ANAHEIM : Arena Suites, Season Tickets to Be Sold

The Anaheim Arena is not scheduled to open for two years and no teams have committed to play there, but its operators say they will soon begin selling luxury suites and season tickets to whatever events are held there.

Ogden Entertainment Services, hired by the city to build and operate the $103-million arena, recently opened a marketing office, and its sales and marketing director says a strategy for selling the suites and tickets is being developed.

The 19,500-seat arena is scheduled to open in the fall of 1993. It is being financed by a 1% city tax on hotel and motel bills.

“We don’t have any (suites or tickets) sold yet because we are just now developing our marketing plan,” John J. Nicoletti said. “But people are calling in wanting to get on our waiting list, two or three a day. We already have 250 people on our list wanting luxury suites or season tickets. We have also been contacted by advertisers inquiring about space.”

He said no prices have been established for the 82 suites or for season seats.

Nicoletti admitted that selling the suites and tickets will be difficult until a team agrees to play there. Ogden says it has talked with National Basketball Assn. and National Hockey League teams about moving there.

“That is the most challenging part of my job, developing a marketing plan when we have no teams,” Nicoletti said. “We have the building, but it will be tough to establish the price of the suites when we are unsure which teams will play there. But people have told us, ‘We don’t care what teams will play there, we want to be a part of it.’ ”