Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

2015 Luminary Awards 21

2015-2016

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

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

Booking Guide Nutter Center Celebrates 25 Years Venue leadership & industry partners share perspectives

18

Inside Spectra Presents, a New Service from Comcast Spectacor

16

3 Keys to

Managing the Guest Experience

49

Jim Brown, CFE

Executive Director Wright State University Nutter Center

Celebrating 25 years of great entertainment!

To book the arena, please contact Jim Brown - (937) 775-4670 or jim.brown@wright.edu

www.nuttercenter.com

THE WORLD IS OUR STAGE. 32,000 EVENTS

1.5 MILLION SEATS

63 MILLION GUESTS

$1.7 BILLION TICKET SALES

The worldwide leader in venue management.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: JIM MCCUE Senior Vice President, SMG Entertainment jmccue@smgworld.com

BOB PAPKE Vice President, Theaters bpapke@smgworld.com

JOHN BOLTON Vice President, Entertainment jbolton@smgworld.com

BOB BELBER \ Northeast bbelber@timesunioncenter-albany.com

JERRY GOLDMAN \ Mid-Atlantic jgoldman@smgmn.com

CYNDEE PENNINGTON \ Southeast cpennington@smgpcola.com

RICH MACKEIGAN \ Midwest rmackeigan@smggr.com

JOHN HUGHES \ Texas jhughes@fordpark.com

STEVE TADLOCK \ West stadlock@savemartcenter.com

editor’s note

Facilities &Event Management TM

event security: due diligence is the best we can do

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eriodically, tragic events effectively remind facility managers that they lack complete control over the security and safety of their patrons, despite having adequate security staff and procedures in place. Last November’s terrorist attack in Paris at Le Bataclan concert hall is a case in point, as is last month’s incident at the State Theatre in Falls Church, VA. On Sunday, Jan. 18, the theater was hosting a show featuring the Northeast Groovers; a fight broke out inside, followed by a shooting outside in which three men were injured.

While no risk management plan is full proof against such crises, it is incumbent upon venue managers to implement plans that are as comprehensive as possible. Technology certainly plays a role; note Live Nation’s recent call for its arena partners to scan all patrons with metal detectors and install camera systems with command center monitoring capability, among other measures. But the sheer number of people involved in the security effort is also a factor.

In this issue, two notable guest columnists take up this point. Lee Esckilsen, Associate Professor in the Center for Sports, Entertainment and Event Management at Johnson & Wales University, stresses that a risk management plan should involve all staff members, who must not hesitate to alert one another about potential threats (p. 49). The Homeland Security anti-terrorism campaign “If You See Something, Say Something” comes to mind, but the imperative need not only apply to venue staff. Steve Zito, President, Sports & Entertainment with Andy Frain Services, advises facility staff to encourage patrons themselves to lend their eyes and ears to the security effort (p. 48).

Challenging as it may be, creating an optimally secure environment is just one among many components of serving ticket buyers. Security is the most crucial service, but venue executives have so many other aspects on their minds, from maintaining quality amenities to proving compelling entertainment throughout the year. In this issue, F&EM is pleased to recognize the 20 entertainment venue executives who won 2015 LUMINARY Awards after receiving the most nominations from our readership (p. 21). They excel in a role with manifold responsibilities and significant stress, but also the reward of seeing satisfied — and safe — crowds filling their venues year after year.

– George Seli Editorial Director, Facilities Media Group gseli@facilitiesonline.com

booking guide 2015

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

Volume 23 No. 2 Chief Operating Officer David Korn Associate Publisher Michael Caffin Editorial Director George Seli Contributing Editors Anthony Bilden Rosa Laufer Creative Direction & Design Scott-Goodman Associates Circulation Manager Winny Cheung Editorial Assistant Shuyu Guo Marketing Assistant Hang Wang Business Operations Nadia Derelieva

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

Facilities & Event Management is published twice a year by Bedrock Communications, Inc., 152 Madison Avenue, Suite 802, New York, NY 10016.

Telephone: (212) 532-4150. Fax: (212) 213-6382.

POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Bedrock Communications, Inc., 152 Madison Avenue, Suite 802, New York, NY 10016. Printed in U.S.A.

CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS In Brief...............................................................................................................4 Photoview IAVM VenueConnect........................................................................................10 IAFE Annual Convention .................................................................................12 Capitol Theatre & Empire City Casino Concerts..............................................14 Quick Takes Brock Jones, Spectra Presents.........................................................................16 Perspectives Partners in Prevention, by Steve Zito..............................................................48 Getting It Right the First Time, Every Time, by Lee A. Esckilsen.....................49 Products & Services.........................................................................................25 Facilities Directory...........................................................................................30 Advertiser Index..............................................................................................50 F&EM A-List: Women Venue Executives..........................................................52

Features Nutter Center Celebrates 25 Years..................................................................18 2015 LUMINARY Awards.................................................................................21

ON THE COVER Jim Brown has led the Nutter Center as Executive Director for the last five and a half of its 25 years in operation. His strong focus on client service — “We’re not perfect but we strive to be” — has brought the Nutter Center staff accolades from top promoters such as Michael Belkin of Live Nation and Jeff Apregan of Venue Coalition. Read what they have to say on the occasion of the Nutter Center’s 25th anniversary.

SPOTLIGHT: Valley of the Sun..........................................................................27 2

Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2015-2016 Booking Guide

ARENA, CENTER && CONFERENCE CONFERENCECENTER CENTER ARENA, EXPO EXPO CENTER CONFERENCE CONFERENCE CENTER CENTER FEATURES FEATURES •• Receptions, Receptions, banquets, banquets, meetings, meetings, seminars, seminars, trade tradeshows shows and and consumer consumer events events •• 33built-in built-inscreens screens and and projectors projectors with with intelligent intelligentLED LED lighting lighting controls controls

MEMORIALCOLISEUM COLISEUMFACTS FACTS MEMORIAL ••

More than than 11million millionsquare squarefeet feetunder underroof roof More ••

ExpoCenter Center152,000 152,000sq. sq.ftft •• Expo

•• State Stateof ofthe the art art CREATE Tasting CREATE Tasting Kitchen Kitchen

ConferenceCenter Center50,000 50,000sq. sq.ftft •• Conference More than than11million millionvisitors visitorsannually annually •• More

•• Full Fullservice, service, in-house in-house catering catering available from Aramark available from Aramark

••

•• 27,155 27,155sq. sq. ftft of of carpeted carpeted multi-purpose multi-purpose event space event space

Weddings&&Banquets Banquets Weddings

Arena seating seatingcapacity capacityofofnearly nearly13,000 13,000 Arena

CREATE Tasting Tasting Kitchen Kitchen

Concerts,sporting sportingevents, events,trade tradeshows, shows, Concerts, consumerevents, events,wedding weddingreceptions, receptions, consumer banquets and much more banquets and much more

In-house In-houseCatering Catering

For booking, booking, contact Randy L. Brown, For Brown, CFE CFE at at (260) (260)482-9502 482-9502 www.memorialcoliseum.com www.memorialcoliseum.com

In Brief

CONSTRUCTION/RENOVATION watch ARENAS

DETROIT, MI — Detroit’s Downtown Development Authority recently approved nearly $52 million in new contracts (now more than $257 million in total) for work on the new Detroit Events Center scheduled to open in September 2017. The Center will be home to the Detroit Red Wings as well as concerts, family shows and community functions.

FORT WAYNE, IN — The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum debuted its new 50,000-sq.-ft.

Conference Center in December. The facility includes approximately 28,000 sq. ft. of multipurpose space accommodating everything from bridal shows to sporting events such as wrestling and volleyball. In September, the War Memorial Coliseum completed its upgrade to LED lighting by Ephesus Lighting. “Guest

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA — On Dec. 8, the Virginia Beach City Council voted 10-1 in favor of building an 18,000-seat arena, the state’s largest, across from the Convention Center. Private developer United State Management will build the arena at a cost of $200 million and assume operating costs, leasing nearly six acres of city-owned land.

THEATERS/PERFORMING ARTS CENTERS

BELTON, TX — The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor has broken ground on a new $16.5 million performing arts center.

