Tad Snider was asked during a media tour of the Coca-Cola Amphitheater Thursday which venue is the crown jewel of the BJCC footprint.

“Oh, that’s a tough one,” the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex executive director pondered. “That’s like, which one of your (children) is your favorite?

“We like them all,” he said of newly improved Legacy Arena, Protective Stadium and the amphitheater that opens in June. “They all provide something unique in recruiting and trying to bring events to Birmingham.”

When tours go on the road, they’re geared to play a venue type, Snider said.

“If you’re playing amphitheaters, you’re largely only playing amphitheaters,” he said. “If you’re playing arenas, you’re largely only playing arenas. If you’re playing stadiums, you’re largely only playing stadiums. We just want to make sure all those tours come to Birmingham, so we love them all.”

The tour of the 9,380-capacity amphitheater gave media a peek at amenities fans can appreciate, including the Vinyl Room.

“The premium team at Live Nation has done a great job,” Snider said. “They sell all the boxes and the VIP premium experiences. It’s just going to be an elevated type of VIP experience that we’re very excited about.”

The Vinyl Room is set apart by its decor, which Snider called “magnificent.”

“I think we’re going to have a DJ booth in there,” he said. “They’re going to have some higher-end type food and drink amenities. What we really think is going to be neat is it’s sort of an indoor/outdoor concept to where you can still be outdoors in the Vinyl Room/VIP Club. You can walk up and still see the artist on the stage.

“A lot of VIP Clubs are maybe around a corner to where you can’t necessarily see the artist,” the CEO said. “I think you get the best of both worlds. You can be VIP or elevated premium and still be able to see the show.”

Seating in the outdoor venue is sloped rather than stair-stepped, which may be more comfortable for patrons. Snider said the venue was built spaciously so fans shouldn’t feel cramped.

The tour also revealed features that touring artists and their stage crews will appreciate. Jay Wilson of Live Nation Birmingham pointed out the backstage loading docks.

“We designed this so that big tours that have traditionally had to skip the market (can) play here now,” he said. “This stage house is designed so that any tour playing an outdoor amphitheater can fit. Productions are getting much bigger. There’s much bigger video walls, sound and lights that come in.”

It had been common for a touring artist to come with six or eight trucks. Now, Wilson said, a tour might come with 15 or 20 trucks.

“We built it where you can put nine at the dock at one time,” he said. “From production-ease, that means they have to move their trucks less. Our goal is to have their day when they come here to be as painless as possible and have a great experience when they come to play in Birmingham. We want them to leave and say, ‘Man, my day in Birmingham was great.’ Then they’ll come back.”

“A band like Dave Matthews is going to have 12 or 14 trucks and probably 10 or 12 busses,” Wilson said. “You’ve got to put 20-something vehicles out here. We designed that with the intent of being able to handle all of this.”

Snider and Wilson said there will be ample parking for patrons of events at the amphitheater, including a pair of nearby parking decks and a recently approved gravel lot.

“There are two parking decks literally within steps of the entryway,” Wilson said. “I think between the two is probably about 1,200, maybe. I don’t want to quote numbers but I know that we’ve got – between the decks, the parking lots within a 10-minute walk and what’s down at the BJCC with a tram that’s going to come up a few blocks – we’ve got plenty of parking.”

The parking plan includes a shuttle service that runs from the Uptown Entertainment District to the amphitheater.

The venue is a collaborative effort among Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex, the city of Birmingham, Jefferson County and Live Nation.

While Thursday’s tour was of the Coca-Cola Amphitheater, media couldn’t help noticing the remnants of Carraway Hospital across the street. Wilson was asked if that will still be present when The Coke hosts comedian Mike Rife on June 22.

“That’s a sign of progress,” he said. “That’s something that we’re actually proud of because this amphitheater and then across the street – that (Star) development – are going to be the engines that sort of elevate the Druid Hills and the Northside communities for years to come.

“While someone might look across the street and see a building coming down, we look at it as, that’s a sign of progress,” Wilson continued. “That’s a sign that we’re making forward movement and we’re taking all the positive energy that’s happened at the BJCC – with their renovation, with Protective Stadium. We’re taking all that and we’re just moving it two blocks up. It’s just gonna be positive energy.”