2014 2015 Facilities & Event Management Booking Guide by Facilities Media Group

Facilities &Event Management 152 Madison Avenue, Room 802 New York, NY 10016

FACILITIESONLINE.COM

2014-2015

Booking Guide Multitasking at the Top Lee Zeidman discusses the rewards of his new role as President of STAPLES Center, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE & L.A. LIVE

Perfecting digital acoustics technology 27

4 steps to

launching a successful festival 64 Northeast Spotlight 30

For Booking Agents, Promoters, Talent Buyers, Special Event Planners & Venue Managers

CONTENTS

6 68

News UpFront........... 6-18 Industry Watch, Venue Watch, Tech Watch Leading Edge: Jason Rittenberry......... 10 Heard on the Street ......... 18 F&EM: Sites & Cities............... 42 Prime Site Awards Ballot..... 23 Luminary Awards Ballot................... 41 Ad Index............. 67

FEATURES Photoview IAFE Annual Convention.................20 Empire City Concert Series............22 Behind the Scenes Multitasking at the Top....................24 Tech Solutions A “Constellation” of Sounds...........27 Luminary Awards.............................41 Regional Spotlight Northeastern United States........................ ...30-40 Q&A with John Porco, WWE Live Events.........................34 Q&A with Brian Sipe, Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza...................................36 Q&A with Tod Hammock, Cycle City Promotions.................39 Hot List NBA Arenas.....................................68

Facilities & event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

INSIGHT Columns Viewpoint........... 2 Caffin’s Corner................. 4 Venue Strategies Get Your Festival Off the Ground, by Gil Cunningham..... 64 Booking Perspectives The “Wow” Factor, by John M. Bernardoni........ 66

Facilities

FACILITIES : E SSENTIAL T OOL ViewpointFOR W ORKING S MARTER IN ‘09

Facilities &Event Management 2009

ompared to other industries, the live entertainment and event business was robust in 2008 and, according to most industry observers, ticket sales and audience attendance showed little-to-no decline from the previous year. However, this assessment came with a qualification that many of the tickets had been purchased and the events had been held before the more dire economic news came to the forefront in the 4th quarter of 2008. Even after this relatively strong year, the live entertainment and event industry will not be able to rest on its past achievements. Our industry doesn’t operate in a vacuum. Rising unemployment, decreasing disposable income and lack of consumer confidence have the potential to negatively impact ticket sales and the size of the audience. Filling seats with effective entertainment during a time of economic uncertainty is causing anxiety venue managers andvenue bookers.success Two thingsstories are for sure: Without question,For 2009one, will be challenging; eamong regularly focus on for(1)good reason. and (2) in order to meet this challenge, everyone in the industry, from venue managers and their staff to the they’re encouraging in a time of lingering economic concern. But primarily, Booking Agents, Promoters, Talent Buyers and Special Event Planners, will have to work smarter—which they often valuable takeaways foraudience venueexperience. managers. The STAPLES basically meanscontain holding down costs while enhancing the Center in LosViewed Angeles, forthis example, faces from other through work smarter prism,strong the 2009competition Facilities SuperBook is more criticalvenues than ever. The cenof this is the Annual 2008 Prime Awards (listed 16). Every year, the Facilities Media in the local terpiece market, butissue distinguishes itself bySite being part ofonapage robust entertainment Group bestows the Prime Site Awards. This special designation—voted on by the readership (Booking Agents, complex, L.A. LIVE, whose variously sized performance venues all report to Promoters, Talent Buyers & Special Event Planners) of Facilities—recognizes Venue Excellence, a criteria that President Lee Zeidman. The reporting structure creates a “cohesive that the includes the structural dynamics of a building, the level of technology of its sound,operation lighting, staging—and makes it easier people to come here and do he success says (p. 24). Over onand audience qualityfor of the venue staff. All these components areevents,” integral to the of the performance experience. The Prime Site Awards venuesincluding that have work smarter. the East Coast, business is good at a acknowledge variety ofthose arenas, those profiled in other content this issue—a regionalized directory of North a Product & Services our NortheastThe Spotlight (p.in30). The Times Union Center in American Albany,venues, for instance, Directory, a spotlight interview with Greg Diekroeger, former Chair of the Board of the National Association ended 2014forwith a net operating profit of $1,002,042, nearly double the previous Campus Activities, and Industry Perspective columns on customer service and event service—are all focused year’s figure. And the strength of the management is again driver of success. SMG on enabling industry membersato work smarter. In addition print,helped facilitiesonline is the growing website in Regional General Manager Bob Belber led a stafftothat bring anfastest outstanding industry. Facilitiesonline features news, industry measures, links, a fun-to-readroster of acts to the TUC in 2014, whiletheimplementing several cost-cutting blog, and the industry’s most extensive online database of Arenas, such as reducing summer work days toTheaters, save on utilities. Great customer service is Coliseums, Theaters, Civic Centers, PACs, Amphitheatres, another factor in maximizing business,University and thatVenues, results from Belber’s “leadership Fairgrounds, Convention Centers and Special Venues. to Thousands of Booking Event Agents, Manager, Promoters, Talent flowing down through the entire staff,”Event according Tod Hammock, Buyers andKicker Special Event Planners useSeries Facilitiesonline every week to Cycle City Promotions (p. 39). The company’s Arenacross was among stay informed about industry issue and specific events last year’s events at the TUC, which is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary. The way to meet the challenges of 2009? Work Smarter! The 2009 Facilities SuperBook (and Facilitiesonline) has been designed to be your Unfortunately, neither longevity nor quality stafftool canin guarantee an arena will stay first essential achieving that goal.

sobering news from new jersey

Volume 18 No.1

Editorial Director Booking Guide Timothy Herrick

2014-2015

For Booking Agents, Promoters, Talent Buyers, Special Event Planners & Venue Managers

Volume 22 No.2

Associate Publisher Chief Operating Michael Caffin Officer

David Korn Associate AccountPublisher Executives Michael Caffin Andrew Reeves Editorial Director Harry Mark George Seli Creative Direction & Design Creative Direction & Design Scott-Goodman Associates Lester Goodman Circulation Manager Winny CheungManager Circulation Business ThereseOperations Langer Nadia Derelieva Business Operations

© Copyright 2015 by Bedrock Communications, Inc. Oh Opinions expressed in by-lined All Leo rights reserved. articles and advertising copy are not necessarily those of the publisher. Advertisers are responsible for all costs, Research Manager damages and claims regarding advertising insertions.

Amber Tavarez

Facilities & Event Management is published twice a year by Bedrock Inc., 152Inc. Madison © CopyrightCommunications, 2009 by Bedrock Communications, All rights Avenue, Suite 802, Opinions New York, NY 10016. (212) 532reserved. expressed in by-linedTelephone: articles and advertising copy not necessarily those of the publisher. Advertisers 4150. Fax:are(212) 213-6382. are responsible for all costs, damages and claims regarding

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afloat. The much publicized closing of the 34-year-old IZOD Center last month comes as a result of the state-owned arena’s severe financial losses, totaling a reported $8.5 million. The relocation of the New Jersey Devils to the Prudential Timothy Herrick Center in 2007 and the Nets to the Barclays Center in 2012 were big contributors Editorial Director Therrick@facilitiesonline.com to the losses, and rising state subsidies made it infeasible to keep the doors open, according to New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority officials.

It is also arguable ON that the IZODCOVER Center no longer filled a valuable market niche. “It THE never made sense to keep open an outdated arena that is less than 10 miles away (Clockwise) A)the Charleston Civic Center,” Center; Newark Municipal Councilman from the City of Newark and Prudential B)in Giant Center (interior); Anibal Ramos said a statement. The current agreement grants the Prudential C) Coliseo de Puerto Rico; Center hosting rights to the IZOD Center’s upcoming events, as well as revenue from D) Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza; events held at theE)IZOD Center past January: namely, Chris Brown on Feb. 21 and River Center/Adler Theatre (interior); Maroon 5 on March 8 (the lastCenter. concerts at the IZOD Center) and Ringling Bros. and F) and Toyota Barnum & Bailey March 18-22 (the last event at the arena). While this issue shines a “spotlight” on several 2 successful Northeast arenas, it’s also important to note cases like the IZOD Center and not take that success for granted. Even a long-running, “established” venue can experience changing fortunes. – George Seli Editorial Director, Facilities Media Group gseli@facilitiesonline.com

Facilities SuperBook 2009

ON THE COVER Lee Zeidman, promoted to President of the STAPLES Center, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE and L.A. LIVE last July, has reason to smile. While he has a sweeping breadth of responsibilities for the performance of multiple entertainment venues, his job is never dull and he “works with some of the best people in the business day in and day out.” Facilities & event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS Share the Excitement at MTS Centre

BOOKING INFO:

KEVIN DONNELLY 204-926-5503 KDONNELLY@TRUENORTH.MB.CA

MTSCENTRE.CA • BURTONCUMMINGSTHEATRE.CA WINNIPEG, CANADA

Now booking for the historic Burton Cummings Theatre

Caffin’s o LET YOUR VOICE r BE HEARD n e at Facilities Media Group are e asking for your votes: r • Nominations for our annual Prime

Site Awards recognizing the top entertainment venues in North America. See our awards ballot on page 23, and let your voice be heard. All Prime Site Award-winning arenas and theaters will be saluted in our 2015 SuperBook issue, publishing in early summer. • Nominations for our new Luminary Awards (see ballot below). We want to know who you feel deserves to be recognized for helping to create better live entertainment experiences. Please take time to nominate individuals in one or more of the categories below. See page 41 for the debut winners in the Arena Executive category. Other winners will be announced and featured beginning in our 2015 SuperBook issue, as well as on Facilitiesonline.com. In the meantime, enjoy this issue, which is loaded with great news features, Q&As, guest columns, a Northeast Spotlight and our Booking Guide Directory. Let us know what you think, and don’t forget to VOTE! – Michael Caffin Associate Publisher, Facilities Media Group mcaffin@facilitiesonline.com

Arena Executive of the Year Name:________________________________________________ Company:____________________________________________

The enTerTainmenT

ShowcaSe

Theater Executive of the Year Name:________________________________________________

of WesT Texas

Company:____________________________________________ Booking Agent of the Year Name:________________________________________________ Company:____________________________________________ Promoter of the Year Name:________________________________________________ Company:____________________________________________ Talent Buyer of the Year Name:________________________________________________ Company:____________________________________________ Nominated By: Name, Title:___________________________________________ Organization:_________________________________________ Phone:_______________________________________________ Email:________________________________________________ May we contact you? Yes____ No____

For booking inFormation: Cindy Harper • 806.742.7362 • Cindy.Harper@ttu.edu LubboCk, tX formerly UniTed spiriT arena

Please Fill Out Form & Mail Your Vote To:

Facilities & Event Management LUMINARY Awards 152 Madison Avenue, Suite #802, New York, NY 10016 or Fax to: (212) 213-6382 or email ballots@facilitiesonline.com

Facilities & event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

Events for Every Venue Each year SMGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 243 venues around the world host thousands of concerts, family shows and sporting events â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including some of the largest on the planet. To learn more, visit us at smgworld.com

UpFront Industry Watch Comcast-Spectacor President Dave Scott (second from right) shares insights into company's growth with (from left) Dave Butler, President, Paciolan; Ken Young, President, Ovations Food Services; and John Page, President, Global Spectrum, during the OneComcastSpectacor Leadership Conference on Sept. 18 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have entered into a new partnership with Levy Restaurants Retail Group to manage all retail merchandising operations at Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ, including an off-season renovation of onsite retail facilities. Already the D-backs’ official dining and hospitality partner, Levy began renovations to the venue’s retail spaces in November. The project includes a redesign of the flagship store, two stores located on the Suite Level and Upper Concourse, and eight merchandise kiosks located throughout the stadium. Levy will re-conceptualize each retail outlet by theme to offer a wider variety of specialty items and Chase Field exclusive merchandise, including stands focused on women and children. Digital menu boards will be added throughout the concession stands to allow the team to cross-promote special retail offers. “With this expanded partnership, we are able to apply a range of guest insights and creativity,” says Levy Restaurants President/CEO Andy Lansing. “Our focus is on designing the ultimate, all-around game day for every fan from the very first moment they walk into the ballpark to the team brand they take home with them.” 6

Outside Chase Field, Levy is operating a new walk-in, 32 ft.-long retail truck offering exclusive merchandise and memorabilia. It served as the fans' primary outlet to purchase D-backs merchandise during the holiday season while renovations took place on the Team Shop at Chase Field. The mobile unit will eventually accompany the D-backs to many of their community events around the Phoenix metropolitan area.

Facilities & event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

UpFront Industry Watch The Oakland Athletics will return to Mesa, AZ, to the newly renovated Hohokam Stadium for 2015 spring training, and will partner with Ovations Food Services, the facility’s catering and concessions provider since 2006. A subsidiary of Comcast-Spectacor, Ovations will also serve as the A’s retail merchandising partner at their new spring home. Ovations currently serves A’s fans

at the O.co Coliseum. “Oakland Athletics fans can expect a whole new ballgame in the areas of concessions and catering,” says Jay Satenspiel, Ovations’ Regional Vice President. “We are going back into the ballpark with our Everything’s Fresh™ philosophy front-of-mind, which means new equipment, new concepts and new flavors for fans and guests.”

Leading Edge: Jason Rittenberry

the race, they started beefing up the fan experience and adding value to the ticket, for example by holding President & CEO concerts at the races. All the things we did in Memphis IRG Sports + Entertainment you could see across the industry. Today, our larger shows In early 2001 Jason Rittenberry touring North America are definitely more geared toward was General Manager of families, and we provide a lot of entertainment value, Nashville, TN-based Optus Inc., including expo areas and educational areas where fans a leading telecommunications can learn about the cars and engines. company, and soon made Targeting Musical Fan Bases: Country’s probably the a major career move when No. 1 genre for race fans. We did bring the American Dover Motorsports hired him as Director of Sales & Idol tour with a mix of artists to one of our NASCAR Marketing of Memphis Motorsports Park. “It wasn’t races, but typically it’s going to be country. If we’re a planned career move, just being at the right place promoting a drag race or NASCAR race, then it’s going at the right time,” he recalls. “They were looking to be more traditional country. If we’re promoting a road for someone that had connections in the market in race, it’s going to be maybe a little more pop. If it’s a Memphis. I knew the sports commissions, CVB and the politicians and the sheriff, but I had no experience mud bog or off-road race, it’s going to be really country, not mainstream country. And then we run other types in motorsports or even managing a venue. And six weeks later they had me promoted to Vice President & of events, such as a drifting race in Palm Beach and General Manager. So that was my foray into the venue an import race in Maryland, and they’re going to take management world at 25 years old with no experience different genres of music because of the demographics other than six weeks as Director of Sales & Marketing.” of the fans that are there. For example, in Palm Beach we have a huge Hispanic market. Rittenberry went on to gain much more industry experience, serving as President & CEO of Palm Beach Acquiring Maryland International Raceway: The International Raceway, and subsequently Memphis DC/Baltimore market is booming and we don’t see it International Raceway. Currently, he is President & slowing down anytime soon. Drag racing has been very CEO of Jupiter, FL-based IRG Sports + Entertainment, popular there for 40 years. But the Maryland raceway the privately held parent company of International was a unique acquisition for us: It was as much about Raceway Group and the International Hot Rod acquiring executive staff as the racetrack itself. Royce Association. IRG owns and operates Palm Beach Miller, who’s the owner/operator of that facility for International Raceway, Palm Beach Driving Club, the last 25 years, is one of the most well-respected Memphis International Raceway and Southwestern operators and promoters in the business. We needed International Raceway. In November, the company people that had experience in the industry and could acquired Maryland International Raceway. hit the ground running. Royce became our COO, and his son Jason, who had been at the track with him for More Diverse Entertainment at Races: With the death 15 years, is now the GM of that facility. of Dale Earnhardt in 2001, many of the fans kind of faded away; they stopped coming to races and it seemed like Future Direction: We’re looking at a pretty major the sport was on the decline for a year or two. And then international expansion of one of our national tours, and motorsports in general, particularly Nascar, began bringing getting more sanctioned racetracks internationally for the more and more to the table: Instead of it just being about International Hot Rod Association.