Expected to be complete by the fall of 2017, the 39,000-sq.-ft. center will seat 546 people and feature a proscenium stage, fly space, orchestra pit and a 2,000-sq.-ft. performance lab.

International, will be named T-Mobile Arena. Cox Business/Hospitality Network has been selected as the exclusive technology integration/telecommunication services provider for the arena. The company installed a 10-gigabit fiberoptic network to support wired and wireless Internet connectivity, utilizing Cisco Connected Stadium Wi-Fi to deliver targeted download speeds of up to 20 mbps. In addition, Cox Business/Hospitality Network will use Cisco StadiumVision to deliver over 60 channels of high-definition content from the arena floor to 650 digital displays throughout the arena. “The

support our efforts in creating memorable experiences for our guests every time they attend an event.”

FINDLAY, OH — The $17 million, 960-seat Marathon Center for the Performing Arts opened for its first show on Dec. 18 with a performance by Alan Thicke.’

MILWAUKEE, WI — Construction of the $500 million Milwaukee Bucks arena is expected to begin this spring

FRANKLIN, TN — Construction of the new Williamson County Performing Arts Center is expected to be completed in the

Rendering of the Milwaukee Bucks arena with completion by the 2018-’19 season. Last year, the project won the needed $250 million in public funding.

Randy L. Brown experience is at the top of the list of how we evaluate new investments for our facility,” said Randy L. Brown, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. “We believe that the Ephesus LED solution will give our guests and fans of our sports tenants something to be excited about, while providing us enhanced efficiency and savings on utility costs.”

LAS VEGAS, NV — Scheduled to open in April, the 20,000-seat Las Vegas arena, a joint venture of AEG and MGM Resorts 4

Mark Faber partnership with Cox is a vital component to the Las Vegas Arena operation,” said Mark Faber, Senior Vice President, AEG Global Partnerships. “As the leader in the broadband communications industry, their exceptional services and cutting-edge technology will

SACRAMENTO, CA — The $507 million Golden 1 Center, an entertainment and sports center with a seating capacity of 17,500, is scheduled to open in October. The facility will be LEED Gold certified and boast two 100-gigabit ethernet dedicated internet circuits by Comcast, making it “the world’s most connected indoor sports and entertainment venue,” according to the Sacramento Kings. The venue is adjacent to a public plaza and complemented by 1.5 million sq. ft. of retail and restaurant space.

spring of 2017. The new facility will consist of Coverdale Hall, which will accommodate 300 spectators, and a new building on the site of the former Fleming Hall.

SACRAMENTO, CA — On Dec. 15, the City Council voted to provide the B Street Theatre $3 million for the construction of a new home on the corner of 27th Street and Capitol Avenue. The demolition of a small medical building on the site begins in late February.

WICHITA, KS — The historic Orpheum Theatre is raising funds for a $14 million renovation of its auditorium, with the goal of completing the project in time for the venue’s centennial in 2022.

Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 booking guide

PHOENIX, ARIZONA

FOR BOOKING INFORMATION CONTACT RALPH MARCHETTA rmarchetta@phxses.com 602.379.2049

NICK VAEREWYCK nvaerewyck@phxses.com 602.379.2003

201 EAST JEFFERSON STREET | PHOENIX, ARIZONA 85004 WWW.TALKINGSTICKRESORTARENA.COM

In Brief Concert watch

FLORENCE, SC NEEDTOBREATHE’s Bear Rinehart gets up close and personal with fans on the satellite stage during a performance at the SMG-managed Florence Civic Center, Aug. 12, 2015.

Photo credit: Sonia Recchia/ George Pimentel Photo.

Lighting Design- Beth Kates; Set Design- Rob Bissinger

LUBBOCK, TX Lady Antebellum performs at United Supermarkets Arena, May 12, 2015.

LAS VEGAS, NV Hometown band The Killers (above) will be the first act to perform in the new 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena, currently under construction just west of the Las Vegas Strip. Taking place April 6, 2016, the concert will also include special guests “Mr. Las Vegas” Wayne Newton and newcomer and North Las Vegas local Shamir.

