most-premium seats, he said.

The new arena will have a capacity of 17,500, so selling 10,000 season tickets would guarantee more games actually selling out, Feigin said.

The preview center includes a replica of a luxury suite at the new arena as well as a side-by-side comparison of the new arena’s seats with those at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Prospective ticket buyers also will get a virtual view of what the court and arena interior will look like from their seats through 4-D technology.

Suites in the new downtown Milwaukee arena will carry annual leases priced at $225,000 to $300,000, according to marketing materials previously obtained by the Milwaukee Business Journal. Suite-holders would gain high-quality services during games and VIP reserved parking at the new arena parking structure for all arena events.