Montana State University Case Study

THE BRICK BREEDEN FIELDHOUSE: A PARTNER THAT’S ON YOUR TEAM

Hussey Seating designed luxury into front-row seating, increasing capacity and demand for top-dollar tickets.

Montana State University’s Brick Breeden Fieldhouse is host to an assortment of competing daily demands. Between practice time and student use, games and concerts, monster truck events and its Broadway in Bozeman theater program, frequent reconfiguration is required. Besides replacing equipment installed in the 1980's, the University needed to simultaneously increase price level capacity for premium lower-level seating. Down time was not an option.

Bench-style bleacher seats were installed during its previous renovation at lower telescopic levels with full stadium seats above, offering the flexibility to accommodate its diverse event calendar. However, this created a disparity, with premium ticket-holders watching from benches, which was not ideal. When events didn’t sell to capacity, patrons were swayed more by seat comfort than proximity or views, thus reducing revenue potential.

The Payoff
The facility now has brand new state-of-the-art telescopic platforms that easily and efficiently transform their multipurpose space. The change-over is quick and requires minimal operational staff.

Hussey and Tutt Construction, the long time service and maintenance provider and exclusive Hussey dealer worked in harmony to configure two new rows of seating behind team benches, bringing front-row fans closer to the action and promoting a more supportive fan environment. Full chairs now offer the comfort and experience premium ticket holders deserve. Greater demand for premium seating along with an increased quantity of premium seat spaces combine to enhance the facility’s overall revenue potential.

Today, the facility’s Broadway capacity has increased from approximately 400 to more than 800 seats, with the entire process accomplished on budget and ahead of schedule. “The seating is the one thing that people are coming in and talking about,” explained Duane Morris, Director of the Event Services Division at Montana State University. “Long-time season ticket holders … now have a cup holder, they have a chair back. They feel like they’re living a life of luxury.”