TORONTO, ON Dee Snider on stage at opening night for Rock and Roll Christmas Tale, presented in December at The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre.

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PHOENIX, AZ Garth Brooks performing at Talking Stick Resort Arena, Oct. 16, 17, 23 and 24. See page 27 for more news on Phoenix’s concert venues.

Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 booking guide

Jim Hill

GRAND RAPIDS, MI Darius Rucker performs at the SMG-managed Van Andel Arena on Nov. 19, 2015.

In Brief Festival BEAT New Raceway Festivals from AEG Live AEG Live and Festival Productions, Inc. – New Orleans are putting country music into the fast lane with two festivals debuting this year, featuring traditional country performers and acts influenced by the genre. Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL, will host the inaugural Country 500 music festival featuring Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Kid Rock,

Lady Antebellum, Willie Nelson and many more over Memorial Day Weekend, May 27-29. Over the Fourth of July Weekend, July 1-3, Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, AL, will host Dega Jam, its first-ever country music festival. The lineup includes Eric Church, Blake Shelton, Toby Keith, Kid Rock, Hank Williams, Jr., Billy Currington, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lee Brice, Martina McBride, Gary Allan, Kip Moore, Tyler Farr and many more.

February

4-6 4-7 4-7 12-14 13-15 26-28 27 28

North Carolina Jazz Festival Southeast Texas Mardi Gras SPBGMA Bluegrass Convention Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival Coconut Grove Arts Festival Riverwalk Blues & Music Festival 9 Mile Music Festival Wobbleland

1-20 4-6 4-6 5 6 12 14-19 18-20

Houston Livestock Show Musink Okeechobee Music Festival Winter Rock Reggae Festival San Jose Jazz WinterFest ShamrockFest RedGorilla Music Festival Ultra Music Festival

1-3 1-3 2-4 7-10 8-10 14-17 27-May 1 28-May 1

5-8 5-8 12-15 13-15 14-15 19-23 22 27-29 27-30 28-30

Wilmington, NC Port Arthur, TX Nashville, TN Rockville, MD Coconut Grove, FL Fort Lauderdale, FL Miami, FL San Jose, CA

www.ncjazzfestival.com www.portarthur.com/mardigras www.spbgma.com www.midatlanticjazzfestival.org www.cgaf.com www.riverwalkbluesfestival.com www.ninemileent.com www.sanjose.org/events/wobbleland-2016

Houston, TX Costa Mesa, CA Okeechobee, FL Salt Lake City, UT San Jose, CA Washington, DC Austin, TX Miami, FL

www.rodeohouston.com www.musink.org www.okeechobeefest.com www.reggaeriseup.com/featured-events www.sanjosejazz.org www.shamrockfest.com www.redgorillamusic.com www.ultramusicfestival.com

Springing The Blues WinterWonderGrass Florida State Bluegrass Festival French Quarter Festival Next Generation Jazz Festival Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly SunFest MerleFest

Jacksonville Beach, FL Olympic Valley, CA Perry, FL New Orleans, LA Monterey, CA Las Vegas, NV West Palm Beach, FL Wilkesboro, NC

www.springingtheblues.com www.winterwondergrasstahoe.com www.floridastatebluegrass.com www.fqfi.org www.montereyjazzfestival.org www.vivalasvegas.net www.sunfest.com www.merlefest.org

Gator By The Bay Springfest Nashville Boogie Weekend Shaky Knees Music Festival Electric Daisy Carnival Exodus Festival Claremont Folk Festival Rocklahoma Sasquatch! Music Festival Movement: Electronic Music Festival

San Diego, CA Ocean City, MD Nashville, TN Atlanta, GA New York, NY Las Vegas, NV Claremont, CA Pryor, OK Quincy, WA Detroit, MI

www.gatorbythebay.com www.oceancitymd.gov www.nashvilleboogie.com www.shakykneesfestival.com www.electricdaisycarnival.com www.exoduslasvegas.com www.claremontfolkfestival.org www.rocklahoma.com www.sasquatchfestival.com www.movement.us

March

April

May

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Kid Rock (above) and Willie Nelson will be among the performers at this year’s new speedway festivals.

Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 booking guide

Photoview

IAVM VenueConnect IAVM Annual Conference & Trade Show, Aug. 1-4, 2015, Baltimore, MD

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Scott Johnson (left), Deputy Director, and Mike Perdue, Building Superintendant, Greensboro Coliseum Complex

Susette Hunter, Director of Sales & Marketing, and Tad Snider, Executive Director & CEO, Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center Authority

(L-r): Aran Rush, Assistant GM, Arena Operations, Sacramento Kings; Terry Dederich, Associate Director, Ford Center; and Will Lofdahl, CEO SaskTel Centre

James Brown (center), Executive Director, Ronald Beck (left), Food & Beverage Director, and Thomas Schramm (right), Events Operations Manager, Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center

Chuck Rogers (left), Director of Business Development, Staff Pro, and Lee Zeidman, President, STAPLES Center, Microsoft Theater and L.A. LIVE

James Riordan (left), Director, Florida Atlantic University MBA Sports Management program, and Lee Esckilsen, Associate Professor, Johnson & Wales University

Antony Bonavita, Senior Vice President, Facility Operations, Cleveland Cavaliers, and staff

Matthew Voreyer (left), General Manager, Sacramento Convention Center, and Jason Judy, Director of Marketing and Creative Services, IAVM

Oscar McGaskey Jr., Executive Director, Kansas City Convention Center

Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2015-2016 Booking Guide

In the past, we’ve been lucky enough to have performers

Top 5 Ranking in the Americas from a leading industry magazine,

like Maroon 5, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and many others

for arenas of 15,000 or less seats. They also ranked us within the

on our ticket. Our ability to host world-class acts has resulted

Top 10 in the world. Verizon Wireless Arena, New Hampshire’s

in an overwhelming approval rating from fans. Over the past

premier sports and entertainment facility is conveniently

14 years, the Verizon Wireless Arena has become a bright

located in the city of Manchester, halfway between Boston,

spot on the entertainment horizon. Audiences find the

Massachusetts and Portland, Maine. Call us before you hit the trail

Verizon Wireless Arena to be the perfect venue for concerts,

on your next tour.

sporting events and shows. As a result, we’ve shined with a

5 5 5 ELM ST REET, MANCHESTER NH 031 01 / 603- 644- 5000 / VE R I Z O N WI R E LE S S A R E N A . C OM

Photoview

IAFE Convention

IAFE Annual Convention & Trade Show, Nov. 2-Dec. 2, 2015, Las Vegas, NV

Andy Zinkle (left) of Staats and Sarah Cummings (right) of the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, CA, presented the YPI Rising Star Award to Chelsey Jungck of the Ne­braska State Fair.

Errol McKoy (center), retired President of the State Fair of Texas, Dallas, and re­­cipient of the 2015 Hall of Fame Award, is flanked by IAFE President and CEO Jim Tucker (left) and IAFE Chair John Sykes of the East Texas State Fair, Tyler.

Angel Moore (right) of the Alameda County Fair, Pleasanton, CA, gave a presentation about Twitter at the all-new Tech Work­bench in the Ed Shed.

The IAFE Trade Show saw a lot of foot traffic from Con­ven­ tion attendees.

Marla Calico gave her first address as incoming IAFE President and CEO.

The new Beyond the Booth showcases in the Trade Show proved to be popular among attendees.

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Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2015-2016 Booking Guide

We are the hero of your entertainment.

Rescuing the Music Industry in Puerto Rico Since 2004 Connect with us!

Call us at 787.777.0800

www.coliseodepuertorico.com

Photoview

Capitol Theatre

Empire City

Snapshots of some of last year’s concerts at Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY and Empire City Casino, Yonkers, NY

Capitol Theatre, aka the “Original Rock Palace,” hosted many top performers in 2015 including Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Cheap Trick as well as bands such as Foreigner and REO Speedwagon.

The 2015 Empire City Concert Series featured Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Lynyrd Skynyrd (top), country stars Kenny Rogers (above, left) and Trace Adkins (above, right), as well as upand-coming singer/ songwriter Rachel Allyn (left). The 2016 concert series kicks off in June.