Facilities & event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

UpFront

Industry Watch

patrons looking for tickets,” says Mark Fowlie, CEO of AudienceView. “Event discovery is a StubHub, the world’s largest ticket marketkey component in finding new consumers, and place, has entered into a new partnership with AudienceView has always participated in an ecoAudienceView, an e-commerce provider for system that promotes multiple distribution chanentertainment organizations worldwide. nels. Adding StubHub to that list only increases AudienceView will integrate its solution with the the value proposition we provide to entertainStubHub platform, providing seamless, real-time ment organizations looking to reach a wider audiinventory management so that AudienceView cli- ence. The integration will create seamless invenents may better utilize StubHub as a distribution tory control without the need for our clients to channel for their events. They will be able to list, manually add inventory to StubHub. It also offers manage, price, and fulfill their ticket inventory on a streamlined process for the end consumer.” StubHub through AudienceView, without creat“We are thrilled to partner with AudienceView ing additional work for staff. The partnership to enable their clients to take advantage of the will add to StubHub’s existing supply in theater tens of millions of qualified visitors we see visit and performing arts, in addition to music, sports StubHub every day,” said Geoff Lester, Head of and other forms of live entertainment. Both Partnerships and Business Development for companies expect the ticketing integration to be StubHub. “Conversely, we are excited to be able completed during the first quarter of this year. to help our users find tickets outside of sports “We are excited about partnering with StubHub, and major concerts, in markets all over the U.S., which has become a trusted source for fans and Canada and the U.K.”

Venue Watch Originally opened in 1914, The Regent Theater in the historic bank district of Downtown Los Angeles was on the decline in the years leading up to its closure in 2000. Mitchell Frank, Founder of concert promoter Spaceland Presents, and his partners took over the lease in 2012 and worked to restore the theater to its former glory. The result is a fully renovated Regent Theater that opened its doors in early November for Downtown Festival Los Angeles. “We’ve chosen this specific theater site because of its architecture, incredible sight lines, great location in the Historic Bank Building District . . . and because my mom says my vaudevillian grandfather once performed there,” says Frank. Operated by Spaceland Presents in conjunction with Knitting Factory Entertainment Inc. and Artist and Recreation LLC, the over 1,100-capacity venue (900 on the floor and 200-plus on the mezzanine) is now home to Prufrock Pizzeria and The Lovesong cocktail bar, 8

two venues inspired by the T.S. Eliot poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” Reclaimed wood from the original theater is featured throughout the venue and has been milled into tabletops, bars and beams. The new Regent Theater also features high-quality sound and lighting systems. The sound system was designed by JBL, using its new VTX-20 line array technology combined with the company’s latest 4x3500 amplification. The Regent is reportedly the first venue on the West Coast to utilize both technologies, complemented by two Avid/Digidesign Venue SC48 digital mixing consoles. The lighting, designed by Sid Khera from Aspect Lighting, is a Chauvet LED lighting rig. Facilities & event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

EVANSVILLE’S CENTER FOR SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Located in Evansville, Indiana, the

Our staff is committed to providing the

Ford Center is a beautiful, exciting,

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is the region’s center for sports and

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entertainment. The 290,000 square

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Division I University of Evansville Aces

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Ford Center is

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EVANSVILLE’S CENTER FOR SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EVANSVILLE’S FOR ANDtoENTERTAINMENT Located in Evansville, Indiana,CENTER the Our staffSPORTS is committed providing the Ford Center is a beautiful, exciting, highest standard of service and to FOR BOOKING INFORMATION CONTACT: thefordcenter.com Located in Evansville, Indiana, the theOur staffpossible is committed to providing the multi-purpose 11,000-seat arena and ensure best experience Scott Schoenike Ford center Center for is asports beautiful, highest of service is the region’s and exciting, during each event.standard Ford Center is and to 812.436.7151 multi-purpose 11,000-seat and ensure the best possible entertainment. The 290,000 squarearena managed by VenuWorks, a fullexperience SSchoenike@thefordcenter.com fordcenterevansville @thefordcenter

is the region’sof center for sports and duringservice each event. Ford Center is foot facility is home the NCAA management to theatres, entertainment. The 290,000 square and managed by centers. VenuWorks, a full Division I University of Evansville Aces arenas convention In

UpFront Venue Watch

Phase I of the $515 million Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts (above) debuted last November in Orlando. The new PAC is home to the 2,731-seat Walt Disney World Theater (right), the 304-capacity Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater, the 400-capacity DeVos Family Room and the near 10,000-capacity Seneff Arts Plaza. The second and final phase, set to break ground this year with completion by 2018, will include a 1,700-seat acoustic theater that will be home to the Orlando Philharmonic and the Orlando Ballet. In partnership with the ARK Group, Live Nation plans to open a $40 million concert venue in Irving, TX, in the spring of 2016. The Pavilion at The Music Factory (rendering) will be convertible from a 4,000seat indoor theater to an outdoor, 8,000-seat amphitheater. It will be part of a $165 million entertainment complex that will also include an Alamo Drafthouse, a bowling alley, and other restaurants and businesses. 10

Facilities & event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

UpFront

Tech Watch Last August, Appetize, an entertainment point-of-sale system, partnered with Nashville, TN-based Aloompa, the company that created FestApp, a mobile application for music, food, conferences and community-focused events. The partnership allows fans to pay over Bluetooth from festival apps to Appetize’s points of sale. The Los Angeles, CA-based company’s suite of payment products for festivals and venues includes iPad-based point of sale, handhelds for waiters/hawkers, kiosks and In September, Live Nation mobile payments inside reopened The Masonic after major renovations to festival and venue apps. the 56-year-old, 3,000The system also allows capacity auditorium in the venues to gather analytics heart of San Francisco’s on customers’ purchasing Nob Hill. Appetize’s pointhabits and seating choices. of-sale system (pictured) is deployed at the venue. “Our backend website, called ‘Appetize Connect,’ allows clients to analyze fans’ purchasing behavior by smartphones. The raffle seat and user profile,” explains Kevin prizes, which benefit local Anderson, who leads business develcharities and worthwhile opment for Appetize Technologies, causes in surrounding comInc. Currently, Appetize works with munities, are split 50/50 with 25 venues and 59 outdoor events and a lucky fan at each game. festivals. Most recently, the company Peter Luukko, the former has deployed its point-of-sale system President/COO of Comcastat Best Buy Theater in Times Square, Peter Luukko Spectacor, is now Executive New York City, and enjoyed “a very successful first season working with the Eagles at Chairman of Pointstreak and sits on the board Lincoln Financial Field,” according to Anderson. of Appetize. “I couldn’t be happier to help bring two great companies together,” says Luukko. In addition, Appetize recently partnered with “Appetize is solving issues I have seen for Pointstreak 5050, a leading electronic 50/50 decades in the foodservice and payment space, raffle software and hardware system. Appetize and Pointstreak continues to grow its portfolio will extend Pointstreak 5050’s capabilities to of clients helping charities and giving fans a truly branded team and venue apps, giving fans the exciting experience.” ability to purchase 50/50 raffle tickets via their 12

Facilities & event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

UpFront Tech Watch

Home of the Carolina Panthers NFL football team, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC, has installed 30 steerable CAL column array loudspeakers from Meyer Sound to provide exceptional intelligibility for 37,000 fans in its upper deck area. Thirty CAL 96 loudspeakers are spaced evenly between the lighting towers and configured for a 30-degree downward beam tilt and a five-degree vertical beam spread. The result is uniform, wide-bandwidth coverage to the farthest seats located over 100 feet away. “The Panthers’ stadium doesn’t have a continuous lighting catwalk like other NFL stadiums, so there was no place to put the sizeable conventional speakers we would need to cover the upper level without having large clusters up on poles,” says Mark Graham, the system designer and an associate of consultants Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams. “Aesthetically, the clusters would have been a hard sell to the architects and stadium management.” The proposal of the CAL loudspeakers was a turning point in the system design process, according to Cliff Miller, Carolina Panthers Audio Director. “The CAL loud14

speakers were probably the deciding factor in going with a distributed system in that stadium because of their slim profile,” Miller says. “With the CALs, you notice the flags more than the speakers. They look like an integral element of the architecture.” According to Miller, “The CAL loudspeakers handle everything exceptionally well — not just the announcers, but also music playback, referee mics and live bands. . . . We’re not running them at anywhere near their full potential.” Facilities & event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

Facilities &Event Management TM

Booking Guide

For Booking Agents, Promoters, Talent Buyers, Special Event Planners & Venue Managers

What the industry is saying about us: “Facilities has always been a great resource for our venue and also provides news and a wealth of information about industry trends.” Cheryl Cohen, SMG Director of Marketing, Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence, RI

“The Facilities publications that we showcase our venues in get the job done for us. We see results on the client side and with promoters, show producers and agents. Facilitiesonline.com keeps us up-to-date on industry happenings and gives VenuWorks a vehicle to get our news out across the industry as well.” Tammy Koolbeck, Senior Vice President, VenuWorks

Be a part of our upcoming issues Call or email Michael Caffin, Associate Publisher (212) 532-4150 mcaffin@facilitiesonline.com

UpFront Tech Watch The new Alaska Airlines Center (AAC) in Anchorage has installed upgraded LED video displays, designed and manufactured by Daktronics of Brookings, SD. The main LED video display measures approximately seven feet high by 12.5 feet wide and features 10 millimeter line spacing. The display has advanced zoning capabilities, including full-screen content for highlighting live video and instant replays. It can also be divided into separate windows to show a variety of vivid graphics, colorful animations, upto-the-minute statistics, scoring information and sponsor advertisements. The AAC also added two ribbon displays and six LED scorer’s tables. “The University of Alaska Anchorage and Seawolf Athletics are pleased to partner with

Daktronics in the new Alaska Airlines Center," says Keith Hackett, Director of Athletics at University of Alaska Anchorage. “Having a worldclass sports and entertainment venue in Anchorage, Alaska, meant that we needed to have worldclass partners with the expertise to provide our visitors with high-impact video and technology.”

The Atlanta Hawks debuted a state-of-the-art, 3D projection system when the team took the floor for the regular season home opener versus the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 1. The system, created and installed in Philips Arena by Quince Imaging, allows the entire playing surface to be used as a video screen during pregame introductions and

select halftime performances. In addition to the new 3D projection technology, the sound system and video board inside the arena are being upgraded. The installation of audio equipment manufactured by HARMAN International’s JBL brand, the official audio partner of the National Basketball Association, will improve the gameday experience for fans by providing more robust and intelligible audio output than previously heard in Philips Arena. Atlanta-based Baker Audio Visual will complete the audio equipment installation. To enhance the visual experience for fans in the building, video panel displays on the center-hung scoreboard are being replaced with high-definition displays provided by Daktronics. For more on Philips Arena, see the Hot List of top NBA arenas on p. 68.

Facilities & event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

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Front

HEARD ON THE STREET

Anchorage, AK

The new Alaska Airlines Center welcomed Tim McGraw for two sold-out shows on Oct. 28 and 29. (Below, l-r): Jim Cressman, President, Invictus Entertainment Group; McGraw; and Chris Orheim, GM, Alaska Airlines Center.

Philadelphia, PA

Todd Kaplan

Usher brought his UR tour to the Wells Fargo Center on Nov. 11. (Above, l-r): Global Spectrum’s Michael Sulkes, Director of Event Production; Nate Harris, Senior Marketing Manager; Usher; Chris Telesford, Assistant Marketing Manager; and Ben Rowe, Event Manager.

Brookings, SD

Country star Dierks Bentley and Tom Richter, Executive Director of Swiftel Center, at the Riser Tour sold-out show on Oct. 25.

Raleigh, NC

RAIN – A Tribute to the Beatles performed for WakeMed Foundation’s Annual Gala at the Raleigh Convention Center on Nov. 15. Backstage is the cast along with Jeffrey Bowen and Holly Bowen, Starbooker Presents, LLC, which booked RAIN for the event. See the 2013 F&EM SuperBook for a Q&A with Jeffrey Bowen. 18 18

Facilities Facilities & & event event management management 2014-2015 Booking Booking Guide Guide

CONTACT BECKYE LEVIN | 832-842-3103 | BECKYE.LEVIN@ENTERTAINHOUSTON.COM

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I A F E An n ua l co n v e n t io n Snapshots from the 2014 Annual Convention & Trade Show, held Dec. 7-11 in Las Vegas

Ryan Wilkerson, President/CEO, Haas & Wilkerson Insurance

John Watlington, Account Executive, National Ticket Company

Mickey Darius, Account Executive, and Jonathon McCurley, Director of Sales, Ticketfly

Ed Coffey (left) and Scott Greeban, National Sales Manager, TicketForce

Linc Darrow, Sales Representative, Southern Bleacher Company

Rob Battle (left), owner of Battle Artist Agency. See his column on “learning the ropes” in Nashville’s music industry in the 2013 F&EM SuperBook.

Vincent P. Rieger, Senior Director of Business Development and Client Services, Shubert Ticketing

Ted Lasser (far left), President/Chairman of Twicketer, and his team

Facilities & event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

From top touring talent to local arts organizations, the Ames Center brings premier entertainment to Burnsville and the Twin Cities of Minnesota. The Ames Center hosts a wide variety of talent every year. Previous events include Michael Bolton, The Navy Band, Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club, Scooby-Doo Live, Dream Theater, National Dance Competitions and many others. For booking information, please contact Brian Luther: bluther@ames-center.com | 952.895.4675

952.895.4680 | www.ames-center.com | 12600 Nicollet Avenue | Burnsville, MN 55337

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E mp ire C IT y Con ce rt s e rie s

To Photographs by

ny Apuzzi

Snapshots fromÂ the 2014 Empire City Summer Concert Series at Empire City Casino, Yonkers, NY. The venueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2015 concerts start in June.

The 2014 Empire City Summer Concert Series at Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, NY, featured performances by (clockwise from top left) Kenny Rogers, Rachel Allyn, .38 Special (two images), Scott DeCarlo and Starship. Facilities & event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

2 0 1 5 P r i m e S i te Awa r d S B a l lot Booking agents, promoters, talent buyers and special event planners:

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for the top Entertainment Venues (arenas, stadiums, theaters and performing arts centers you have booked in the last three years) Name of Prime Site Award Nominee(s): _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

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152 Madison Avenue, Suite #802, New York, NY 10016 or fax to: (212) 213-6382; or email ballots@facilitiesonline.com Facilities & event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

Behind The Scenes

In Conversation With . . .

LEE ZEIDMAN

President: STAPLES Center, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE and L.A. LIVE

Multitasking at the Top

What it takes to manage one of the country’s most dynamic collections of live event venues By George Seli

s President of STAPLES Center, Lee Zeidman supervises the day-to-day support for four professional sports franchises that call the arena home: the Los Angeles Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Sparks. In addition, he leads the team that hosts major non-sporting events at the arena, with recent highlights such as Usher in November, Disney On Ice and the WWE Live Holiday Tour in December, and the 57th GRAMMY Awards in February. As if those responsibilities weren’t enough, Zeidman also oversees the Nokia Theatre and L.A. LIVE, a $2.5 billion district that includes the 7,100-seat theater, the 2,300-capacity Club Nokia, Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott hotels, the Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14 movie theater, and myriad other dining, entertainment, retail and residential facilities. The Theatre is home to the American Music Awards, ESPY Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, People’s Choice Awards and the 2010 and 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. “We designed the Nokia Theatre to attract the big award shows because we believe the L.A. LIVE campus lends itself to these types of events, not only from the standpoint of a red carpet, but with our hotels and 23 restaurants,” Zeidman says. “They can do parties here and there are a lot of things you can do once you get on campus.” Zeidman was a key part of the development team for L.A. LIVE, and during his time with AEG, he has also advised on the design and operation of The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA (now StubHub Center), The Colosseum at Caesars

Palace in Las Vegas and several other AEG arenas.

ou were Senior Vice President and General Manager of STAPLES Center, Nokia Theatre and L.A. LIVE, and last July you were promoted to President of all three. Has your role changed in any respect? still oversee all three properties soup to nuts. What has changed is that [the promotion] allows us to bring some synergy to all three properties. Now, instead of some dotted-line relationships in the marketing and sales coordination for L.A. LIVE, those dotted lines are gone and it all reports directly into me, allowing me to capitalize on our staffs at STAPLES Center, Nokia Theatre and L.A. LIVE. It’s a more cohesive operation that makes it easier for people to come here and do events, more of a one-stop shop concept.

