Harbour Arena

The real thing: the multi-purpose arena

The modern indoor arena is a bowl of seats under one roof, around a flat floor that can become almost anything: a basketball court, a boxing ring, an ice rink or a concert floor.

The trick is the changeover. In arenas that host both ice hockey and basketball, the ice usually stays frozen underneath: crews cover it with insulated panels and lay the wooden court on top, then reverse the whole job for the next game. Telescopic seats roll out over the floor for sport and fold back to make room for a stage.

Above the floor hangs a steel grid with rated rigging points, where touring shows hang their lights, speakers and screens. A big tour plans its load-in to the minute: trucks back into the loading dock in the morning, the show goes up during the day, and it is all back on the trucks in the early hours.