Photography by Anthony Apuzzi

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Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2015-2016 Booking Guide

for world class, unique venues worcester, ma has it all!

DCU CENTER - 14,800 seat arena 50,000 sq. ft of continous exhibit space

Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts - 2,300 seats For booking contact: Carissa Adezio 508.753.1550 x300 cadezio@destinationworcester.org

www.destinationworcester.org

Quick TAKES:

Brock Jones

Senior vice President of concert Touring and events, Spectra Presents

By George Seli

S

pectra by Comcast Spectacor announced the launch of Spectra Presents at IEBA’s Annual Conference in October. President John Page and Senior Vice President of Concert Touring and Events Brock Jones lead the new live event and touring promotion service, which focuses on bringing entertainment to underserved venues in secondary and tertiary markets. Formerly Global Spectrum (now Spectra Venue Management) VP of Booking, Jones oversaw booking at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, where he now maintains an office complementing his home base at Comcast Spectacor’s headquarters in Philadelphia.

H I

hard-ticket plays in smaller markets, they don’t develop. Right now you’ve got a lot of great club agents and a lot of great clubs, but when a band or an act is ready to leave the club and make that next step, there are not many people who can help with that because the labels don’t exist anymore, and that’s not what Live Nation and AEG do. Less than 1 percent of CAA’s and WME’s rosters can sell 10,000-12,000 tickets, but the vast majority of their roster can sell 3,000-6,000 tickets, and that’s the business.

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hat promotional strategies are key to being successful in smaller markets?

rom a venue perspective, to be successful you have to have your own marketing people — regardless of t began with an observation of the who you’re dealing with, whether it’s marketplace. The reality is that every Spectra Presents or a local promoter. secondary and tertiary building thinks Live Nation Especially for my business strategy, is going to call; they seldom will. There is a reason where I’m looking at a North he reality is that why AEG, and especially Live Nation, roll out American footprint, I have to rely their shows in the same 25-30 markets. In the Live on the venue to provide me with unless you create a Nation system, they’ve got their best market venue detailed, localized information. It’s deals loaded up and ready to go, and everybody imperative that we have as good an structure where these else is fighting over the other five to seven dates. understanding of the local market That’s just the reality of their touring model: They artists can do hard-ticket as possible, and the only people who have to go to specific places that can cover the kind know that market well enough are of checks that they have to write for artists. plays in smaller markets, the people who live there. Frankly, I don’t go to venues that don’t have they don’t develop.” ill Spectra Presents have competitor marketing people, and reason is that promoters in the same niche? my staff doesn’t have the time to go in and build a marketing plan from here’s a wide, active marketplace but everybody’s scratch in a market we don’t know. got a different focus. For instance you’ve got the Franks [Larry

ow did the idea develop to focus the new service on smaller markets?

“T

W T

and Fred of Frank Productions] and their strategic relationship with Darren Lashinsky at NS2. They probably are the largest independent promoter now, and they do a lot in secondary and tertiary markets. But they have a different focus; they’ll do oneoffs but they prefer to build tours. And they do a lot in primary markets as well as secondary. And then you’ve got a lot of promoters who are regional; they’ll do three or four dates a year.

But nobody is able to have a conversation with a responsible agent or a manager from the paradigm of “let’s look at North America, put 18-21 dates together and roll these out.” No one has the resources to do that, and the relationships to make the managers and agents feel comfortable.

W I

hat excites you about your new role with Spectra Presents?

’ve always wanted to put tours together for markets that just don’t typically get these types of shows, and it’s an exhilarating daily environment. It’s not just the potential for income generation, it’s also about artist development. The reality is that unless you create a structure where these artists can do 16

W W H E

hat is an example of an act Spectra Presents has recently promoted? e co-promoted the Lee Brice/Tyler Farr tour with Police Productions.

ow do you see Spectra Presents developing in the long term?

xpanding into the marketplace, expanding the market share and just increasing the number of tours and acts into viable hard-ticket plays across North America. The only people more excited about this [service] than venues in small markets are agents. The territorial agents are very excited about this because it makes their life easier knowing that there’s someone they can reach out to who can possibly find them a market and take that show over for them.