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hat is the most exciting aspect about being in a position where you oversee three diverse venues? ach day is different. We’re involved with acts that play our Nokia Theatre and host all the major award shows there. At STAPLES Center we host four professional sports franchises. So the challenges of scheduling for all those teams, while at the same time looking for topnotch entertainment, is exciting. And at L.A. LIVE, the outdoor venues allow us to do festivals, film shoots, location shoots, movie premieres, etc. So I get to touch every aspect, from entertainment to sports to event management, sales and marketing, and event production. Facilities & event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

Prior to his UR Experience Tour at STAPLES Center on Nov. 21, 2014, Usher is greeted by (l-r) STAPLES Center’s Lee Zeidman and Christy Castillo Butcher along with Live Nation’s Bret Gallagher.

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sit in what we believe will be a system ow has your career prepared you that is state of the art versus one that’s for this challenge? ach day is 15 years old. In addition, we’re going to worked for three universities prior different. . . . I get to unveil our expanded TEAM LA Store to getting into the private sector. My first “big break” was when I was hired as touch every aspect, that is being constructed in a new part of the building, which we feel will be a Director of Operations for what was then from entertainment major benefit to the patrons. And we the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, spent about $1 million in upgrading our to sports to event CA. So I gained most of my experience F&B offerings throughout the arena, in working with big-time entertainment, management, sales not only in our clubs but our general shows and sporting events through and marketing, and concessions as well. We added more my tenure at the Forum. Then, as the points of sale, upgraded some stands, first person hired for Staples Center [in event production.” upgraded our Mexican food offerings 1998], I gained valuable experience and and more. knowledge in the areas of running a major sports venue from top to bottom, ow strong is the competition among concert as well as participating in the design, construction and venues in your market? overall management of a big venue. e average 30-40 concerts a year and it is challenging to a certain extent because there are a he STAPLES Center recently completed over $7 lot of competitors down here in Southern California. We’re million in upgrades to the lighting and seating very pleased when an artist chooses to play our building systems, as well as F&B outlets and other areas. Can you describe what these improvements will mean to the because we know there are many other places that they can play. customer experience? he new [Lidium LED sports lighting system] softens n September, Nokia Theatre hosted three sold-out the lighting in the arena, bringing the focus onto the shows by Marc Anthony, three sold-out performances playing surface. As far as the [StageRight] retractable by Juan Gabriel and two performances by Marco seating, those who are season ticket holders will now

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Facilities & event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

Continued on next page

Antonio Solis. It seems the venue has become a major tour stop for Latin American artists. es, I think the Nokia Theatre has established itself as the premier concert venue for Latin artists here. And I think that AEG Live through Rebecca Leon [Vice President of Latin Talent] has done a tremendous job in attracting the Latin community to L.A. LIVE and Nokia Theatre.

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ou were instrumental in the development of L.A. LIVE. Can you relate one of your contributions to the design of the complex? wanted to make sure that the Nokia Theatre actually complemented STAPLES Center, and that we could capitalize on the arena’s assets and services. So we created a tunnel from STAPLES Center’s catering and dressing facilities to Nokia Theatre that allowed us to save back-ofhouse room in the theater.

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ver your many years with STAPLES Center, which events would you say are among the highlights? inning the first world championship for the Lakers here in 2000, and then to win it two times after that. Also, being part of the Kings’ first Stanley Cup in the history of the team three years ago, and then to win it

again last year, were obviously great moments because both those wins were at home. Another standout was hosting the Michael Jackson Memorial, because he rehearsed at STAPLES Center the night before he passed away, and I was fortunate enough to partake in that rehearsal, which was pretty incredible. After the tragic passing away of the pop icon, it was determined that we were going to host the memorial, which was broadcast to hundreds of millions of people. It was pretty amazing that we coordinated that event in about four days — including ticketing, production, load in and out — all while getting ready to load in Ringling Bros. Circus. The minute that memorial was over we immediately started to take it out, because the circus was opening the following night.

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s President of three major venues, are you at the pinnacle of your career? would say I’m doing exactly what I want to do, how I want to do it and where I want to do it. And I couldn’t be happier because I work with some of the best people in the business day in and day out. I believe that no one does a better job than the men and women who work here, from the housekeeping staff to the conversion people who have to convert the building on a nightly basis (sometimes twice in one day when we do doubleheaders), to our security, booking and production departments.

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Name, Title ____________________________________________________________________________ Company _____________________________________________________________________________ Street Address (City, State, Zip) ___________________________________________________________ Phone ________________________________________________________________________________ Email _________________________________________________________________________________ Which of the following categories (I, II, or III) best describes your business classification? Please check the one box that applies. I. Facilities ❑ 1AR Arena/Stadium ❑ 1CC Convention/Expo Center ❑ 1CI Civic Center ❑ 1HO Hotel/Conference Center ❑ 1PA Performing Arts Center ❑ 1FG Fairground ❑ 1AM Amphitheatre ❑ 1EH Exhibit Hall ❑ 1TH Theatre ❑ 1MP Multi-Purpose ❑ 1OT Other (please specify) ____________________

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Facilities & event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

Tech Solutions

In Conversation With . . .

MARC GOOSSENS

Business Development Manager, Meyer Sound

A ‘Constellation’ of Sounds Meeting the acoustical needs of multipurpose venues By George Seli

s is generally well known in the industry, live events held indoors vary widely in terms of their ideal acoustics. Venues wishing to accommodate a diversity of performances, as well as events such as movie screenings and conferences, are best served by a system that can adjust the acoustics in a room accordingly. While electronically enhanced acoustics technology has been around for decades, today such systems have the kind of processing power that makes their auditory effects practically indistinguishable from those of architectural acoustics, explains Marc Goossens, Business Development Manager with Berkeley, CA-based Meyer Sound. Meyer’s product in this space is known as Constellation, and it is among the most sophisticated systems of its kind on the market. Goossens’ leadership roles in the audiovisual industry have involved developing many complex AV systems beyond acoustical products. Prior to Meyer Sound, he was Senior Vice President, CTO and CIO at FUNA International. Goossens was also Cofounder and CEO of TeleDimensions International, Inc. before it was merged with FUNA in 2007.

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ow did the trend toward multipurpose venues arise historically? n the old days buildings were purposely designed for opera, symphony or ballet, and those are distinctly different uses of a performing arts center. But today multipurpose venues are becoming

Facilities & event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

a recurring theme, especially in performing arts centers and arenas. Managers and owners need that multipurpose ability, allowing them to utilize their facility much more efficiently. They can host anything from a commencement speech to a bar mitzvah to a concert and everything in between. And that is where the acoustics became an issue, because you need a certain type of acoustics for opera or symphony and a totally different type for cabaret or musicals, for example.

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he original way to meet that challenge was mechanical, correct? es, up until 30-40 years ago the only way to achieve that was to have the architect design elaborate mechanical systems to actually alter the acoustics. So that’s why in some older theaters you’ll have a ceiling that lowers or doors that open to an acoustic chamber depending on the reverberation requirements. These are typically really expensive ways to achieve little improvement and are difficult to deploy on a regular basis, and there are quite a few examples of these installations around the world. Nowadays, we can do it with electronics, but the concept was somewhat difficult to achieve with the technology that was available in past decades. With the current technology, and I’m referring to the processing power, it’s become a lot more reasonable to achieve. The technology has now matured to a 27

level that it can benefit almost every venue.

an you give a layman’s explanation of how the technology works? ound is propagated through space toward the listener, but it is omnidirectional Nordea Concert Hall in and will also Tallinn, Estonia, is among the bounce off the performing arts centers where walls, ceiling and Meyer Sound’s Constellation has been successfully deployed. whatever is in that space and then get to the listener slightly later. If e know pretty much what works you only have “direct sound” it’s and what doesn’t; the trial and he technology has very clean, very clear and easy error phase is well behind us. to understand the spoken word; now refined to a level We have our team evaluate the space that’s what you basically have in and we’ll tell the customer if it’s a that even the most a cinema or recording studio. In a candidate for Constellation. First, the cathedral you have the opposite: critical listeners and acoustic behavior of the room has to With a lot of reflections off hard musicians cannot tell be very well controlled, and if that’s surfaces, marble floors, etc., the the case we can control it within a sound is going to bounce around the difference between certain range. But it’s not unlimited. a few times before it reaches your electronic acoustics and ear. The technology basically hat factors make the architectural acoustics.” mimics the reverberations, so technology fairly expensive? we install a specific quantity of here is a lot of sophisticated microphones and speakers in the processing going on, and a space, which corresponds with the physical size of requirement for significantly high-grade materials in said space. The microphones [feed the signal into] the terms of microphones and speakers, etc. However, the processor, and then we can control the amount and type of sound that goes back to the listener. So we can cost to a venue, compared to the acoustical architectural control the level of early reflections and reverberation equivalent, tends to be substantially cheaper. without moving the actual wall. Before DSP became hat return on that investment have some of prevalent, it was done in the analog domain and it was your clients seen? absolutely functional, but there was a lot of resistance, especially from conductors and musicians who said ith several projects that we’ve done over the it didn’t sound natural. There was a perception that years, venues have doubled the utilization of their it didn’t measure up to the architectural acoustics. space because they’re now able to do various types of The technology has now refined to a level that we performances [with the proper acoustics for each]. can fine-tune all of these reflections with hundreds oes it make appreciable differences in the of thousands of calculations per second. So even experience of the average listener? the most critical listeners and musicians cannot tell the difference between electronic acoustics and es, we can typically demonstrate the functionality architectural acoustics. of the Constellation system to a non-audio professional. When we make a change while you’re s trial and error involved in seeing what listening to it, the result can be very dramatic. Constellation can do in a given room? Sometimes the reaction we get is simply “Wow.”

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Facilities & event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

The Arie Crown Theater Classic Features, Modern Amenities

Whether you are planning a concert, theatrical event or meeting, Chicago's Arie Crown Theater is here to help you make your upcoming show a success. The Arie Crown Theater is a handsome, 4,249-seat proscenium arch theatre located in Lakeside Center at McCormick Place, just 2.5 miles south of downtown Chicago. It features one of the largest and most adaptable stages in the Midwest. The proscenium opening is 90 feet wide by 40 feet high, with a stage depth of over 58 feet, featuring an ample orchestra pit. The Arie Crown Theater is equipped with excellent lighting and sound systems. The spacious backstage area provides generous storage for scenery and props and offers two weather-protected berths on the loading dock adjacent to the stage. Abundant cast and crew areas can be found backstage, with ten principle dressing rooms two large chorus dressing rooms, tech rooms, special storage areas and a generously proportioned "Green Room" for VIP and performers' use. In addition, the Theater has two large, strategically located rehearsal rooms that are equipped with mirrored walls, wood flooring, and dance barres. For Booking Information, please visit us at www.ariecrown.com, or call Dulcie Gilmore at (312) 791-6196. Mention this advertisement for a free email blast to over 20,000 active ticket buyers to promote your first Arie Crown Theatre booking! R

Regional Spotlight

Northeastern United States One of the country’s busiest corners is astir with arena developments By George Seli

he Northeast is home to some of the country’s largest markets for touring acts. Philadelphia, Washington, DC, New York City and Boston are known for their dense, cosmopolitan populations and are “must plays” for many artists and touring productions. Yet there are also dynamic smaller markets in the region’s six New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont) and three Mid-Atlantic states (New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania). In many of those “pockets,” acts can enjoy very healthy, sometimes surprising, draws. A prime example is Wilkes-Barre, PA, home to Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, where CMA Vocal Duo of the Year Florida Georgia Line will perform on May 3. The Northeast route for their Anything Goes Tour also includes much larger markets such as New York City (Madison Square Garden), Manchester, NH (Verizon Wireless Arena), Providence, RI (Dunkin’ Donuts Center) and Atlantic City (Boardwalk Hall). But the draw for the Wilkes-Barre performance was especially impressive, with tickets selling out in a mere 15 minutes. “We had no doubt when we confirmed this show that it would be the hottest ticket in 30

town,” says Brian Sipe, the new SMG General Manager of the Mohegan Sun Arena (see Q&A with Sipe on page 36). “Thanks to Live Nation, Kevin Neal with William Morris Endeavor Entertainment and the band for choosing to come to Wilkes-Barre and thanks to every ticket buyer. It’s going to be a great night in Northeast PA!” A country act demonstrating such popularity in a Northeastern Pennsylvania town (the state’s 13th largest with a population of about 40,000) shows the drawing power of the genre’s new generation. Somewhat less surprising has been the highly Facilities & Event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

Times Union Center welcomed the Kicker Arenacross Series on Nov. 8.

successful residency of New York’s “hometown hero” Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden. Joel’s Jan. 9 show, his 13th, broke his record of 12 shows in a series at the Garden in 2006. He has also performed at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, one of the Northeast’s newest arenas, on New Year’s Eve 2013. Joel was succeeded by another Kennedy Center honoree, Elton John, who gave a sold-out show at Barclays Center this past Dec. 31. Built by Forest City Ratner Companies, Barclays Center has already hosted a string of major performers beyond the two “piano men,” Facilities & Event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

from Jay Z and Justin Bieber to Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones. This year, the New York Islanders are moving to Barclays Center from Nassau Coliseum, which will be in the news in the coming years as Executive Chairman Bruce Ratner moves forward with his plan to transform the 42-year-old Coliseum into a state-of-the-art sports and entertainment complex. In his bid to the Nassau County Legislature, Ratner predicted the new venue would generate $9.6 billion in county economic activity over 30 years. Judging by the success of Barclays Center, Nassau County may well receive a great return on investment. 31

One feature of the Northeast Many smaller-scale arena improvement projects can be witnessed Erie Insurance Arena that eases tour routing is the robust airlift, which includes throughout the Northeast, including has drawn major acts seven major international a new energy efficiency system at such as Elton John airports: John F. Kennedy, Dunkin’ Donuts Center and a $3.6 Newark Liberty, Logan, Philaand Trans-Siberian million expansion at Mohegan Sun delphia, LaGuardia, Baltimore/ Arena at Casey Plaza; see below for Orchestra since Washington and Washington details on these projects. In addition, a completing its $47 Dulles. From a fan perspec$13.1 million renovation of the Times million renovation tive, mobility to regional arena Union Center has recently been shows may improve in the approved, and a multimillion-dollar and expansion. (albeit distant) future with upgrade was completed at the 7-yearproposals currently under old Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, development to augment the Northeast Corridor, that included a new, $1 million-plus, 3D projection an electrified railway line owned primarily by system. Evidence that such upgrades can raise Amtrak. Running from Boston through New York an arena’s profile comes from Erie Insurance City, Philadelphia and Baltimore to Washington, Arena, Erie, PA, which underwent a $47 million DC, the century-old, 457-mile corridor is the renovation and expansion in recent years. The 9,000-seat arena now features expanded capacity, nation’s busiest commuter rail line and is often beset by delays. Proposals discussed in New expanded concourses, new club level and luxury York in November include features such as a new suites, a larger box office, additional concession areas, a new show office and star dressing rooms, high-speed rail from Washington to Boston, a tunnel from Long Island directly to Connecticut and new heating and AC systems. Since the project’s completion, the venue has become a stronger and, most significantly, new rail tunnels under the draw for big-name acts, such as Elton John (2013), Hudson River between New Jersey and New York. An environmental impact study on the proposals Theresa Caputo (2014) and Trans-Siberian is expected to be released this fall. Orchestra (2014).

Pop rock band Maroon 5 performs at Verizon Wireless Arena in early 2013.

Verizon Wireless Arena Manchester, NH verizonwirelessarena.com

erizon Wireless Arena opened in 2001 with The Manchester Monarchs, of the American Hockey League, playing their first home game on Nov. 16 and Aerosmith performing the following night. Upcoming shows include Linkin Park, Florida George Line, Celtic Woman – 10th Anniversary

World Tour, Harlem Globetrotters 2015 World Tour and Miranda Lambert. A notable political event at the arena was 2012 Republican presidential nominee Gov. Mitt Romney’s final speech before Election Day. Drawing an overflow crowd, the rally was one of the largest political events in New Hampshire’s history. Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city, is served by Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, as well as Interstates 93 and 293 and F.E. Everett Turnpike. Facilities & Event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

CAPACITIES: Accommodates a center-stage concert for more than 11,000 attendees as well as a theater-style performance for 2,500. STAGING: 60 ft.-by-48 ft. StageRight stage, adjust-

able heights from 48 inches to 78 inches.

BACKSTAGE AREAS: Six dressing/team locker

rooms and five production rooms.

