Plans to reopen XL Center elicit precise health strategy
Reduced seating, one-way concourse traffic being discussed
HARTFORD – The managers of Hartford’s XL Center arena and the city’s convention center are taking the first steps in planning for welcoming visitors in the age of social distancing, but any reopening is likely to be months away.
“Because they are exclusively indoor venues, they come with their unique challenges when it comes to social distancing and public health,” Max Reiss, a spokesman for Gov. Ned Lamont, said Friday. “We’re trying our best to work with them what it would look like later on. We haven’t set a date on them as other sectors of the phases.”
This week, the state moved into the first phase of reopening amid early signs in Connecticut that the COVID-19 pandemic
is easing, including a consistent decline in hospitalizations. If trends continue, a second phase, including hotels, libraries, movie theaters and gyms would start June 20. Two more phases would follow.
The Capital Region Development Authority, which oversees the XL Center and Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, is working to sketch out how the sports, entertainment and convention venues might operate when they open again.
“We don’t have any clarity as to what big events indoors may mean,” Michael W. Freimuth, CRDA’s executive director, said. “Keep in mind the XL Center and the convention center are both meant for mass audiences. They are both counter to what the immediate thinking is.”
At the XL Center, everything from one-way traffic in the concourse and social distancing decals on the floor to frequent hand sanitizing stations are among dozens of alternatives are under consideration, Ben Weiss, the XL Center’s general manager said.
But the biggest challenge is just how would spectators sit in the arena, Weiss said.
“That one, at this point, is an unknown,” Weiss said. “We don’t know if there is going to be a limitation on capacity at the venue or whether there is going to be social distancing requirements as to how close people can sit. Everybody in the industry, really nationwide — we’re all waiting on that as each of our respective states makes those mandates.”
Freimuth said he could envision an event at the XL with 8,000 to 10,000 spectators, but spread out over the entire arena, upper and lower sections.
“You could run at 50% capacity, you could use all the seats and distance people,” Freimuth said. “But it begs the question: ‘What are the costs to run the building at twice the expense and half the attendance?’ ”
A similar approach could be used at the convention center: set up a room for 500 and put in an event for 100. But would the revenue brought in by the event cover the expenses, Freimuth said.
Holding the line on expenses is a major concern for both venues. A slew of events were canceled as the pandemic set in this spring, traditionally peak season for the arena and convention center. Both are on track to register more than $3 million in operating losses.
Both venues also are considered integral to attracting patrons to downtown restaurants and bars.
The uncertainty over seating at XL has not dampened the sale of UConn basketball season tickets for 2020-2021 and the anticipated return to the Big East Conference. Earlier this month, the first two days of season ticket sales surpassed the first six weeks of sales last year.
Reiss said the governor’s office is keeping in close contact with professional sports leagues and others as they develop their own guidelines and criteria, “and we’re reviewing those as well as they come in,” Reiss said.
“We’ve been in direct contact with the PGA Tour, minor league baseball, the Yard Goats, trying to keep the communication lines open for what it looks like later in the summer.”
Those discussions would affect such venues at Dunkin’ Donuts Park and Dillon Stadium, both in Hartford, and Rentschler Field in East Hartford and when they could reopen.