For more information about Spectra Presents, Brock Jones can be reached at brock_jones@comcastspectacor.com.

Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 booking guide

2 0 1 6 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:

VOTE

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): _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

Please consider the following Criteria when voting:

_____________________________________________________________________

● Location/Market ● Flexibility

Name, Title:__________________________________________________________ Organization:_________________________________________________________ Phone:_______________________________________________________________ Email:________________________________________________________________

● Seating Configurations ● Ticketing ● Lighting, Sound, Staging ● Food & Beverage ● Interaction with venue staff

Describe the Event

● Dressing Rooms,

_____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ May we contact you? Yes____ No____

Backstage ● Access/Egress ● Promotion/ Marketing

Please Fill Out Form & Mail Your Vote To:

Facilities Media Group

152 Madison Avenue, Suite #802, New York, NY 10016 or fax to: (212) 213-6382; or email ballots@facilitiesonline.com Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 booking guide

17

25

Nutter Center Celebrates Years “The best is yet to come,” affirms Executive Director Jim Brown

B

By George Seli

ack in 1986, businessman and philanthropist Ervin J. Nutter donated $1.5 million to help build an arena that would ultimately bring some of the biggest names in entertainment to his hometown of Dayton, OH. Wright State University’s Nutter Center hosted 120 events in the first seven months of operation, proving that it filled a niche in the market. The 11,000-capacity arena has welcomed classic artists such as Cher, Elton John and Tina Turner as well as trendsetting acts such as Blue Man Group, Cirque du Soleil and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. During the first week of December 2015, it was time to begin celebrating 25 years of success, and what better way to do it than with a busy schedule of events?

“On Dec. 1 we had the Wright State men’s basketball game; Dec. 2 was our 25th anniversary reception; Dec. 3, the Newsboys concert; Dec. 4, two basketball games at WSU; Dec. 5, two Trans-Siberian Orchestra shows; Dec. 6, Jeff Dunham; and on the seventh day, we rested,” quips Jim Brown, who has been the Nutter Center’s Executive Director for the past five and a half years.

Last summer, the Nutter Center also had reason to celebrate. Among the 457 events hosted in 2015 was the July 22 stop on the EAGLES: History of the Eagles Tour, the Nutter Center’s highest-grossing event of all time at well over $1 million. Jeff Apregan, President of Venue Coalition, describes the show as a “landmark” for the Dayton market.

“It’s a fairly expensive ticket, and the show did very well. That demonstrates the market can support that kind of ticket price and caliber of artist,” he says.

The Nutter Center has certainly managed to impress Live Nation Vice President Michael Belkin, who booked the Eagles show. “It’s a very professional operation — university affiliated, but run as smoothly as any privately run arena out there,” Belkin remarks. “Live Nation has promoted some of the best and biggest artists in the world in the last year or two in this place, and from ticketing to marketing to day-of18

“It’s a very professional operation — university affiliated, but run as smoothly as any privately run arena out there.”

— Michael Belkin, Vice President, Live Nation

show production, everything was executed flawlessly.” Brown himself has high praise for the staff, and the longevity of some members plays a role in their proficiency: “I really do believe that part of the success that we’ve achieved over 25 years has been [due to] the phenomenal staff. My Assistant Director, John Cox, has been here all 25 years, and Misty Cox, Marketing Manager, has been here about 18 years.”

Even these longtime executives have yet to “see it all” at the Nutter Center, however. The venue hosted Sen. Barack Obama’s “Keeping America’s Promise” rally in February 2008, followed that year by Sen. John McCain’s announcement of Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate in the presidential race. But it has yet to host a presidential debate. That will change on Sept. 26, 2016, when the Nutter Center welcomes the first of the four general election debates. “For the state of Ohio it’s huge; it’s an international event,” Brown comments. Asked Facilities & event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

The Eagles was “a fairly expensive ticket, and the show did very well.

That demonstrates the market can support that kind of ticket price and caliber of artist.”

