Hundreds across the business operations of all clubs and the league gathered for a reception and tour highlighting recent Caps’ investments for the most innovative and immersive fan experiences

Washington, D.C. – This evening, the NHL’s Washington Capitals along with their parent organization, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, hosted an exclusive, invite-only reception and tour throughout Capital One Arena in honor of the 2022 Club Business Meetings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Senior leadership of Monumental Sports and the Capitals hosted 600+ members of the business staff from each of the 32 franchise teams of the NHL – including personnel from sponsorships, business intelligence, premium seating, venues and arena operations, communications, marketing, ticketing, and more.

Guests of the Capital One Arena reception were treated to multiple showcases, including:

• Drinks: Aramark’s selection of specialty cocktails, wine, and beer – and the locally-made ALL CAPS Grapefruit Smash created by Devils Backbone.
• Food: Unique food offerings, also by Aramark, including Chiko (dumplings), the one and only “Cinna Chika” Bun (sweet), and action stations across the luxury suite space, The Ultra Club, including: The Oyster Capital of the East Coast, Yakitori (bbq), The Global Taco Bar, A Bit of DC, Loaded Half Smoke, Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, Chicken and Waff-Os – and, of course, Dessert World!

• KPMG Innovation Suite: The newly-opened KPMG Ignition – DC innovation suite, a converted, mega suite transformed into a first-of-its-kind immersive client and business development experience at Capital One Arena.  A loop of 15-minute demo experiences provided visitors with next generation usage possibilities for arenas during the day.

• Caesars Sportsbook: The nation’s first-ever in-arena sportsbook is a two-story, 18,000 square-foot flagship culinary destination and entertainment venue that features 17 betting windows, dozens of automated kiosks.

• In-Bowl Experience: Capital One Arena boasts a 7,000 square foot, retractable scoreboard thousands of LED lights and ribbon – all alit for a full arena takeover as on-ice programming featuring a live youth hockey activation.
• Youth Hockey On-Ice Clinic: The NHL, NHL’s Player Inclusion Committee and the Washington Capitals hosted a youth hockey clinic during the tour featuring hockey teams and players from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Participating youth hockey teams included the Baltimore Banners, the Fort Dupont Cannons and the Tucker Road Ducks, as well as players from the Capitals all-female 10-14 Learn to Play program. Coaches included NHL alumni and NHL Player Inclusion Committee members Georges Laraque, Jamal Mayers and Al Montoya, Los Angeles Kings scout Blake Bolden. Members of the Capitals youth hockey staff and additional NHL club youth hockey staff also participated in the clinic.

• Meet and Greet with the Caps Organization: Representatives from Capitals Fan Development, the Capitals Alumni Association and Caps Gaming alongside an appearance from team service dog in training Biscuit and an interactive photo booth activation served as event cohosts and mixed and mingled with guests.

The event and tour offered the Capitals and Monumental Sports the opportunity to highlight some of the truly innovative experiences they have created for sports and entertainment fans. They have made several investments in new technologies and have developed innovative fan engagement platforms ahead of the upcoming season. The 2022-23 ice hockey season begins in October – with pre-season games set to being in September. For a full schedule of upcoming games, see here.

Capital One Arena, which will celebrate its 25^th anniversary this winter, has consistently been an extraordinary convening spot in downtown D.C. – and a major driver of revitalizing the local economy post-pandemic. Occupied for events more than 230 days per year, the venue has retained 95% of its pre-pandemic attendance rate for games and concerts, opened the first ever in-arena sportsbook which has driven over $2M in local tax revenue, created the first-ever business development center within an arena in partnership with KPMG, and have many new technologies installed throughout the concession, retail, and common spaces creating efficient, healthy, and immersive experiences for fans.

This was the first time the Capitals organization had hosted one of these annual business meetings conducted by the NHL. And this is the first in-person gathering of its kind from the NHL in over three years, due to the coronavirus pandemic. All 32 teams from across the League and League officials from across all business operations have been gathering for a three-day set of meetings in Washington, D.C. which began on Wednesday, July 13^th and will end on Friday, July 15^th.