By Kelli Gustafson – RogersPlace.com
“Anything and everything you could ever want is here.”
This was one of the first reactions from Jeff Lang, Head Equipment Manager for the Edmonton Oilers, when he first saw the main equipment room inside Rogers Place at the beginning of August.
“This room is amazing.”
His enthusiasm was evident as he and other Oilers equipment staff began to unpack last week — highlighting many features of the new space.
“This is unbelievable. This room is amazing,” Lang added while pointing out where some of the equipment would be located, from the skate sharpener to the main ‘sticks room’.
With over 40 pallets of equipment being moved from Rexall Place, Lang says it is time for the team to “move in and get ready.”
The equipment team are not the only ones preparing for the inaugural season at Rogers Place.
“We’ve got our trainers in the dressing room getting everything set up and organized for training camp,” said Chief Project Development Officer of Oilers Entertainment Group (OEG), Bob Black.
“We’ve got our building operations people getting in and beginning to get comfortable in their new spaces.”
With staff beginning the move to Rogers Place and OEG Headquarters — located directly beside Rogers Place, above the Grand Villa Edmonton Casino — final testing is underway to prepare for the Public Open House on September 10.
“The building is in the final stages. We’ve got not only all the equipment in, but now we’re doing a final testing of the equipment to ensure that all of the 700 mechanical units in the building operate as designed,” Black said.
“It’s becoming real — it is on the verge of making that transition from a building under construction to a building that we’re going to have all sorts of incredible events in.”
“Not only did we create functional spaces, but that we created genuinely beautiful spaces.”
From the revolutionary sound systems to the state-of-the-art scoreboard, among many other innovative technologies that can be found throughout the building, guests will have the chance to see and experience what makes Rogers Place the future leader in exceptional fan experience as a world-class facility.
“I’m now really looking forward to September 10,” Black said.
“Edmontonians can come in and see first hand what we’ve been talking about. I’m just really excited to see the reactions of people as they walk around that building.”
With a curvilinear design and immense natural light along the concourses inside Rogers Place, Black added, “When people walk in and see it for the first time, they’re really going to get a sense as to how much attention to detail there was in ensuring that not only did we create functional spaces, but that we created genuinely beautiful spaces.”
Another highlight that guests can look forward to seeing at the Public Open House will include Alex Janvier’s Iron Foot Place — an elaborate tiled mosaic — set in the floor of Ford Hall.
“We were tremendously thrilled when the commission was given to Alex Janvier, who’s not only an internationally acclaimed Canadian artist, but he is also an Albertan and an Oilers fan,” said Black.
This art installation is one of four public art commissions for Rogers Place as part of the City of Edmonton’s Percent for Art policy, dedicating one per cent of qualifying construction costs to acquiring public art in city infrastructure.
Tickets to the Open House will be released to the public on August 29. Tickets are free and the public will be required to book a scheduled arrival/entrance slot between 8:00 AM and 3:00 PM.
Event information, including how to get to the Open House and links to secure tickets will be released on edmontonoilers.ca/rogersplace on August 29. More details can also be found on RogersPlace.com and our social media channels in the coming weeks.
Find out more about the different levels inside Rogers Place here.