The "Real" Arena Story
West Michigan Magazine

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It's no secret that the Van Andel Arena is billed as an event venue impressive enough to house both an International Hockey League team and a Continental Basketball Association team. The arena's real draw, however, is not in what takes place on the floor, but in what the fans won't see (or hear). It's a draw that Downtown Development Authority project manager Jim Gray is betting will be a major factor in booking events that, until now, would never have considered West Michigan as a possible venue.

Part of that draw is the sound-absorbing materials on the walls and ceiling in the arena bowl. These surfaces have the ability to absorb sound in such a way that, as Gray tells it, "a firecracker set off in the middle of the house will be heard for two seconds; after that, complete silence. There is simply no echo in here."

The sound, instead of bouncing off the walls and ceiling, is absorbed and trapped. Why is this important? "Most sports venues want the sound to bounce off the walls: that deafening noise adds to the excitement of indoor events," says Gray. "But in the Van Andel Arena, that won't happen."

Then why go to all that trouble? Because sports was not -- repeat: not -- the primary element in the mission for the Van Andel Arena. The real vision was that it was to be a top destination for large theatrical productions, major live concerts (Neil Diamond will be the first to put the acoustical quality of the arena to the test), circuses, conventions, rodeos ... and even truck pulls. In fact, of the events scheduled for the arena's first 60 days of operation, most are non-sporting.

Further, Gray explains that in addition to seating capacity, performers -- particularly musicians and theater production companies -- often consider sound quality to be the deciding factor in booking a venue. "Grand Rapids is off the direct path from Chicago and Detroit," he added. "Being geographically inconvenient, we had to create a good reason for acts to make the extra drive."

While the Van Andel Arena isn't as large as, say, the Palace at Auburn Hills (our arena can seat up to 13,000, whereas the Palace has a capacity of nearly twice that), the acoustics will be far superior. This is no surprise, considering that Rossetti & Associates, the designers responsible for the acoustical quality that earned the Palace "Best Venue of the Year" for the last five years, was the firm chosen by the DDA for the Van Andel project. The only other arena in the country that will have similar acoustical quality is one under construction in Nashville, Tennessee. "These people are innovators," says Gray. "They've set design standards for future arenas. And we'd like to win the "Best Small Venue" award."

Performers and crews also will find the arena's in-house sound system; separate, secured sound and light rooms; and cable trenches to be added bonuses. The cable trenches, Gray notes, are particularly unusual in that most arenas simply tape or lay cable on the floor -- which can be dangerous, inconvenient and use valuable space. Connections are made inside the sound and light rooms rather than in an area where the threat of tampering or other outside problems exist.

Additionally, the usual location of an arena's speakers are around the scoreboard; but in the Van Andel Arena, the speakers are all around the house's interior, allowing sound to be concentrated on a particular area. This will be a tremendous feature for theater productions, conventions and concerts. The roof also is intentionally bare of HVAC components -- which means inside noise from mechanical and electrical systems has been eliminated, further adding to the arena's acoustical integrity.

What else makes Van Andel a superior arena? All seating is theater-style -- manufactured by West Michigan's own Irwin Seating and American Seating companies, with fabric cushions on every seat. Hockey and basketball fans don't usually get that kid of luxury. The location of the spotlights also is unique: most facilities have a fixed, roof-area platform, but here the lights are lower and may be positioned almost anywhere.

Interestingly, IHL hockey was not a consideration when the first blueprints came off the drafting table and ground was broken on the arena in February of 1995. Planners were originally told that the arena wouldn't qualify to house an IHL team. But today, the arena accommodates both IHL and an Olympic-sized ice floor, allowing West Michigan to host ice shows and world-class figure skating competitions.

As evidence of entertainment being its primary focus, the "elephant doors" in the back of the house will admit a mounted elephant as well as two semi trailers into the arena -- an extremely time-efficient feature. "Time is crucial," Gray explains. "Look at our first two shows: Neil Diamond one day, the Griffins the next. Diamond has to get on the road to his next show immediately, and we have to get the ice uncovered and prepared for the following night's game."