Thursday marked a major milestone in the construction of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, as the first seats were installed at the future home of the Atlanta Falcons.
The ceremony included owner Arthur Blank, along with AMB Group CEO Steve Cannon and Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Dietmar Exler. Also on hand was longtime Falcons season ticket holder Stephen Klee.
At the ceremony, Stephen Klee was joined by his parents Rita and Ronnie Klee, who are original Falcons season ticket holders from 1966 and plan to continue the tradition of going to Falcons games together as a family, establishing a new legacy for Falcons fans in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Arthur Blank addressed the Klee family by saying, “Thank you for your years, you represent what this organization is all about.” Blank goes on to say, “Seat licenses are about ownership and having a family experience with this franchise is really important.”
The seats installed signify the progress being made on the stadium and showcase how this adds to the overall fan experience. The in-seat experience has been built and designed to offer fans what they desire including: wider seats with 95 percent of the seats being 21 inches versus 19 inches, more depth between seats offering more legroom and wider aisles than what Falcons fans currently experience in the Georgia Dome. Cannon says, “We don’t want to exceed your expectations, we want to blow your mind. We think the passion we’ve poured into the design will make this the best sports and entertainment experience in the world.”
Stadium partner Mercedes-Benz USA participated in the ceremony with Exler commenting on the company’s excitement to be a part of this new chapter for the city and Atlanta Falcons fans. “What makes this partnership so special is the close alignment. All of us at MBUSA strive to do the same thing, it’s all about delivering the dream. It takes two things, fantastic design and customer and fan experience.”