AV FEATURES: Yamaha LS 9 Mix Consol with 24 House Speaker Clusters; two sets of Quartz/ Sports Event Lights. AMENITIES: Thirty-four luxury suites, five party suites, private lounge, 542 club seats, private parking lot for Suite Holders. Four permanent F&B stands, 15plus portable locations and one private lounge.

A steel cage match from WWE Raw at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, January 2014.

EVENT PROMOTION: Arena of-

fers in-house media buying, all social media components, Web exposure, in-house video loop, marquee exposure, in-game video display, concourse exposure and potential third-party tie-ins. Promotional services and features include eblasts to a 300,000-plus database, texting program, in-house video, exterior marquee and lobby display.

LOCAL MARKET: 65 percent married, 59 per-

cent have children in home, 42 percent male, 58 percent female, 37 percent college graduate, 17 percent grad school, 60 percent reside in New Hampshire, 20 percent reside in Massachusetts.

Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence, RI dunkindonutscenter.com

ast year, the Dunkin’ Donuts Center completed an extensive energy efficiency project in partnership with Providence-based Energy Source LLC. Reducing energy by 1,749,586 kWh annually, the LED lighting initiative consisted of

Facilities & Event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

a wholesale changeover of the facility’s antiquated metal halide fixtures in favor of a vast network of state-of-the-art LED lighting, all managed by the latest control system. Attracting over one million visitors annually, the 14,000-seat Dunkin’ Donuts Center offers 31,000 sq. ft. of arena space with a ceiling height of 86 ft., and a 25,000-sq.-ft. concourse. Located at the heart of Providence’s bustling downtown, the Dunkin’ Donuts Center is part of the Rhode Island Convention & Entertainment Complex, which also includes the Rhode Island Convention Center and The VETS. CAPACITIES: Concerts (various configurations)

– 3,500-14,000; basketball – 12,100; ice hockey – 11,300; family ice show – 7,400; ice show – 10,800. STAGING: 60 ft.-by-40 ft. StageRight portable stage;

200 ft.-by-85 ft. ice rink; composite sub-floor.

BACKSTAGE AREAS: Six dressing rooms, six

dressing/locker rooms, two media rooms, two production offices, five meeting rooms. AV FEATURES: McCauley Line array speaker

system powered by Crest Power Amps; lighting system includes six Super Troupers and two Gladiators; state-of-the-art video scoreboard.

John Porco

Senior Director, WWE Live Events Marketing, Northeast Region

A World Wrestling Entertainment veteran of 16 years, John Porco notes that the company has been staging events at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center for over 30 years, and he has personally been promoting WWE events there for over 10 years. As such, Porco is quite familiar with the virtues of the Providence market and the arena, which provides “a great experience not only for us here at the WWE, but also for our fans, the WWE universe.” He recalls, “We had a show in 1986 called Saturday Night’s Main Event. Saturday Night Live would be preempted once or twice a year for us, which was huge in the ’80s. Since then we’ve had numerous sellouts at the venue, where our events draw approximately 8,000-10,000 fans.”

AMENITIES: 25,000-sq.-ft. concourse, 20 luxury suites, and 11 permanent and 24 portable concession stands operated by DNC/Sportsservice. Providence Player’s Club has a capacity of 250. EVENT PROMOTION: In-house agency affords

complete professional coordination of event marketing campaigns including advertising producheavy family showing, but we see all different types of demographics. I personally love to go out into the crowd, maybe 20-30 minutes after the event starts, and just look around. And as a promoter you should do that anyway, just to make sure you marketed the event to the right demo. And you look around and see fans that are Caucasian, African American, families, couples. It’s a huge mix.

What staff qualities make your partnership with the arena successful? Larry [Lawrence Lepore], the GM, and Deb [Debra Polselli, Executive Assistant and Booking] are very accommodating. You never know when something’s going to happen, and if we need to move the date, they’re always flexible. So from the start you already have a great feeling about the venue. And what a great box office; they keep me on my toes. They’ll call me and say, “Hey, you’re running out of a certain price level. Is it OK if I do A, B and C?” They’re very proactive.

Who is your “go to” person for promotional assistance? How would you characterize the WWE fan Cheryl Cohen [Director of Marketing and Public base in Providence? The fans there are very loyal. We play many towns Relations] has a long history with WWE; she was actually a promoter here. So she’s very familiar in New England, typically four dates in Boston with the product. She already knows what we’re a year, two to three in Hartford, two to three at Mohegan Sun [Uncasville, CT] and a minimum of looking for, but we’ll spend a good two to three hours on the phone planning everything in four in Providence. And all the Providence dates advance: the media campaign, the presale, the do well, so that speaks volumes for the fans out on sale, the post media. For every event, one of there. Maybe they’re attending the Boston event our superstars comes into the market early, 5-6 and the Providence event, but they’re coming to a.m., and we hit all the morning shows. Cheryl Providence no matter what. helps us facilitate all of that. If for some reason our guys can’t come into the market, she’ll at Have you noted any demographic trends in the audiences at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center? least line up four or five phone interviews with all the local stations for our superstars. The last four to five years we’ve seen a very 34

Facilities & Event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

tion and placement, media and retail promotions, sponsorships, group sales, public relations and publicity. The Dunkin’ Donuts Center’s marketing department has established relationships with local media, which insures cost-effective advertising buys, promotional involvement of media and retailers, and thorough publicity coverage. LOCAL MARKET: Twenty-five percent of the U.S. population lives within 500 miles of Providence. More than 38,000 college students live within a five-mile radius of the downtown. Females constitute 51.4 percent of population. The median income is $53,243.

lounge for club seat and suite members. The project will improve the patron experience in one of Pennsylvania’s most popular entertainment hubs. Home to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League, the SMG-managed arena has hosted some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Elton John, Cher, Neil Diamond, Janet Jackson, The Eagles, AC/DC, Simon & Garfunkel and soon, Florida Georgia Line. CAPACITIES: End stage 360° – 8,930-9,100; center stage – 9,809-9,985; half house end stage – 4,2274,575; one third house end stage – 3,421-3,481.

Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza Wilkes-Barre, PA mohegansunarenapa.com

ohegan Sun Arena is planning to begin a $3.6 million expansion project this year that will add food and beverage options and a VIP (Right): James Taylor performed at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza on Dec. 1. He is shown receiving a gift of appreciation from Steve Poremba (left), SMG Director of Sales & Marketing, and Brian Sipe, SMG General Manager.

Facilities & Event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

Brian Sipe

SMG General manager Mohegan sun arena at casey plaza

Brian Sipe began serving as SMG General Manager of Mohegan Sun Arena, in WilkesBarre, PA, on Oct. 15, having been the General Manager of the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington, WV. He succeeded Rebecca Bonnevier, who accepted a job as General Manager at CenturyLink Center in Bossier City, LA. Sipe’s career move was not only an opportunity to manage a larger facility in a larger market; it was also personally advantageous. “Both my family and my fiancé’s are in the Hershey area, so that was definitely a plus,” he says.

What do you perceive as the challenges of your new role? The challenge is going to be just making ourselves stand out. There are a lot of buildings in this area, but we definitely feel we’re one of the better buildings in a great market. So we just need to make sure the tours that are out there

keep us in the forefront. I think we’re definitely going to top 2014’s concert number this year, but I want us to have more national recognition than we have been getting, whether it’s ticket counts that are published, staff awards, etc.

Is the local market especially viable for any particular genres of musical acts? I don’t think there’s a particular genre that’s strong or weak. Florida Georgia Line sold out in 15 minutes, and Luke Bryan sold out in just about the same amount of time. We’ve also been doing the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas show for 14 years straight, and it’s still selling very strong with two shows. Classic and active rock sell here as well. So it’s more of the act versus the genre. Does Mohegan Sun Arena have certain routing advantages? We’re routable from Baltimore, the Ohio market and even from Albany because we’re right there in Northeast Pennsylvania. We have Interstate 80 and 81 at our doorstep. And while Hershey is a whole different market, it’s kind of nice for a tour because it’s two hours away. And Florida Georgia Line is doing that; they’re playing Hershey the night before us. Can you share some of the details of your expansion plan? We are going to build an area on our first level that will have one or two places to eat, more of an upscale concessions area, as well as a bar. We’d also like to build something that enhances our premium seat experience or our suite-level experience, which we haven’t yet finalized.

STAGING: StageRight decks and legs, 80 ft. by 48

EVENT PROMOTION: Venue offers complete

BACKSTAGE AREAS: Four locker rooms, three dressing rooms, four multipurpose rooms.

Barclays Center

ft. maximum; 200 ft.-by-85 ft. hockey rink.

OTHER FEATURES: Thirty luxury suites, 624

club seats. 17 ft.-by-10 ft., four-sided center-hung scoreboard. More than 3,000 parking spaces in a private lot owned by the facility.

marketing services.

Brooklyn, NY barclayscenter.com

arclays Center, which opened Sept. 28, 2012, is the first new major sports and entertainment indoor arena in New York City Facilities & Event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

since 1968. The $1 billion arena AV FEATURES: House sound Barclays Center Developer was built by developer Bruce system in the main bowl Ratner, Executive Chairman of features six line-array hangs Bruce Ratner predicted Forest City Ratner Companies, that a transformed Nassau that consist of 10 EAW and designed by SHoP ArchiKF740 enclosures and four Coliseum would generate tects and AECOM. Located at EAW SB1001 subwoofers, all Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues, powered by 43 Lab.gruppen $9.6 billion in economic the crossroads of Brooklyn, activity for Nassau County PLM 10000Q four-channel Barclays Center has hosted amplifiers generating a over 30 years. more than 450 events drawing total of 210,000 W. The 4.5 million fans. In addition upper reaches of the bowl to all regular season Brooklyn are covered by distributed Nets and New York Islanders (effective 2015) systems featuring 40 EAW MK2366 speakers, games, notable events include concerts by Jay which also fill in under the scoreboard. Barclays Z, Barbara Streisand, Billy Joel, Elton John, Center boasts two sport lighting systems: one Beyoncé and The Rolling Stones. for the Nets and one for other sporting events. The lighting system used for the Nets features CAPACITIES: Concert – up to 19,000; basketball – six flying trusses that house 468 tungsten-hal17,732; hockey – 15,795. ogen fixtures that beam a warm glow onto the court, creating a spotlight-like effect. The lightSTAGING: Variety of staging options available ing system for other sporting events is a metaldependent upon the event. halide system. BACKSTAGE AREAS: Three large locker rooms, six star dressing rooms, media work room, press conference room, weight room, two large offices and a practice court.

AMENITIES: 55 popular Brooklyn restaurants, overseen by Levy Restaurants, as well as four bars/lounges, four clubs and the 40/40 CLUB & Restaurant by American Express. Barclays Center

Facilities & Event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

offers 100 suites with size and price points to fit all needs. The Vault at Barclays Center, comprised of 11 suites located on the discreet event level, is the one of the most elite clubs in the country. The Calvin Klein Courtside Club, located on the event level directly outside of the Brooklyn Nets locker room, boasts an elegant dining experience. Barclays Center also offers free WiFi arena wide, 700 HDTVs and approximately 100 concession menu boards powered by Cisco StadiumVision.

EVENT PROMOTION: Barclays Center has a full-

service events marketing and communications team that works closely with promoters, sponsors and local media. Additionally, the arena is active across multiple social media platforms and engages with the Brooklyn and the New York City area fan base daily.

LOCAL MARKET: With 2.6 million residents, the borough of Brooklyn would be the fourth-largest city in the U.S.

Times Union Center

Albany, NY timesunioncenter-albany.com

wned by Albany County and managed by SMG, Times Union Center opened in 1990 and is home to the AHL Albany Devils and the Division I Men’s College Basketball team, the Siena Saints. The arena has hosted such prestigious artists as the Rolling Stones, U2, Eric Clapton, Kenny Chesney and Toby Keith. The Times Union Center will be hosting the 2015 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball East Regional in March, marking the first time the arena has hosted NCAA Women’s basketball, and was awarded the 2018 women’s regional as well. Last year was a standout for the Times Union Center, which welcomed Darius Rucker on Valentine’s Day and Kanye West six days later. Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Santana, Bob Seger, Cher, Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars and Paul McCartney all played the arena in 2014. The latter concert was the first time the ex-Beatle played the building

and became the largest-grossing show in arena history. Family shows included Disney On Ice, Monster Jam, Harlem Globetrotters, Ringling Brothers, WWE and Cirque du Soleil. CAPACITIES: Curtaining system allows capacity to

be adjusted between 6,000 and 17,000. Hockey – 14,236; basketball – 15,229; ice show – 14,531; 180° end stage – 12,505 (curtains up), 7,353 (curtains down); 270° end stage – 14,215 (curtains up), 8,039 (curtains down); 360° end stage – 16,505 (curtains up), 8,869 (curtains down); center stage – 16,433 (curtains up), 8,797 (curtains down). STAGING: 3,200-sq.-ft. Wenger stage, 4 ft. to 7

ft. high.

BACKSTAGE AREAS: Three team-size locker

rooms and seven star dressing rooms.

Facilities & Event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

Tod Hammock

Event Manager Cycle City Promotions

Back in 1995, Tod Hammock founded Cycle City Promotions, a motorsports events company focused on arenacross. The Kicker Arenacross Series took place for the seventh consecutive year at the Times Union Center in November. “My business is two part,” he explains. “It’s the participant, the person who comes and races, and I pull from Quebec, all over New York and Pennsylvania, and all the New England states as well. Spectators will come from maybe 60-100 miles, primarily the greater Albany area.” In the Northeast, “the Albany market is my biggest racer/participant draw and my biggest spectator draw as well,” Hammock asserts.

What has been your impression of the Times Union Center staff? Bob Belber [SMG Regional General Manager, Times Union Center and Albany Capital Center]

is the one that brought me into the facility for my first event, and you can see that his leadership flows down through the entire staff, from security to the concessions to merchandise sales. Whether I make a phone call or send an email, they’re always eager to help me; nobody’s willing to pass me off. They’re trying to make my event better and work with me on solutions if there were to be any situations that need to be improved. Everybody has a great attitude, whether you talk to the receptionist or the person running the concessions.

When did you start working with their in-house marketing team? About three years ago, and they’ve done a phenomenal job since taking over my market. Will the new Albany Convention Center, slated to be completed in 2016, benefit your event in any way? That’s something we did discuss. When I was there they were showing me the renditions; they’ve actually already started demolition on the old property. It is going to connect to the Times Union Center. So for me, we’re talking about maybe expanding my event in two years to incorporate a tradeshow. It has a lot of potential.

OTHER FEATURES: New seats, ribbon boards

GIANT Center

EVENT PROMOTION: Marketing department can

and a brand-new center-hung video scoreboard equipped with LED boards. assist in all media buying, PR and graphic design.

LOCAL MARKET: Located in the center of New York, Times Union Center is one and a half hours from Syracuse, three hours from Boston and Montreal, and two and a half hours from New York City. The arena draws patrons from all over New York as well as Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut. The capital region is home to over 1,300,000 people with over 50 percent of households having children and spending roughly $2,000 a year on entertainment. Facilities & Event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

Hershey, PA giantcenter.com

pened in 2002, the GIANT Center welcomed Cher as its first act, and the arena continues presenting top-tier performances to this day. Upcoming concerts and events include Linkin Park, Stars On Ice, Miranda Lambert and Marvel Universe Live! A basketball floor was installed in 2004, and last year the arena hosted the 2013-2014 PIAA Basketball Championships. The GIANT Center is perhaps best known as the home of the Hershey Bears, founded in 1938 and the oldest member club of the American Hockey League. Two train stations are in proximity to the arena: Middletown train stop (approximately eight miles) and Harrisburg train station (approximately 13 miles). 39

AV FEAtures: House lighting consists of a Quartz light package manufactured by Wide-Lite. Computerized lighting control system by Microlight. House sound system is manufactured by EAW, with 57,400 watts in “bowl” system. Center-hung scoreboard by Whiteway Sign Company; Mitsubishi Diamond Vision Leader Board. CAPACITIES: In-the-round concerts – 12,500; end

staging – 10,000; hockey – 10,500.

STAGING: StageRight portable staging, 80 ft. by 40 ft. maximum size, adjustable heights from 48 inches to 72 inches in two-inch increments. BACKSTAGE AREAS: Three loading docks with

levelers, five team rooms, one large production room, two small management rooms, two star dressing rooms, one catering room.

