Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN) - On the eve of cutting the ribbon to open the new Highmark Stadium, Buffalo Bills' President of Business Operations, Pete Guelli joined WBEN to reflect on how the process of getting to this point.
"Candidly, it's been smoother than I would have expected," Guelli told WBEN about the three-year construction process on Monday. "I think everybody had a lot of mindshare that this had to happen, it was great for Buffalo, and we were going to do whatever it took to get it going."
The end result is a new stadium that will give fans a completely different experience from what they have grown used to.
"I think people are going to be shocked when they walk in," Guelli said. "And you don't have to have seen other buildings, if you've been in our building, and now you're going over to this new facility it is state-of-the-art, best in class. Maybe one of the best stadiums in the world.
"The difference is so stark between what people had and what they'll be walking into now, they'll be absolutely shocked when they walk in there for the first time."
Fans who paid hundreds-to-tens of thousands of dollars for personal seat licenses (PSLs) have already been making plans on when they will go to the stadium for the first time. But outside of game days, Guelli tells WBEN they are working on setting up other events to give fans an opportunity to see the stadium for themselves before the season starts.
Guelli says the stadium is getting plenty of attention outside of Western New York too.
"We knew it was going to be a big deal at the owners meetings a few months ago when, I think, every national broadcaster came up to us and said, 'Hey, can we have your game?'" he said. "At that point in time, you realize this is a big, big story, and to have it happen here in Buffalo... sometimes it's hard to put into words."
