On August 21, just in time for the Saints’ first preseason home game, a new special events space – Champions Square – opened to the public at the site of the former New Orleans Centre Mall on LaSalle Street, adjacent to the Louisiana Superdome. The 53,000-square-foot entertainment and hospitality zone will operate before and after Saints games. It features a large music stage and multiple food vendors, including many New Orleans classics such as Galatoire’s, Acme Oyster House, Drago’s and Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House. Vendors also sell fan-favorite merchandise, as well as adult beverages and soft drinks. The Square can accommodate more than 8,000 people, and construction will continue in several phases through this season and into 2012 as the former mall site is fully redeveloped under the management of SMG, the company that manages the Superdome and New Orleans Arena.

The “champions” theme was derived from the Superdome’s long history of hosting champions and championships. The Square features iconic images – some 30 feet tall – from the Dome’s storied past: Saints Hall of Fame Linebacker Rickey Jackson; Heavyweight Champ Muhammad Ali, who defeated Leon Spinks in an epic 1978 match at the Dome; Michael Jordan hitting the game-winning shot for North Carolina in the 1982 NCAA Men’s Basketball Finals at the Superdome; the Super Bowl XLIV Champion Saints and others.

The Peter Mayer team garnered local and national coverage for the exciting opening, including The Times-Picayune, Gambit Weekly, and all four local TV stations: WWL-TV, WDSU-TV, WVUE-TV and WGNO-TV. Matt Lauer of NBC’s Today show highlighted the Square in coverage of the NFL season opener at the Dome between the Saints and the Minnesota Vikings.