AMENITIES: Thirty-eight contracted suites and two suites available for rent to the general public. Bud Light Champions Club seats 688. EVENT PROMOTION: Marketing staff provides

full-service advertising, promotional and publicity assistance or á-la-carte marketing support. Possible Hershey Entertainment Complex marketing promotional opportunities, such as use of Hersheypark digital boards and Sweetmail (event information sent out to Hershey email list promoting the event).

Facilities & Event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

Facilities &Event Management TM

2014 Luminary Arena Executives

ur country’s arenas welcome the most talented entertainers and performers touring today, and it takes considerable talent to ensure that these major venues support the experience that artists, touring managers and patrons expect. An arena’s top executives, whether presidents, vice presidents, directors or GMs, are at the helm when it comes to many facets of the venue’s success. They are often the driving force behind venue promotion, community relations, business development, vendor partnerships, renovations and upgrades, staff performance and more. Following are the 10 arena executives who received the most nominations from our readership of booking agents, talent buyers, promoters as well as facility managers, demonstrating recognition by both clients and industry peers. We look forward to recognizing more Luminaries in this category in future issues.

Jim Brown

Executive Director, Wright State University’s Nutter Center

Randy Brown

Executive Vice President and General Manager, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

Maureen Ginty

Executive Vice President, Marketing Services and Human Resources, SMG

Bill Holmes

Executive Director, Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center

Allen Johnson

Executive Director Orlando Venues, Amway Center

Michael Marion

General Manager, Verizon Arena

Scott Mullen

Executive Director, iWireless Center

Steve Peters

President, VenuWorks

Lynda Reinhart

Director, Stephen C. O’Connell Center

Lee Zeidman

President, STAPLES Center Facilities & Event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

ies Media Group

s Guide Services Resource

Facilities A-Z

Adler Theatre/Rivercentre.....................................................44

The Morris Performing Arts Center.................................. 54

Allen County War MemorialUrbanRide Coliseum............................44 421 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10001

MTS Centre.................................................................................... 54

www.urbanride.net Ames Center.................................................................................44

Paramount Theatre..................................................................... 54

Chief Executive Officer: Jeremy Milikow Crown .................................................................44 Senior ViceArie President: MitchTheater. Bornstein, .SVP

Racine Civic Centre................................................................... 54

‘Leading Global Meeting & Event Transportation’ BridgeProvider View of Center. ...................................................................44

Royal Farms Arena...................................................................... 54

(800) 525-5750; Fax: (212) 202-9638

UrbanRide is a global provider of ground transportation for meetings & events, and Chesapeake Energy Arena. ....................................................44 uses the top-of-the-line sedans, SUVs, vans, minibuses and motorcoaches. We provide our clients with IMS, our software that enables meeting planners to better manage transportation for their meetings, conferences, conventions, tradeshows & other events. Clay County Regional Center...............................44 We work exclusively with meeting & eventEvents planners and our customer service is the best in the business. UrbanRide is a one-stop solution for meeting & event transportation.

Sanford Center............................................................................. 54 Straz Center for the Performing Arts............................... 58

Dunkin’ Donuts Center.............................................................44

Swiftel Center............................................................................... 58

The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre............48

Topeka PAC.................................................................................... 58

Florence Civic Center..............................................................48

Toyota Center............................................................................... 58

FordSpeakers Center & Victory Theatre............................................48 Keppler

UH Sports and Entertainment.............................................. 58

4350 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 700, Arlington, VA 22203 (703) 516-4000; Fax: (703) 516-4819 Hartman Arena.............................................................................48 www.kepplerspeakers.com Senior VP for Sales and Marketing: John Truran

Hoyt Sherman Place.................................................................. 54

With Keppler Speakers, creating memorable meetings never felt so easy. With over 25 years of experience, we provide you solid, seasoned expertise, making speaker selection Lloyd Noble Center................................................................... 54 stress-free by managing all of the details. Keppler Speakers saves you precious time by matching you with speakers who are right on target. From proven performers to dynamic rising stars, our speakers bring fascinating, real stories and a gift for inspiring audiences.

U.S. Cellular Center................................................................... 58 United Supermarkets Arena.................................................. 58 United Wireless Arena............................................................. 58

Facilities &Destinations

ht ful

Meetings/Tradeshows/Exhibitions/ Convention Centers/CVBs/Hotels/ Resorts/Conference Centers

ll . s.

Don’t Get Stuck in a Fishbowl! Don’t Get Stuck The Facilities Media Group in a Fishbowl! Facilities & Destinations The Media GroupGuide Facilities •Facilities Conference • Planner Facilities Facilities LIVE&•Destinations Booking Guide Facilities & &Event Management Facilities Event Management www.Facilitiesonline.com Facilitiesonline.com

THE FACILITIES MEDIA GROUP Essential Planning Tools 93

Facilities & event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

iowa

Adler Theatre/RiverCenter

136 East Third Street, Davenport, IA 52801 (563) 326-8500; Fax: (563) 326-8505 adlertheatre.com • riverctr.com Executive Director: Rick Palmer, CFE A historic, Art Deco yet also state-of-the-art PAC, the RiverCenter Complex offers 100,000 sq. ft. of meeting, exhibit and event space, 2,411-seat Adler Theatre (renovated 2006); and Great River Hall – seats 3,200 for general admission/2,500 reserved. Mississippi River Hall can host 1,400 general admission/1,100 reserved. Backstage: two production offices, 800-sq.-ft. wardrobe room, eight dressing rooms, two star dressing rooms and soloist room. Facility is key anchor for live entertainment and cultural enrichment in downtown Davenport, serving the greater Quad Cities area and its population base of 400,000. Reach also extends out to a PAGE 75-100 mile radius on both sides of the Mississippi River. 15 Minnesota

Ames Center

12600 Nicollet Avenue, Burnsville, MN 55337 (952) 895-4680 ames-center.com Executive Director: Brian Luther Opened in January 2009, this state-of-the-art venue, managed by VenuWorks, features a Main Hall theater and Black Box Theatre. The Main Hall theater seats 1,014 while the Black Box Theatre seats up to 150. The Main Stage has an opening of 48 ft. by 28 ft.; Black Box Theatre space is 48 ft. by 45 ft. and fully adaptable to any configuration. Green Room seats up to 20; VIP conference room available. In-house marketing and sales team assist in all aspects of promotion and sales. The Ames Center serves the entire south metro area of the Twin Cities. The city of Burnsville is home to 60,000 residents with median PAGE age of 35.9 and median household income of $60,000 21 iowa

indiana

Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

4000 Parnell Avenue, Fort Wayne, IN 46805 (260) 482-9502; Fax: (260) 484-1637 memorialcoliseum.com General Manager: Randy L. Brown A multipurpose complex, the tri-state area’s leading sports, entertainment and event venue serves Northeast Indiana, Northwest Ohio and Southern Michigan. With an MSA population of 411,000, Ft. Wayne is the state’s second-largest city, within a day’s drive of 55 million. Seating capacities: End concert-180: 8,843; End Concert-240: 10,006; End Concert-270: 10,297; End Concert-360: 12,045. Hockey/indoor football: 10,495; basketball: 11,083. 24 luxury suites, one super suite, 318 club seats. 148,000 sq. ft. of multi-purpose exhibition space, capable of hosting concerts up to 8,000 seats, as well as basketball and motor-sports PAGE events, with telescopic seating and floor chairs. C4 illinois

Arie Crown Theater

2301 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60616 (312) 791-6196 ariecrown.com Director: Dulcie Gilmore The Arie Crown Theater is located in Lakeside Center at McCormick Place, just 2.5 miles south of downtown Chicago. Opened in 1960, the 4,267-seat venue can be curtained to 2,759 seats or 2,052 seats. The proscenium opening is 90 ft. wide by 40 ft. high, with a stage depth of 58.4 ft. Backstage areas include two weather-protected berths on the loading dock adjacent to the stage, nine two-person dressing rooms, two 40-person chorus rooms, one star dressing room, one full-size wardrobe room, and two 50 ft.-by-50 ft. rehearsal rooms. The theater’s catering is offered in conjunction with SAVOR Chicago McCormick Place. McCormick Place/Arie PAGE Crown Theater offers convenient underground parking for all performances. 29 oklahoma

Bridge View Center

Chesapeake Energy Arena

Fast becoming the premier destination in southeast Iowa for concerts, theatrical events and conventions, The Bridge View Center opened in 2007, nestled on the banks of the Des Moines River. This 92,000-sq.-ft. complex features an Expo Hall (reserved seating – 2,617; festival – 3,000; boxing/mixed martial arts – 1,800; floor events – 1,500), adjoining conference/meeting space (7,000 sq. ft., divisible into five rooms), 655-seat theater and a Grand Lobby (accommodates 2,500). Two star dressing rooms; choir dressing room with lockers and showers; 40 ft.-by-40 ft. studio adjoining theater, accommodatPAGE ing up to 100 persons. Regional MSA 150,000 (75-mile radius). 46

Chesapeake Energy Arena attracts more than one million guests per year, conveniently located near the junction of I-40 and I-35 in downtown Oklahoma City, a metro area with a 1.2 million+ population. Seating capacities: 4,000-18,000. Concert (center stage) – 17,932; concert (endstage) – 16,698; concert (theater) – 3,736; basketball – 17,404. Arena floor – 34,074 sq. ft. Backstage – four dressing rooms, three locker rooms, two production offices, press lounge and green room with 906-sq.-ft. lobby and a 1,576-sq.-ft. pub. Recently renovated main concourse; 36 suites, two lounge areas, seven bunker suites, two VIP dining areas. FullPAGE service, award-winning marketing staff. C3

102 Church Street, Ottumwa, IA 52501 (641) 684-7000; Fax: (641) 684-6305 bridgeviewcenter.com Where Great Events Create Lifetime Experiences

iowa

Clay County Regional Events Center

800 West 18th Street, Spencer, IA 51301-3156 (712) 580-3000; Fax: (712) 580-3003 spencerevents.com General Manager: Scott Hallgren Delivering Outstanding Experiences Complex opened in 2003, featuring a 2,664-seat arena; 7,600-sq.-ft. Grand Ballroom, divisible into six individual meeting rooms; and a 24,000-sq.-ft., column-free exhibit hall. Boardroom, event office, dressing rooms, private green room are also available. Seating capacities: full concert – 2,664; wrestling/boxing – 2,700; theater – 2,160; open floor – 1,572; banquet – 1,400 (Exhibit Hall). Grand Ballroom: 750 theater style; 504 rounds; 450+ classroom style. Backstage: green room with private bath and shower; two dressing rooms. Co-promotes events; full marketing services; group sales. Spencer is the regional hub in northwest PAGE 47 Iowa, serving a broad geographic region across NW Iowa/SW Minnesota. 44

100 West Reno, Oklahoma City, OK 73102 (405) 602-8700; Fax: (405) 602-8505 chesapeakearena.com General Manager: Gary Desjardins

rhode island

Dunkin’ Donuts Center

1 LaSalle Square, Providence, RI 02903 (401) 331-0700; Fax: (401) 621-5987 dunkindonutscenter.com Executive Assistant/Booking: Debra Polselli The 14,000-seat Dunkin’ Donuts Center, part of the Rhode Island Convention & Entertainment Complex, offers 31,000 sq. ft. of arena space with a ceiling height of 86 ft., a 25,000-sq.-ft. concourse, a 9,000-sq.-ft. lobby and 20 luxury suites. Concerts (various configurations) – 3,500-14,000; basketball – 12,100; ice hockey – 11,300; family ice show – 7,400; ice show – 10,800. 60-ft.-by-40 ft. StageRight portable staging; 200 ft.-by-85 ft. ice rink. Six dressing/locker rooms; two media rooms; two production offices. Eleven permanent, 24 portable concession stands. Twenty-five percent of U.S. population lives within 500 miles of Providence. Over 38,000 students annually within a five-mile PAGE radius of downtown. 40 Facilities & event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

indiana

Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

he Allen County War Memorial Coliseum is one of only a few facilities in the United States to feature two arenas under one roof. The Coliseum Arena has a seating capacity of nearly 13,000 with deluxe suites and club seats, while the multipurpose 108,000-sq.-ft. Expo Center has a potential seating capacity of 8,000. Located in Northeast Indiana, Fort Wayne is the state’s second-largest city, easily accessible from some of the Midwest’s major markets, including Indianapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Columbus and Cincinnati. The Memorial Coliseum’s non-metro location offers affordable local media, yet more than 55 million people live within a day’s drive. During the summer of 2013, the Memorial Coliseum Arena underwent a $4 million expansion and renovation of its main 200-level concourse, including the rebuilding of eight restrooms. In 2014, renovation of the Arena’s 100-level concourse and rebuilding of all the remaining restrooms in the Arena completed a two-year renovation project.

4000 Parnell Avenue, Fort Wayne, IN 46805 (260) 482-9502 memorialcoliseum.com

Arena The Memorial Coliseum is home to the Fort Wayne Komets (ECHL) and Fort Wayne Mad Ants (NBA D-League). It features a four-sided, center-hung video scoreboard and nearly 360 degrees of LED ribbon board. A scaled down arena setup of 4,000 seats is also available, with a customized curtaining system. Expo Center The Coliseum Expo Center is 152,000 sq. ft. of multipurpose space with two portable walls and flexible telescopic seating. The main Expo Center room can be used in its entirety of 108,000 sq. ft. or in increments of one-third or two-thirds. Ample loading docks and drive-through bays facilitate easy load-in and load-out. A 44,000-sq.-ft. lower level can be used separately or for those events that require more space. In 2015, a planned expansion of the Expo Center will increase the available exhibition space to over 181,000 sq. ft.

Facilities & event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

rhode island

Dunkin’ Donuts Center

rovidence mixes the urban sophistication of a big city with the graceful charm of a small town. At the heart of Providence’s bustling downtown is the Dunkin’ Donuts Center (DDC), part of the Rhode Island Convention & Entertainment Complex, which also includes the Rhode Island Convention Center (RICC) and The VETS. The 14,000-seat DDC offers 31,000 sq. ft. of arena space with a ceiling height of 86 feet, a 25,000-sq.ft. concourse, a 9,000-sq.-ft. lobby, 20 luxury suites and five additional meeting/hospitality rooms. Other amenities include a pedestrian bridge connecting the arena to the RICC, a state-of-the-art video scoreboard, and concession and restaurant facilities. There are 5,500 hotel rooms in the Greater Providence area, 1,800 located within walking distance of the Center. The Center’s Marketing Department staff is comprised of advertising, marketing, group sales, and public relations’ specialists, who in turn operate a fullservice in-house agency. This in-house agency affords complete professional coordination of event marketing campaigns including advertising production and placement, media and retail promotions, sponsorships, group sales, public relations and publicity. Providence is known for its thriving arts scene and is recognized as one of the nation’s hottest culinary destinations. There are nine colleges and universities located in the Providence market, most of which are within a five-mile radius of the Center — Brown University, Johnson & Wales University, RI School of Design, and Providence College, just to name a few. The students at these local colleges and universities add to the diverse population of the city.

