Rays Unveil Special Event Renderings for Forever Home

Click here to view the renderings.

TAMPA, Fla.—Building on last week's unveiling of a planned office tower within the mixed-use district of the Tampa Bay Rays proposed new ballpark, the team today released four special event renderings to help underline an original and important message from the Rays ownership group to the community:

This is about more than baseball.

The four illustrations released today are representative of the ballpark’s versatility and year-round capability to host major concerts and touring shows, graduations, championship sporting events, sports festivals, large-scale civic and community gatherings, and virtually any programming of any size.

The renderings offer a compelling look at how the approximately 30,000-seat venue – which will be the largest indoor event facility in the Tampa Bay region and among the largest in all of Florida – converts with ease and efficiency for programming beyond Major League Baseball, all while generating significant new economic and intangible benefits for local residents, business owners, the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough College and more.

“We have said from the beginning that our new ballpark is about more than baseball,” said Tampa Bay Rays Chief Executive Officer Ken Babby. “A Forever Home ballpark for the Rays is about creating an economic engine for our region through a steady and vast array of special events that will drive hotel occupancy, restaurant traffic, parking revenue, airport activity and transit usage. In doing so, we create thousands of jobs across hospitality, entertainment, security, operations, and support services. It’s the definition of a generational opportunity for our region."

THE FOREVER HOME AS ECONOMIC CATALYST

The event renderings illustrate four distinct use cases demonstrating the ballpark's potential:

• Major Concert & Entertainment Events: A state-of-the-art concert venue capable of hosting top-tier musical performances and festivals, with outstanding sightlines and overall design that will create an unforgettable entertainment experience for local guests and attendees from throughout the region and nation, from the moment they arrive through the conclusion of the show. As important, the venue will serve artists and tour operators with climate certainty, first-class amenities and optimum logistical advantages that will make Tampa Bay a must-stop for the biggest shows and tours across all genres.
• Graduation Ceremonies & Academic Events: A stunning backdrop for university graduations, convocations, and academic celebrations, capable of serving Hillsborough College and institutions throughout the region.
• Sports Festivals: Civic Gatherings & Community Events: Flexible space for national youth sports festivals such as volleyball tournaments and cheer events, basketball showcases, conventions, trade shows, large civic assemblies, and other community celebrations that activate the venue and surrounding district. The space can also accommodate qualification competitions for global athletic events.
• Ring Sports: A world-class venue for professional wrestling, mixed martial arts, boxing and other combat sports, all of which attract attendees who traditionally travel and stay multiple evenings in markets for signature events.

ECONOMIC IMPACT & JOB CREATION

The versatility of the Forever Home creates significant economic ripple effects across the entire Tampa Bay region:

• Hotel Industry: Major events drive multi-night hotel stays, filling rooms across Tampa Bay's hospitality sector with attendees from throughout the region and United States.
• Restaurants & Dining: Event attendees support bars, restaurants, and food service establishments throughout the district and region.
• Transportation & Parking: Events generate parking revenue, rideshare activity, HART transit usage, and airport activity.
• Jobs & Employment: Event operations, security, hospitality, food service, parking, transit, and support services create hundreds of temporary and permanent jobs per event.
• Economy: The approximately 10 million annual attendees projected for the district create sustained economic activity year-round.

An independent economic analysis projects the broader Forever Home development will generate $55.5 billion in total economic impact over 30 years, support 11,900 new permanent jobs, and become a major engine of regional growth.

YEAR-ROUND ACTIVATION & COMMUNITY VALUE

"One of our missions in designing the new ballpark was to solve a fundamental problem with single-purpose facilities," Babby said. "With 81 Rays games plus special events, the Forever Home will be active and generating economic value throughout the year. In short, we feel it can be one of the busiest venues in sports, entertainment and events. That's not just good for the Tampa Bay Rays – it’s transformational for hotels, restaurants, parking operators, transit agencies, security companies, and many other businesses and workers throughout Tampa Bay."

The ballpark's location is adjacent to Raymond James Stadium (home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and George M. Steinbrenner Field (spring training home of the New York Yankees). Woven in with a reimagined Hillsborough College and the new mixed-use district, the Forever Home ballpark will create a sports and entertainment destination unmatched in the United States.

DESIGN FLEXIBILITY & MODERN AMENITIES

The Forever Home's design prioritizes flexibility for special event athletes and performers without compromising the intimate fan experience. Dynamic club spaces, exceptional sightlines, spectacular sky views, and state-of-the-art lighting, video, and sound systems ensure the venue meets the standards of the world's most discerning event organizers and attendees.

PARTNERSHIP & COLLABORATION

The Rays, Hillsborough College, and local officials continue to work collaboratively with the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County toward a funding agreement. Design elements continue to evolve as the team gathers input from potential event promoters, venue operators, and community stakeholders.

The Rays selected Populous last year as the design lead for the new ballpark. Populous, a globally renowned firm in the sports venue design industry, brings decades of experience to the Forever Home project, having led the design for 29 new and renovated MLB ballparks with a keen eye toward shaping the evolution of the modern game day experience.

"We're designing this facility with intention," Babby said. "Every detail, from the club placements to the flexibility of the seating bowl to the infrastructure supporting events, has been considered with multiple uses in mind. As important, we insist on every experience for everyone being the best in class in sports, entertainment and unique events.”

The Forever Home ballpark is targeted for opening in 2029 as part of a larger mixed-use neighborhood development anchored by a reimagined Hillsborough College Dale Mabry Campus. "Work, Live, Learn, Play" is the guiding principle of the privately financed, year-round neighborhood, with residential, educational, retail, hospitality, commercial, and community spaces creating constant energy and opportunity.

Rays fans and the community can view the illustrations, learn more about the project, and place a deposit for tickets by visiting NewBallpark.RaysBaseball.com.