Baton Rouge River Center officials this morning unveiled the first in a series of upgrades planned as part of an effort to modernize the nearly 40-year-old downtown entertainment venue.
A total of 87 high-definition monitors measuring from 21.5 inches to 75 inches have been installed throughout the River Center’s patron and performer areas. Video walls at the three main entrances to the main complex, as well as in the theater’s main lobby, will highlight and advertise upcoming concerts and events. Digital monitors showcasing food choices also will be on display at concession stands, and an interactive kiosk has been installed to promote upcoming shows and the River Center’s mailing list.
“This upgrade is the first of a number of improvements we are making to the River Center that will bring the complex and our services up to the current standards that one finds in any Capital or larger city,” says River Center General Manager Michael Day in a statement.
This morning’s announcement comes just days after Daily Report first broke news that Mayor Kip Holden’s administration has secured a deal with Raising Cane’s to sell the naming rights to the River Center for $3 million over a period of 10 years. It’s not clear whether the naming rights will extend to the River Center’s arena, theater, and exhibition hall, or just the arena.
River Center officials say there will be three more announcements made about improvements to the venue, but did not specify a timeline for those announcements in a press release issued this morning.
Originally called Centroplex, the River Center was built in 1977. It hosts more than 400,000 people each year with more than 300 ticketed and non-ticketed events.