Ontario

Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre Centre

189 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5B 1M4 (416) 325-4144; Fax: (416) 314-3583 heritagetrust.on.ca/ewg Manager of Bookings and Events: Kevin Harris Originally built in 1913 for Vaudeville and silent films, this multi-use complex contains two distinct and separate theaters, one sitting atop the other, and hosts musicals, dramas, comedies, dance, operas, family shows, concerts and other events. Capacities: Elgin Theatre – 1,561; Winter Garden Theatre – 992. Cascading reception lobbies range from small intimate gatherings to 900. “Dinner on Stage” events – 80. Plentiful dressing rooms, stage management offices, crew rooms, wardrobe room, rehearsal studios, kitchen. Toronto is the largest city PAGE in Canada – 2.5 million+, Greater Toronto Area – five million+. 49 indiana

One LaSalle Square, Providence, RI 02903 (401) 331-0700; (401) 621-5987 dunkindonutscenter.com

south carolina

Florence Civic Center

3300 West Radio Drive, Florence, SC 29501 (843) 679-9417; Fax: (843) 679-9429 florenceciviccenter.com General Manager: Kendall Wall Celebrating 20 Years of South Carolina Events! Multi-time recipient of the Prime Site Award, the SMG-managed Florence Civic Center is conveniently located just a few miles from the regional airport and next to dozens of national chain hotels and award-winning restaurants. Northeastern South Carolina’s largest convention and entertainment venue features 50,000 sq. ft. of multipurpose space including a 10,000-seat arena (backdrop scaling 2,500-7,500 capacity) and a 15,000-sq.-ft. grand ballroom (1,400 theater, 800 banquet). Fiber optics and Wi-Fi throughout. New HVAC systems, LED lighting upgrade, added arena reduction curtain system. Generous PAGE supplemental marketing efforts. 17,000+ Facebook fans; 22,000+ email club. 50 kansas

Ford Center & Victory Theatre

Hartman Arena

The region’s center for sports and entertainment is designed to host basketball, hockey, concerts, exhibitions and shows for audiences as large as 11,000. The multipurpose facility works with downtown attractions to create a vibrant atmosphere for sports fans, music lovers and conventioneers. Seating capacities: basketball – 9,800; hockey – 9,100; concerts – 10,500 total (9,066 permanent seats and 1,700 floor chairs); half-house – 3,500-5,700. Exhibition space: 20,468 sq. ft.; two star dressing rooms, two locker rooms, green room, multipurpose room; 137 high-definition flat-screen televisions throughout; high-definition video board PAGE with upper and lower displays and ribbon board. 9

Opened in 2009, the Hartman Arena serves the Wichita Metro Area. Managed by VenuWorks, it is an ideally sized, modern venue for concerts, sporting events, family shows, motorsports and more. Seating capacities: 5,000, football and soccer; 6,500, end-stage concerts; 7,000, festival; 3,300, half-house; 1,200, theater. Features an 80 ft.-by-90 ft. floating grid suspended with 30 two-ton motors monitored by load cell system, and a 26,000-sq.-ft. arena floor. Stage: 40 ft.-by-60 ft. capacity. Up to seven dressing rooms; four additional promoter and production offices; locker rooms. Onsite parking, livestock friendly, easy highway access. Twenty loge boxes with in-seat service, two premium lounges/bars. Full PAGE in-house marketing agency; can promote in-house or co-promote. 52

1 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Evansville, IN 47708 (812) 422-8000; Fax: (812) 436-7001 thefordcenter.com Ford Center Executive Director: Scott Schoenike

8151 Hartman Arena Drive, Wichita/Park City, KS 67147 (316) 744-8880; Fax: (316) 683-2805 hartmanarena.com Executive Director: Aran Rush

Facilities & event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

ontario

THE ELGIN AND WINTER GARDEN THEATrE CENTRE HISTORY: Toronto’s historic Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, is a Canadian national historic site and the last operating double-decker vaudevilleera theater in the world. Originally built in 1913 by Marcus Loew, it contains two distinct and unique theaters, one sitting atop the other. Both theaters operated together for 14 years, but, with the coming of “talkies,” the Winter Garden closed its doors in 1928 and remained boarded up for more than 60 years. RESTORATION: The ensuing years brought many changes to the building, but it gradually fell into disrepair. It was purchased by the Ontario Heritage Trust in 1981 and underwent a major restoration between 1987 and 1989 at a cost of $29 million (Cdn). A total of 65,000 sq. ft. of new space was added, including ample lobbies, lounges and an eight-story backstage addition housing spacious dressing rooms, crew rooms, a loading dock, freight elevator and two enormous rehearsal studios. The Elgin now sparkles with its gilded plaster details, rich damask wall coverings and domed ceiling. The Winter Garden Theatre, with its canopy of 5,000 branches of real beech leaves, painted sky and lit moon, is a dream fantasy come to life. The 1,561-seat Elgin and the 992-seat Winter Garden can operate simultaneously with services to patrons in the six separate bars and adjoining lounges. RENTAL OPPORTUNITIES: A multi-use complex, the center is able to accommodate a diverse range of presentations and events. The building can host live performances including everything from musicals, dramas, comedies, dance and opera to concerts, lectures, book signings and television broadcasts. The center also hosts film premieres complete with red carpet ceremonies as well as corporate and special events, one-night presentations and long-running engagements. Thanks to its meticulous restoration, combined with modern technologies and patron amenities, the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre is a perfect venue for any presentation and ensures an enjoyable experience for patrons and performers alike.

189 Yonge Street Toronto, ON (416) 325-4144 heritagetrust.on.ca/ewg

Musicals | Dramas Concerts | Film Premières Town Halls | Product Launches

Facilities & event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

south carolina

Florence Civic Center

he SMG-managed Florence Civic Center has launched South Carolina’s newest music listening room, The Uptown Ballroom, to provide fans with an intimate concert experience.

The Florence Civic Center kicked off 2015 with a bang, debuting its newly christened Uptown Ballroom with an eclectic lineup of rock, blues and Southern gospel concerts. The Uptown Ballroom opened on Jan. 29 with legendary rockers The Drive-By Truckers to an excited and eager crowd. High-quality production sound and lights offer fans “We’ve long felt the need for an adventurous, flexible venue in Florence coliseum-sized entertainment in a more personal, where a wide range of artists could perform in an intimate environment,” ballroom-capacity site. said General Manager Kendall Wall. “The Uptown is a small listening room for a singer/songwriters, a general admission music hall for rockers or a sit-down evening for jazz and blues acts. And at every Uptown show there will be good food, good drink and great music. We’re looking forward to welcoming a broad lineup of talents to this wonderful new space.” Not only has the transformation of the ballroom attracted new audiences, but it also allows for the Center to offer more options for acts. Potential acts will be able to choose from a wider variety of spaces, including the SMG Arena that can be scaled to fit 3,500 to 10,000 people, and the Uptown Ballroom that can accommodate 500 to 1,500 through various layout designs. The venue boasts the adaptability of the new ballroom Lighting and cabaret tables make for an intimate through its unique flexibility to transform into theater, cabaret tables, setting at the new Uptown Ballroom. standing-room, dance floor, lounge seating and a mix of the aforementioned. The music room maximizes its various arrangements to offer the best possible atmosphere, from romantic, intimate settings to a more festival/concert setting and everything in between. Although the Uptown Ballroom has been revitalized with new LED room lighting, new production lights, new carpet, restored walls, new interior and paint, and new acoustic sound panels among many renovations, the Uptown maintains a neutral appearance, or a clean slate. The blank canvas allows the room to adapt both physically and visually to a wide variety of shows, but the biggest change to the ballroom is the new audiences and acts that are filling The Uptown. 50

3300 West Radio Dr. Florence, SC 29501 (843) 679-9417 florenceciviccenter.com

Facilities & event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

indiana

VICTORY THEATRE

he historic Victory Theatre, located in the heart of downtown, offers unique and affordable entertainment to the city of Evansville and the region. Victory Theatre has substantially increased its concert events by 80 percent within the past year while also expanding its genres of events to not only include theatre classics, but also comedians, country concerts, rock bands, as well as an assortment of philanthropy and community events. Major events from the past year include: • Jekyll and Hyde • Chef Robert Irvine Live! • Jerry Seinfeld • Gordon Lightfoot • Victory Theatre continues to be the home of Evansville’s Philharmonic Orchestra. • 1,950 seat theater • Victory Theatre continues to grow usage of its Banquet Hall, Conference Room and second-floor Mezzanine, which can accommodate up to 180 guests.

1 S.E. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard Evansville, IN 47708 (812) 422-8000; Fax: (812) 436-7001 victorytheatre.com Facilities & event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

Thank Y ou

LITTLE BIG TOWN For per f or mi ng a SOLD O UT sho w at

PARK CITY, KANSAS

NOVEMBER 21, 2014

SPECIAL THANKS TO: ALI HARNELL (AEG LIVE/TMG NASHVILLE), DARIN MURPHY (CREATIVE ARTISTS AGENCY), SANDBOX ENTERTAINMENT TO BOOK HARTMAN ARENA, CONTACT ARAN RUSH AT 316-744-8880 OR EMAIL INFO@HARTMANARENA.COM

Facilities & event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

IOWA iowa

Hoyt Sherman Place

1501 Woodland Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50309 (515) 244-0507; Fax: (515) 237-3582 hoytsherman.org Executive Director: Carol Pollock Originally a grand manor home circa 1877, Hoyt Sherman Place opened as a theater in 1923. A beautiful and acoustically sound performing arts center, it is Central HOYT SHERMAN PLACE Iowa’s only mid-sized live event facility. Recent 1501 $5.5 Woodland million renovation Avenue included updated sound, lighting and technical capabilities. Year-round venue hosts 280+ Des Moines, IA 50266 (515) 237-3582 events annually. Theater – 1,250 fixed seats (38(515) box 244-0507; seats); artFax:galleries accommowww.hoytsherman.org date up to 250 for receptions, meetings, etc. Large chorus with bathroom attached; Executive Director: Carol Pollock medium-sized chorus room; three star dressing rooms. Full-service marketing departA grand manor home built ment. The capital of Iowa, Des Moines is visitedSnapshot: by 2.9 million+ each PAGE in 1877 by prominent businessman Hoyt year – 562,000+ within 40-mile radius. 53

Sherman; the structure, managed by VenuWorks, is a world-class performing arts center, located at the cornerstone of indiana Des Moines’ historic Sherman Hill. The Hoyt Sherman Place Theater opened in Morris Performing Arts Center 1923 and is Central Iowa’s only mid211 N. Michigan Street, South Bend, IN 46601 sized (1,251) performing arts venue and (574) 235-9190; (800) 537-6415; Fax: (574) 235-5604 the last remaining historical theater in morriscenter.org Des Moines. Since reopening in Executive Director: Dennis J. Andres November, 2003 after a $5.5-million, The Magnificent Morris Has The Hottest Tickets in Town!six-month renovation, including updated and technical capabiliState-of-the-art PAC ($24.3 million renovation sound, in 2000)lighting originally opened as The ties, this year-round venue has welcomed Palace Theater in 1921 with a design that replicated Italian Renaissance, Spanish over 200,000 patrons. Newly renovated, Revival and Baroque architecture. Seats 2,560.adjacent Backstage areas: eight dressing galleries can be transformed for rooms, two chorus rooms in Lower Level Hair/Wardrobe ft.-by-18 ft.); a a unique sitRoom down(30 dining experience, catering room. Brand-new stage, 45 ft. deep bysocial 103 cocktail ft. wide,party withora a72-ft. fly theater-style place. symphonic shell; fully height and 70 fly lines. Expanded orchestra pit;meeting full Wenger

IOWA

of Capacities: 1,251 seats T Stage Dimensions: Back wall to oklahoma T Proscenium 24’ ; SR Wall to SL Wall is 52’; Proscenium to Front of Pit Cover Lloyd Noble Center B 8’; Proscenium Height 22’6”; 2900 South Jenkins Avenue, Norman, OK 73019 80 Proscenium Width 34’4”. (405) 325-4666; Fax: (405) 325-4583 ro Dressing Rooms: large chorus w/bathlloydnoblecenter.com ro room attached; medium sized chorus Director Loida Haffener-Salmond So room;of3Events: star dressing rooms. in Multipurpose facilityofserving University Oklahoma and surrounding community, Lloyd Sound: 2 Stacks McCauly n-lineofSR C and Center SL; 12istop andfrom 4 bottoms; Noble 20boxes minutes downtown Oklahoma City, with one million+ within an 12 RIVERCENTER & All QSC Powerlite amplifiers; 1-Alan 80-mile radius. Capacities (including floor seating): in-the-round – 11,205; full arena – co ADLER THEATRE and expanded Heath 2200 FOH– desk; sm 58;–22,848. Six locker 8,519; theater 4,516;2theater rooms; 850-sq.-ft. catering/ 136 East Third Street L beta sm 57; 4 boom stands; 1 cd player; media room; 1,140-sq.-ft. Media Work Room. House stage – 40 ft.-by-60 Davenport, IA 52801ft.-by-40 in. th 1 3rd octive EQ on the stacks. 326-8505 Stage area ranges from 48 sq. ft. to 2,400 sq. ft., made(563) up of326-8500; 8 ft.-by-4Fax: ft. (563) sections whose D www.adlertheatre.com Lighting: 288 channels of etc sensor configuration can be customized for each performance. 12 fixed concession stands operE www.riverctr.com dimming; 1 obsession 2 w/2 monitors ated by OU concessions. State-of-the-art retractable center-hung scoreboard and fa PAGE Executive Director: Rick Palmer, CFE and keyboards; 16-19 degree S4 Lekos sound system features four high-definition video boards and four video boards. 4 Fo (on stage); 12-26 degree S4 Lekos (on “The Center With It All” pe stage); 11-36 degree S4 Lekos (on Snapshot: Managed by VenuWorks, R stage); 11-19 degree S4 Barrels (on Manitoba the classic, 2,411-seat Adler Theatre is a sio stage); 48-S4 par 64 (on stage); 8-S4 12 historic, art-deco yet also state-of-the-art circuitCentre mutipar strips (on stage); 24-15 A MTS PAC originally built in 1931 and most to 30 degree S4 zooms (FOH); 12-19 Se 300Degree PortageS4 Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3C 5S4 recently renovated in 2006. The Adler is Lekos (box booms HR and T (204) 987-7825; Fax: (204) 926-5555 part of the RiverCenter Complex, HL); 2- Lycian 1272 Starklite II. on mtscentre.ca which features more than 100,000 Audience Amenities: 28 Box Seats. M Senior Vice President Venues & Entertainment: Kevin Donnelly square feet of meeting, exhibit and event m Marketing: in-house marking services; space. The RiverCenter includes the Theco-promotions. geographic center of North America, Winnipeg Great is the Hall, capitalfeaturing of Manitoba, a capacity a seating Pa province of 1.1 million+. The MTS Centre is homev1 toofthe NHL’s Jets,AM andandPage 63pa Midwest 1/13/09 3,200 forWinnipeg general8:27 admissions Managed by Venuworks. can accommodate a variety of configurations for 3,500 to 15,000 fans. Hosting 2,500 reserved seats and the Mississippi fo See ad on page 44 events ranging from hockey and other sports to the River musicHall, industry’s whichbiggest-name can host 1,400 for pa generalacoustics. admission Amenities and 1,100 reserved. concerts, the venue offers excellent sightlines and superb 2, ne include four premier artist rooms, five team rooms, venue and40’tour catering areas, Staging: deep from the plaster line offices, Valhoffer stage (up to 72’ X 48’ X 6’ with additional stage pieces and 38’ stage left Se to the back wall, 80’ wide,

railings available upon request), standard arena house lighting as well as updated utilities and HVAC system. One million within 40-minute drive; PAGE WISCONSIN six Xenon 2K supertroopers. CateringThe by Centerplate, onsite restaurant. venue hosts 125+ events per year, attractingFacilities 156,000+. SuperBook 2009 55 Midwest iowa

Paramount Theatre

123 Third Avenue NW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401 (319) 398-5226 paramounttheatrecr.com General Manager: Jason Anderson Located downtown in the heart of Cedar Rapids’ entertainment district, this completely restored and renovated historic 1928 movie/vaudeville palace reopened in November 2012 after a $35 million renovation that included new dressing rooms, state-of-the-art rigging systems, lighting, video, EV X-Array speaker system, plus expanded stage and reception spaces. The Theatre houses 1,699 seats with the pit, 1,673 without; seven dressing rooms all with private showers and restrooms; three chorus rooms; and up to five portable concession stands. High-tech features include Tessitura ticketing software, a leading enterprise-wide, fully integrated PAGE 11 software system. maryland

Royal Farms Arena

201 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201 (410) 347-2020; Fax: (410) 347-2042 royalfarmsarena.com General Manager: Frank Remesch, Jr. Continuing To Make History ... Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore’s largest indoor sports and entertainment facility, features 11,014 seats on three levels, as well as two suites seating 12 guests each and a Sky Box seating 30 guests. Backstage areas include seven connecting meeting rooms, two large team rooms, 10 small dressing rooms, promoter/production offices and a catering room. Catering is provided by Crown Foods, Inc., including 12 concession stands and 10 portable bars. There is an 850-car garage attached to the building, and 2,000 spaces are available within a five-minute walk; light rail system stop in proximity. Royal PAGE 57 Farms Arena offers promoters a full-service marketing and PR department. 54

