Twin Cities / Metro
*This archived article was originally published in Spring 2005.
Club Cambria
Wine and dine the in-crowd where “a room with a view” is an understatement.
BY EVE DANIELS
The phrase, “Take your assigned seat,” typically evokes blackboards, hard plastic chairs and pencil-marked desks. But the Target Center’s exclusive club is far from typical, and assigned seating has never been sweeter. For a reasonable fee, members can kick back and sip a martini while watching KG work the floor. There’s even ice cream at halftime.
Unveiled this past October, Club Cambria offers 148 of the best seats in the house. The members-only venue — designed by Shawn Trentlage of Trellage-Ferrill — combines eight former suites into one lavish lounge. Located in the middle of the Target Center, the 8,000 square-foot space combines “high energy with sophistication,” according to suite and club sales manager Kristen Rose.
One thousand pieces of natural, Cambria quartz in five, sleek colors add a mod flair to the walls, bar, flooring, counter and tabletops. “The design picks up a lot of elements of our logo. It’s the epitome of our brand, even down to the orange walls,” said Timberwolves President Chris Wright. “It’s a club without a band; the band is the event.”
Companies often purchase member-ships in multiples of two, four, six or eight. Each member receives a prime seat for a full season of Timberwolves and Lynx home games, complete with dinner, dessert and cash bar. The pregame meal includes chef carving stations, salads, side items and appetizers.
“It works out great for many companies because they don’t have to be here with the client for every game,” said Wright. “The bar and waitstaff are used to treating people as our clients, so when a member gives away tickets to a client, they know that client is going to be treated very well.”
Club members also get first dibs on all Target Center concerts, family shows and events. When Elton John plays this April, for example, members have a chance to buy their seats at ticket price to either enjoy or pass on to clients. If they opt out (as might be the case with the upcoming Motley Crüe concert), the seats are then sold to the public at no cost to members.
Other perks include a one-year family membership at Northwest Health Clubs, up to four tickets to Broadway shows at the State and Orpheum theaters, and access to the suite-level boardroom and hospitality rooms.
On nonevent nights, Club Cambria can be rented out for special functions. “A couple of companies used the club for their holiday parties. We’ve also used the space for VIP parties before or after an event,” said Rose. “One company came in for a team-building session and showed a movie on the scoreboard. They served pizza, sodas, popcorn — it was a lot of fun.” If you’d like to join the fun and become a member, the enrollment process for next season is now underway.