PAGE 3

Wisconsin

Racine Civic Centre

5 Fifth Street, Racine, WI 53403 (262) 636-9229; Fax: (262) 636-9290 racinecc.com Executive Director: Rik Edgar Lake Michigan’s Best Kept Secret RACINE CIVIC Features Historic Memorial Hall (1,556-seat auditorium), 17,000 sq. ft.CENTRE of meeting 5 Fifth St space comprising seven other rooms on three levels: Aquamarine Room – 3,000 sq. Racine, WI 53403 ft., Crystal Room – 1,290 sq. ft, Diamond Auditorium – 8,400 Fax: sq. (262) ft. (sits 1,350 the(262) 636-9229; 636-9290 www.racinecc.com ater style), Sapphire Hall – 2,400 sq. ft, Topaz Room – 1,290 sq. ft., Ruby Red Room Executive Director: Jim 1,050-sq.-ft. Walczak – 4,900 sq. ft., and Festival Hall (seats 1,800/15,700 sq. ft., including Michigan’ Best Kept Secret Conference Room). Five-acre Lakefront FestivalLake Park hosts up to s12,000. Racine population: 130,425. Milwaukee metropolitan area population: 1,773,519, Snapshot: Managed by VenuWorks, the PAGE which rounds out the north side of Chicagoland,Racine population 9.7 million+. Civic Centre venues sit on the 56

beautiful shores of Lake Michigan in downtown Racine, Wisconsin. Racine Civic Centre (Memorial Hall is a minnesota Historical landmark was opened in 1924 The Sanford Center and was renovated in 1998 consists of a 1,556-seat auditorium and 7 other rooms 1111 Event Center Drive NE, Bemidji, MN 56601 on three levels; Festival Hall and Park (218) 441-4000; Fax: (218) 441-4099 opened in 1987 and consists of a 17,000thesanfordcenter.net sq.-ft.-Hall and a Five acre Festival Park Executive Director: Roger Swanson which can host up to three different Located on beautiful Lake Bemidji, managed by VenuWorks, The Sanford Center is stages. northern Minnesota’s premier venue for sporting events, concerts and family and Capacities: Memorial Hallshows, Auditorium offers high-tech meeting and ballroom space for conventions conferences. Seating: can seat up and to 1,556 guests for concert 4,000 hockey, 5,500 for end-stage concerts. Exhibition space: 10,000-sq.-ft. ballroom performances; Festival can seat up to 1,800floor; guests Festival Park can host (divisible three ways), 24,000-sq.-ft. arena/tradeshow fourand breakout meeting to 12,000 when the whole rooms, pre/post reception area. Industry standardup portable arenaguests concert staging with

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risers. Two star dressing rooms, green room, meeting room, four locker rooms, production office. Twenty-five suites, 200+ club seats, state-of-the-art press box; in-house PAGE marketing department; 200,000+ residents within 75-mile radius of Bemidji. 17

WISCONSIN

Facilities & event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

11,119 Open f 8,910. Exhibi

Indiana

THE MORRIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Designed to combine many different eras in architectural history: Italian Renaissance, Spanish Revival and Baroque.

he MORRIS originally opened as The Palace Theater in November, 1921. The building was designed to combine many different eras in architectural history: Italian Renaissance, Spanish Revival and Baroque. Architect J.S. Aroner of Chicago hoped that a trip through the theater would make patrons feel like they had just made a trip through Europe. The opulent interior décor was designed by Marshall Fields of Chicago. Patrons of the Palace enjoyed a magnificent ballroom and a theater that boasted the largest stage in the state and luxuries of the time such as a supervised nursery, a sitting room for women complete with an attendant, and a smoking room for men. In August of 1959, with the advent of television causing low attendance records, the theater was almost demolished. Mrs. Morris purchased the theater for an undisclosed sum and sold it for $1 to the city, which then renamed it the Morris Civic Auditorium in her honor. The MORRIS in February 2000 completed an extensive $24.3 million renovation (soft and hard dollars) and was renamed THE MORRIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER. The MORRIS reopened boasting upgraded technical equipment, enlarged performance and backstage spaces, as well as a completely restored interior. The MORRIS CENTER offers the best of the old and new, a combination of opulent decor and rich history with upgraded technical equipment and expanded space. The MORRIS CENTER now hosts over 125 events per year including pop concerts, national Broadway tours, dance, symphony, comedians, rock concerts and ballroom events. The MORRIS CENTER welcomes over 156,000 guests yearly and has an economic impact of $5.9 million on the City of South Bend. The MORRIS is the best-kept “touring” secret in the Midwest: a lowcost showcase for rehearsals and early performances of a tour. In 2003, the MORRIS Bistro Restaurant opened on the lower level as “The place to go before the show.” Seats up 100, available for private parties.

211 North Michigan Street, South Bend, IN 46601 (574) 235-9190; (800) 537-6415; Fax: (574) 235-5604 morriscenter.org Facilities & event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

(262) 636-9229 www.civiccentreracine.com

HAVE FUN AT THE LAKE!

 Located on Lake Michigan in Racine, WI  Access to 10 million patron within 100 miles  Three great venues to choose from: • Festival Hall: 15,700 sq. ft., seats 1,200 • Festival Park: Lakefront venue with 8,000 GA capacity • Memorial Hall: 2,100 GA seating capacity

Maryland

Royal Farms Arena

oyal Farms Arena (formerly Baltimore Arena) is Baltimore’s largest indoor sports and entertainment facility.

Seating: Permanent seats on three levels: 11,014 (plus 28 wheelchair spaces); portable floor seating available; two suites seating 12 guests each with private bathroom in each; Sky Box seats 30 guests comfortably with private bathroom. Capacities: Concert capacity, large theater: 13,000–13,600; concert capacity, in the round: 14,000; mini theater capacity: 5,000–7,500; sporting event capacities: 11,000–14,000. Backstage: Seven connecting meeting rooms, 27 ft. by 27 ft., available for small functions; two large team rooms with tile floor (30 ft. by 30 ft., six shower heads each); 10 newly remodeled small dressing rooms (5 ft. by 7 ft. and 10 ft. by 8 ft., one shower head each); newly remodeled promoter’s office/production offices; catering room. Staging: Depth: 45 ft. clear; width: 117 ft.; height: 42 ft. House stage extension available: 72 ft. maximum width by 4 ft.–8 ft.–12 ft. deep by 42 in. high (constructed with portable stage sections). Lighting: Arena is lit by a max of incandescent and mercury vapor lamps in four independent banks. Supplemental seating area lighting is available in banks of fluorescents and ceiling-hung pin spots. Sound: House sound: Meyer Concert System — Sound Lab speakers driven through a series of amplifying, processing and equalizing equipment. System components include: Main Cluster – 12 Meyer MSL3 Cabinets; Delay Cluster – 12 Meyer UPA-1A Cabinets; Front Fill – four Meyer UPA-1A Cabinets.

Food & Beverage: Crown Foods, Inc. provides all concessions for Royal Farms Arena, including 12 concession stands, elegant Amsterdam permanent bar, Arena Pub and 10 portable bars. Crown Foods also provides catering in the Suites and Skybox, offering a variety of menu options from sophisticated to fun finger foods. Parking: 850-car garage attached to building; over 2,000 spaces available within a five-minute walk; light rail system stop. Marketing: Full-service Marketing & Public Relations department. Demographics: Arena attracts patrons from five states and Washington, DC (8.1 million potential guests).

BE TREATED LIKE ROYALTY

THANKS FOR HELPING US RULE!

Facilities & event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

Florida

Straz Center for the Performing Arts

1010 North W.C. MacInnes Place, Tampa, FL 33602 (813) 222-1000; (800) 955-1045 strazcenter.org At the Straz Center, it’s more than just a show. Located on the Riverwalk in Downtown Tampa, the Straz Center’s nine-acre campus boasts a performing arts conservatory and five state-of-the-art theaters: Morsani Hall (2,600 seats), Ferguson Hall (1,000 seats), Jaeb Theater (300 seats), TECO Theater (200 seats) and Shimberg Playhouse (130 seats). Morsani Hall has been ranked in the Top 5 venues in the world, 5,000 seats and under, by Billboard, Pollstar and Venues Today. For avails, contact (813) 222-1272 or PAGE Chrissy.Hall@strazcenter.org. 59 Kansas

Topeka Performing Arts Center

214 SE 8th Avenue, Topeka, KS 66603 (785) 234-2787; Fax: (785) 234-2307 tpactix.org Michael Silva Entertaining, Enriching & Educating through the Arts State-of-the-art facility accommodates all events and functions – theater, dance, musical concerts as well as meetings, banquets and special events. Seating capacity – 2,546; main floor seats 1,168. TPAC also has a 2,000-sq.-ft. black box theater that seats 120. Exhibition space: 6,500-sq.-ft., carpeted banquet facility, as well as a 1,000-sq.-ft. foyer. Both areas can and have been used as exhibition space. Backstage areas: 1,975-sq.-ft. dance studio; 800-sq.-ft. green room; a 1,260-sq.-ft. room and two 600-sq.-ft. rooms available. Market – Topeka MSA PAGE (five counties) – 233,870; in-house marketing department. 43 TEXAS

Cullen Performance Hall

154 Cullen Performance Hall, Houston, TX 77204 (832) 842-3100; Fax: (713) 743-9495 entertainhouston.com Director of Booking & Sales: Beckye Levin Where Entertainment Lives on the University of Houston Campus Cullen Performance Hall is a 1,612-seat theater located in the center of the University of Houston campus, just two miles from downtown Houston. Cullen opened in 1950 and renovations were made in the late 1980s. Since its opening, Cullen has held major touring concerts, symphonies and dance performances and competitions. The proscenium opening is 36 ft. wide by 27 ft. high. Total stage depth: 45 ft. 9 in. Stage lighting is controlled by an ETC Ion 2000 console. Four dressing rooms (each accommodating six to eight people), two dressing rooms with accommodations for 25-30 people, green room accommodating PAGE up to 80 people. Houston has an ethnically diverse population of 5.9 million. 19 texas

United Supermarkets Arena

1701 Indiana Avenue, Lubbock, TX 79409-2200 (806) 742-7362; Fax: (806) 742-7557 unitedsupermarketsarena.com Associate Director: Cindy Harper The Entertainment Showcase of West Texas State-of-the-art, 15,000-seat multipurpose facility was designed to both showcase Texas Tech University basketball and volleyball and also help meet the growing entertainment and event needs of the South Plains region. 81,017-sq.-ft. concourse space/ 31,916-sq.ft. arena floor; StageRight staging; four concourse-level meeting rooms; concourse level club area, six dressing rooms, practice gym, media work room, press conference room, 10 fixed concession stands, and 24 luxury suites. Lubbock, with a population of 230,000 and a campus of 29,000+ students, draws from a 1,000,000+ market including West PAGE Texas, Eastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle. 4 58

south dakota

Swiftel Center

824 32nd Avenue, Brookings, SD 57006 (605) 692-7539; Fax: (605) 697-6393 swiftelcenter.com Executive Director: Tom Richter Treat yourself to Midwest Hospitality at its best A multi-purpose facility: configurations range from 4,300 basketball, 5,600 end-stage concert (reserved), 7,000 end-stage concert (festival). 15,000 sq. ft. of banquet space, divisible into four rooms. Six dressing rooms. Full-service in-house catering and concessions. StageRight stage – 40 ft.-by-60 ft., adjustable height from 4 ft. to 6 ft. House sound system is a BOSE Quality System, center-hung powered by Crown Amplification throughout the facility. Full rigging grid and Daktronics Galaxy Message Center. In-house marketing department is full-service agency, specializing in creating customized marketing campaigns for events. The Center serves PAGE the tri-state region – South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa. 60 washington

Toyota Center

7016 West Grandridge Boulevard, Kennewick, WA 99336 (509) 737-3700; Fax: (509) 735-9431 yourtoyotacenter.com Executive Director: Corey Pearson Formerly known as the Tri-Cities Coliseum, this 7,500-seat multi-purpose facility annually hosts 180+ concert, sporting and other events. Seating features: three full sections with padded Broadway seating. 11 Executive Suites; full lounge facility upstairs. Eight concession stands. Complex includes The Three Rivers Convention Center with 75,000 sq. ft. of meeting/exhibit space, 13 spacious meeting rooms, 21,600-sq.-ft. Great Hall (accommodates 2,100), 14,000-sq.-ft. pre-function space. Tri-Cities MSA is fourth largest in the state with a population of 248,400. Marketing personnel assist with local media; Insider Data Base (15,000+) for event announcements; busy highway PAGE marquee; third-party advertising opportunities. 63 iowa

U.S. Cellular Center

370 1st Avenue NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401 (319) 398-5211; (319) 731-4529; Fax: (319) 362-2102 uscellularcenter.com Executive Director: Sharon Cummins The VenuWorks-managed U.S. Cellular Center reopened in spring of 2013 after undergoing extensive renovations including additional seating capacity, new backstage area and rigging grid. Reserved seating – 7,700; general admission festival – 9,000. Bud Light VIP Lounge, VIP Box Seating, Club Seating. Over 57 LCD and LED signs throughout the venue. Nestled in the highly populated corridor of Eastern Iowa, the U.S. Cellular Center draws event attendees from a population base of more than 1,500,000 people. The center of this population group is within a 60-mile radius, or a 45-minute drive from downtown Cedar Rapids. PAGE 62

Kansas

United Wireless Arena

4100 Comanche Street, P.O. Box 1516 Dodge City, KS 67801 (620) 371-7390; Fax: (620) 371-7393 Executive Director: Ralph Nall State-of-the-art, $40.3 million arena opened in 2011 featuring a U-shaped seating bowl, 4,000 fixed seats, 5,200+ for concerts and other events (half-house: 1,800 with curtaining system). 12 suites plus 12 Club Seating sections; in-suite catering available; VIP level includes a walk-out balcony, tables and seating, large plasma TVs, lounge furniture and fully stocked and serviced bar. Backstage areas: four team locker rooms, two green rooms. Arena floor: 20,000-sq.-ft. exhibition/conference space; 6,700 sq. ft. in attached Conference Center. Kansas has a population of three million; venue also draws from Oklahoma and Colorado PAGE markets. In-house marketing staff. 61 Facilities & event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

FLORIDA

The David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts

he David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts is the fourth-largest performing arts institution in the country and home to one of the nation’s leading Broadway series, a grand opera and a wide variety of concerts, performances and events. The Patel Conservatory, Florida Orchestra, Tampa Bay Symphony and Tampa Bay Theatre Festival are among the regular highlights. In addition to four theaters and one teaching theater, the Straz Center has three restaurants and the SteamHeat Café.  The Straz Center houses several venues with a variety of capacities. Carol Morsani Hall accommodates 2,610; Ferguson Hall, 1,042; Jaeb Theater, 300; Shimberg Playhouse, 130; and TECO Energy Foundation Theater, 150. Carol Morsani Hall proscenium opening is 45 ft. to 60 ft. wide (Pro Mask Legs) and 30 ft. to 40 ft. high (Pro Mask Header). The stage is 70 ft. deep from plaster line to back wall. Ferguson Hall is 25 ft. to 40 ft. wide (Portable Legs) and 20 ft to 30 ft. high (Portable Header). The stage is 50 ft. deep from plaster line to back wall.

Janet Jackson Wicked Daniel tosh counting crows Mary J. Blige Jerry seinfelD The Book of MorMon Mike epps itzhak perlMan iDina Menzel sting Jon stewart The PhanToM of The oPera leonarD cohen Jeff DunhaM Black star harry connick, Jr. alicia keys

Bon iver Bill clinton chris cornell John leguizaMo Matisyahu Disney’s The Lion king renée fleMing Juanes Blue Man group J. cole John fogerty the piano guys wilco Jersey Boys Josh groBan cesar Millan the weeknD MoToWn The MusicaL

STATE-OF-THE-ART 5-THEATER ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX IN DOWNTOWN TAMPA

Morsani Hall has been ranked in the Top 5 in the world by Billboard, Pollstar and Venues Today.

The Straz Center is well stocked with backstage areas for performers. Carol Morsani Hall has a 27-ft. wide by 37 ft. long wardrobe room. There are a total of 14 dressing rooms, one of which is a star dressing room furnished with a sectional sofa, chairs and tables. Ferguson Hall has a wardrobe area and seven dressing rooms. The Straz Center also features an in-house marketing department to assist promoters in reaching local ticketbuyers, as well as a communications staff.

1010 N. W.C. MacInnes Place, Tampa, FL 33602 (813) 222-1000 • www.strazcenter.org Facilities & event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

Contact for avails: 813.222.1272 or Chrissy.Hall@strazcenter.org STRAZCENTER.ORG 59

washington

Toyota Center & Three Rivers Convention Center

hree Rivers is the confluence of everything that makes for great events, from the versatility of the Toyota Center to the distinctive Three Rivers Convention Center with our dedicated staff serving you all along the way. Centrally located between Seattle, Portland, Spokane and Boise in the Tri-Cities community of 250,000, Three Rivers is surrounded by world-class wine regions, top-rated golf, miles of riverfront parks and trails, and abundant dining, shopping and accommodation options. Seating Capacity: 7,200 Exhibit space: 27,000 sq ft Banquet space: 3,000 sq ft Dressing rooms: 5 VIP suites: 11 Ice rink Xenon Supertrouper spotlights: 4 Rigging & staging Full Broadway Rigging Grid Windermere Theatre: 2,100 guests Banquet room

Total space: 75,000 sq ft Great Hall: 21,600 sq ft Foyer: 14,000 sq ft Meeting rooms: 13 Latest A/V Technology Programmable lighting In-House caterer Onsite managers and staff Flexible restrooms by group Wi-Fi Internet Attached Hotel 2015

Toyota Center Comfortably seating 2,100 to 7,200 in multiple configurations ideal for concerts, comedy, Broadway, sports, tradeshows and meetings. The facilities concourse provides access to concessions and amenities, with private suites providing exclusive viewing for VIP guests. A separate banquet room accommodates groups up to 250 and features a private entrance and full-service bar.

Three Rivers Convention Center The 75,000-sq. ft. convention center is ideal for meetings, tradeshows, and conventions. The great hall provides 21,600 sq. ft. and is easily transformed into a ballroom accommodating 2,000 or subdivided into smaller spaces. The convention center also features additional meeting rooms, a soaring glass foyer, private boardroom and Cyber CafĂŠ. A new attached SpringHill Suites by Marriott will open February 2015. The Three Rivers Campus is managed by VenuWorks. VenuWorks provides full management services for arenas, theaters and convention centers to more than 30 venues across the country.

Making everyday events Springhill SuiteS by Marriott opening 2014

7016 W. Grandridge Boulevard Kennewick, WA 99336 (509) 737-3700; Fax: (509) 735-9431 yourtoyotacenter.com threeriversconventioncenter.com

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7016 W. Grandridge Blvd, Kennewick, WA 99336 phone 509.737.3700 email sales@3riverscampus.com Facilities & event Management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

Venue Strategies

Get Your Festival Off the Ground

4 steps toward a successful venture By Gil Cunningham

fter 35 years in the festival business, I still have to remind new clients that festivals do not create themselves overnight, or I should say, extraordinary festivals are not created overnight. Even established venues with successful events under their belt still need to consider that this is a new venture with possibly new people and different expectations for all parties involved. Putting on a successful festival requires a well-developed operational plan to make sure everyone knows what to do and when to do it. The following advice is intended for those venues that are thinking about entering the festival business.

Production and Operation Right from the beginning, you want to get a veteran production company and an experienced festival talent buyer/producer involved. These professionals can tell you whether or not it is feasible to have an outdoor festival at your already-established or potential site. They will take the stage, backstage area, audience size, vendors and possibly camping needs into account when analyzing a site, depending on what size festival you want to have.

One client of mine, Larry Werner of Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose, ake sure that Alberta, started this Research you can answer country music festival as The first step is to define the vision of the an outdoor event at the festival. What is the purpose of the event, and the question, Camrose Exhibition Center, what kind of audience will it appeal to? Do your “What makes my an already-established market research. As an established venue, you venue in Canada. He says, likely already know the population demographics event unique and “One advantage of using an of your area. However, if you want the festival to better than the existing facility is that there draw from a bigger audience, you might have to are permanent structures expand that base. competition?” available for trade space, It is also wise to know the local festivals and fairs, licensed outdoor venues, an and when those events are held. Make sure that onsite medical area, office you can answer the question, “What makes my event space, etc. An existing venue that operates on a yearunique and better than the competition?” The answer round basis has access to machinery, fencing, picnic should be driven by market research. tables, as well as power, water and sewer. These venues also tend to be centrally located, which Finally, look at the strengths of the market and growth means proximity to hospitals, police, fire, ambulance potential. You don’t have to live in a big city to have a — all emergency services that are required when music festival; some of the most successful festivals I producing a weekend festival experience.” As with work with are in medium-sized communities that draw any event that grows over time, there are demands from the entire state and surrounding states. put on the infrastructure. An existing facility has

Facilities & event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

Event Awareness Even if your venue is established, the new festival is not. Sooner rather than later, you need to begin building awareness of the event, creating a marketable name and logo. Along with advertising, media relationships are a key part of this initiative. Another client of mine, Wayne Rouse, President of Country Stampede in Manhattan, KS, shares, “It is important to establish meaningful, ongoing relationships with the media so they feel like they have ‘ownership’ in our event. A radio jock’s excitement when talking about our event means much more to the listener than a 30-second advertising spot does.”

Big Valley Jamboree, Cambrose, AB, 2014 access to year-round operating funds to help provide for the music fans that support a festival. In addition to advantages, there are also some disadvantages to using an existing facility. Be prepared to work within the existing barriers. For example, traffic flows can be challenging, and camping access may not be readily available. Rental fees and access to the facility can be areas of contention. Making or suggesting changes to an existing facility to better accommodate the event often requires significant lead time, so be prepared for that.

“It is important to

establish meaningful, ongoing relationships with the media so they feel like they have ‘ownership’ in our event.”

Budget Your budget is a blueprint for success or failure. Make sure to identify everything as either a revenue-generator or an expense. A common mistake is to try to stretch the potential revenues and minimize the known costs. The final budget should really stay between 1-3 percent higher than the budget established in the beginning. Revenue sources for the festival can include corporate sponsors, grants, food and beverage sales, commercial vendors, ticket sales, parking, camping, etc. Expenditures would include the salaries of staff and workers, rentals, generators, stage(s), fencing, golf carts, entertainment, licenses, insurance, and advertising and promotions, to name a few. Event sponsors or investors also need to realize that many times it is challenging for a new event to break even, and they need to accept the possibility of not reaching their financial goals for one to two years as the festival becomes established. Facilities & event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

Finally, be sure to develop strong community support. This means working with state and local governments, local service groups and area businesses. Developing a positive rapport can help source corporate sponsorships, quality workers and volunteers. Positive networking and partnership opportunities are essential to the success of a festival.

You may have the venue and the desire to use that space for a festival, but before you begin, make sure that you have done your market research, hired experienced and vetted talent-buying and production professionals, created a detailed budget and developed a media and community relations strategy. The end result of all that legwork should be an amazing experience for everyone involved. Gil Cunningham co-founded Neste Event Marketing in 1996 with his wife and business partner Liz Cunningham. He started his career in the event business as a talent buyer in 1972 and moved into the event production business in 1988. Over the years, Cunningham has produced hundreds of events, booking thousands of artists for a variety of clients. He has received multiple awards and honors from both the International Entertainment Buyers Association and the Academy of Country Music, including IEBA’s 2013 Festival Buyer of the Year. 65

b o o k i n g P e r sp e c t i v e s

The ‘Wow’ Factor Revues give talent buyers a cost-conscious option to create lasting memories By John M. Bernardoni

t is Wednesday morning in Philadelphia. An event planner at a Fortune 100 insurance company has just received an email broadcast from me featuring Tony Bennett. The planner inquires, “What kind of cost are we looking at?” I reply with a six-figure number plus expenses. I can hear the planner falling out of her chair via cyberspace. She has just entered the “Sticker Shock Zone.” The “Wow” Factor that comes with a performance by the legendary crooner is off the table. Or is it? The cost of marquee acts has skyrocketed in the last decade. Most planners of private corporate events do not have the budget to bring in big-name acts. It’s tough to find an act that means anything for $50,000 plus expenses. One actually needs at least $75,000 to $150,000 to attract an act that is going to make an audience sit up straight and say, “Wow!” If that kind of artist fee is out of the question, then what is the planner to do? Is there an alternative way to make a similar impact? There are a couple of options that can create the Wow Factor without breaking the bank. Broadway and concert revues are dynamic shows that target a specific theme, featuring the talents of veteran singers, dancers, actors and musicians. They present a robust way to fill the stage with theatrical power. BROADWAY REVUES Broadway revues with modest production needs are an extremely effective route to the Wow Factor. The demographic for Broadway is about as encompassing as

it gets. The musicals in New York and for touring shows around the country attract 20-somethings through 80-somethings, and are grossing mammoth numbers. Revues based on those shows allow for the use of big-name titles that carry a lot of promotional punch. “The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber,” for example, would include hit songs from blockbusters such as Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Cats and Sunset Boulevard. These shows provide time-tested music that is a slam-dunk with virtually any audience. Or, the revue could be based on only one of these shows, wherein the cast is performing a sampling of hits in a 60-minute ne Phantom of the presentation. It is possible Opera evening featured to cast this black-and-white type of revue slipcovers, tablecloths and with veteran Broadway napkins with a touch of actors whose names will not red. The decor made for a generally be total immersion into the known, since Phantom’s world. the power of the revue lies in its theme. And Broadway actors can out-sing, out-act and out-dance many big-name stars. In addition, the decor people get to have some fun. One Phantom of the Opera evening featured black-and-white slipcovers, tablecloths and napkins with a touch of red. The decor both supported and punctuated the presentation, making for a total immersion into the Phantom’s world. It was extremely dramatic and visually stunning.

Broadway revues can also be created from blockbuster musicals such as Jersey Boys. There is a great irony here in that Jersey Boys itself is a revue! The show utilizes the hit songs of Frankie Valli of the Four Seasons, which have been out in the public mainstream for over 40 years. Anyone over 35 knows Facilities & event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

these songs and can hum the melodies with ease. All the producers of Jersey Boys did was to package it with a simple script that tells their story, both spoken and sung. And yet, the show has been running for nine years and grossed upwards of $468 million. CONCERT REVUES A Motown Revue would showcase the music of groups such as the Temptations, Four Tops, The Supremes and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. This revue requires larger bands with a substantial brass section. While not featuring the actual band members, the show would utilize some of the finest musicians and singers in the country. This type of revue is perfect for a “dance and party” dynamic, should the event planner want a performance that will energize attendees. A British Invasion Revue could include the chart-topping music of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Dave Clark Five, The Kinks and The Who. A nice added touch would be to hire an Ed Sullivan look-alike and soundalike to introduce The Beatles’ music, in order to capture the power of their introduction to American television audiences that forever changed the musical world. (IMAG screens could be utilized to show classic film footage of screaming female fans.) Revues such as these are built by a producer who has the

contacts to source veteran actors, singers and musicians, as well as license the music that will be performed. The producer would also have the theatrical background to create a setting that underscores the theme and design all production elements. It’s important to bear in mind that these revues are customizable, as opposed to the off-theshelf performances that big-name acts typically deliver for isolated dates or “one-offs.” With any quality revue, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts: A stage full of top-tier singers and a Broadwaystyle orchestra has the firepower to create the Wow Factor — at a substantially lower cost than the marquee act. John Bernardoni is the owner of Austin, TX-based The John Bernardoni Production Group. Since 1985, he has worked as an independent producer in the live entertainment industry, producing hundreds of major concert touring stars throughout the U.S. and abroad. He is also a writer who penned a Broadway musical about the life of the legendary Hollywood musical film director Busby Berkeley, which was optioned by Radio City Music Hall. Bernardoni has served on a distinguished entertainment panel with Ray Bradbury for The President’s Commission on Moon, Mars & Beyond, a project to redefine NASA’s future space program initiatives.

advertiser index Adler Theatre/Rivercentre.......................................................15

MTS Centre.......................................................................................3

Allen County War Memorial Coliseum...........................C4

Paramount Theatre........................................................................11

Ames Center...................................................................................21

Racine Civic Centre................................................................... 56

Arie Crown Theater................................................................... 29

Royal Farms Arena.......................................................................57

Bridge View Center....................................................................46

SMG......................................................................................................5

Chesapeake Energy Arena....................................................C3

Sanford Center...............................................................................17

Clay County Regional Events Center................................47

Straz Center for the Performing Arts............................... 59

Dunkin’ Donuts Center.............................................................40

Swiftel Center...............................................................................60

The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre............ 49

Topeka PAC.................................................................................... 43

Florence Civic Center............................................................. C2

Toyota Center............................................................................... 63

Ford Center & Victory Theatre...............................................9

UH Sports and Entertainment............................................... 19

Hartman Arena..............................................................................52

U.S. Cellular Arena........................................................................13

Hoyt Sherman Place.................................................................. 53

U.S. Cellular Center....................................................................62

Lloyd Noble Center......................................................................4

United Supermarkets Arena.....................................................4

The Morris Performing Arts Center...................................55

United Wireless Arena...............................................................61

Facilities & event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide

Oklahoma City, OK

F&EM

Hot

Toronto, ON

L ist

Atlanta, GA

3] Philips Arena Atlanta, GA

Phoenix, AZ

Charlotte, NC

philipsarena.com

whether a new NBA event, recent renovation or, in the case of the US Airways Center, a new name: Talking Stick Resort Arena. “We could not be more excited about our expanded relationship with Talking Stick Resort,” said Phoenix Suns President Jason Rowley in a statement. “Talking Stick Resort and Casino Arizona has been a trusted and valued partner of the Phoenix Suns for many years.” The NBA has enjoyed the same kind of partnership with all five of the following arenas, whose basketball capacities range from about 18,000-20,000.

The Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena will be commemorating the 15th anniversary of Philips Arena by constructing a larger-than-life-size statue of Hawks’ legend Dominique Wilkins, to be unveiled on March 5. In other basketball news, the city of Atlanta will host the 2018 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball South Regional tournament, March 22 and 24, 2018. The Arena is prominent in many other forms of live entertainment beyond basketball, having hosted 64 events and 608,084 guests last year. Those numbers reportedly place it among the top 10 venues worldwide based on ticket sales. Philips Arena has a basketball capacity of 11,854–18,118 in the Lower Bowl (including suites) plus 6,264 in the Upper Bowl (not including 921 seats in the 400 level).

timewarnercablearena.com

Status: Hot category: NBA ARENAS FYI: Each of the following arenas has some updates to share,

Air Canada Centre Toronto, ON

theaircanadacentre.com

Toronto recently made big news in the NBA when it was selected to host NBA All-Star Weekend 2016, marking the first time the event will be held outside the United States. Teams representing the Eastern and Western Conferences will tip off at the Air Canada Centre, home of the Raptors. The ACC features basketball capacities of 8,449–10,778 (concert bowl), 13,315 (West End, 180° mode) and 19,020 (center stage). A new scoreboard will be installed this summer and the theater mode capacity will expand from 6,500 to over 8,000.

2] Chesapeake Energy Arena Oklahoma City, OK

chesapeakearena.com

Featuring a basketball capacity of 18,203, the Chesapeake Energy Arena is home to the Oklahoma City Thunder and has hosted the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championships, the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship, NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, the NCAA Women’s Basketball Regional and the All-College Basketball Classic (annually). Renovations in recent years totaling $100 million include a new grand entrance at the southwest corner, new ceiling and terrazzo on the main concourse, new videoboards, a remodeled Tri-State Lounge and Commons, new F&B options and more. 68

4] Time Warner Cable Arena Charlotte, NC

Home to the Charlotte Hornets, Time Warner Cable Arena also hosts college basketball (NCAA), the Jordan Classic allstar game and the CIAA Basketball Tournament. Currently welcoming the Hornets for their first season back since they left in 2002, Time Warner Cable Arena has rebranded with the new Hornet’s logo and buzz city logo. The arena has a capacity of 20,200 for basketball, 14,100 for hockey and 13,376–18,249 for concerts. Six production offices and four star dressing rooms are available. Audience amenities include Frontcourt Club, Backcourt Club, and the exclusive Hardwood Club and Royal Box.

5] US Airways Center Phoenix, AZ

usairwayscenter.com

Seating 18,422 for basketball games, US Airways Center is soon to be renamed Talking Stick Arena per an agreement between the Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, owner and operator of Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale. US Airways Center offers 13 dressing rooms, 16 concessions stands operated by Levy Restaurants, a nightclub and front-door access to the Valley’s METRO light rail. AV features include a 900-ft. LED ribbon, a center-hung scoreboard with HDTV screens and a new sound system. Facilities & Event management 2014-2015 Booking Guide