— Jeff Apregan, President, Venue Coalition

about how his staff plans to ensure the event runs smoothly, he replies: “We’ll answer to two entities, the commission of the presidential debate and the Secret Service. So we’ll keep it very simple: Yes sir, Yes ma’am.”

The Nutter Center contended with 16 other prospective venues to win the bid to host one of the debates, but it is no stranger to competition.

In addition to venues in Indianapolis two hours west, the Nutter Center shares the local market with Value City Arena at Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center, Nationwide Arena in Columbus and US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, as well as a couple of smaller amphitheaters nearby. “You need to be mindful of the [event] traffic in Ohio because you have surrounding markets that are doing shows, so you have to look for the right window,” Apregan notes. He adds that the Nutter Center’s scalability helps make it viable for a greater variety of shows.

“It’s a U-shape arena, which I like, and they do have flexibility with different types of seating capacities, and that’s always a plus. There might be a 5,000- or 6,000-seat type of a show, and there’s a way to scale it down so it looks good with that capacity. And there might be a full-house show and you’re trying to fit 11,000 people in there and they can do that as well.”

Despite the flexibility, Brown feels it’s important to be “upfront and honest” with agents and promoters about the arena’s viability for a given act on a given date. He explains that “sometimes it may not make sense to do a show, and you have to say no” rather than deliver a less than satisfactory experience. “It’s all about delivering on the products and services you promised,” says Brown. “Customer service has to be at the top of our list because a bad experience mushrooms on you.” “Our memories are a lot better when something doesn’t go right, and I never get those phone calls about the Nutter Center,” says Apregan, who has brought a variety of artists to the arena, from Neil Diamond and Bob Seger to Darius Rucker and Florida Georgia Line. “It’s a well-run building and they’re vested in the success of the event,” he adds.

Regarding that commitment, Brown notes: “We’re not perfect but we strive to be — and not just by providing a great experience to fans, but also to performers. They’re on the road so much; we try to treat it as their home away from home. And promoters and agents [deal with] Facilities & event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

so many different buildings trying to route the whole tour together, so we try to be as accommodating as possible.” Given what is at stake for a promoter, Apregan commends the effort made by Brown’s team: “A promoter comes in and they’re financially at risk on the show; it’s incredibly high risk for a relatively low margin. And [it’s reassuring] when a venue shows the promoter that they want the artist to be happy, they want the artist’s production and crew to be happy, they want the day to go smoothly and they want to add all their marketing assets to the promoter to help make sure that he is successful. From a competitive standpoint [a venue] wants to be in business with everybody, so you want to have AEG happy, you want to have Nederlander happy, Live Nation happy, you want to have the independent promoters happy. Jim gets it, and he has a team of people that carry out that mission.”

10 Wright State University Nutter Center Milestones

1 2

Dec. 1, 1990: Doors open! First event is a Wright State University Men’s Basketball victory vs. Tennessee State.

Jan. 13-14, 1992: Guns N’ Roses performed twice in one day. The first show was to take place on Friday the 13th, but superstitious lead singer Axl Rose wouldn’t go on stage until after midnight. They ended up performing early Saturday morning and then put on another show later that evening.

3 4

Oct. 20, 1996: First Dayton Bombers hockey game

5 6

Dec. 30, 1999: Wright State Raiders Men’s Basketball upset No. 8 Michigan State with a final score of 53-49.

June/July 1999: The annual Wally Byam Caravan Club International (WBCCI) rally hosted 2,000 airstream trailers at the Nutter Center and the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

April 16, 2004: After two earlier postponements, Aerosmith finally appeared 30 months after the originally scheduled show date.

7

March 23-24, 2006: Kenny Chesney’s two sold-out shows become the highest-grossing shows for the venue at the time.

8 9 10

Feb. 25, 2008: Sen. Barack Obama’s Campaign Rally Aug. 29, 2008: Sen. John McCain announced Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate for vice president.

July 22, 2015: The Eagles performed to a sold-out crowd and set a house record for highest gross.

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Nathan Daulbaugh, www.nathanallenstudios.com

EAGLES: History of the Eagles Tour, July 22, 2015

Facilities &Event Management TM

2015 LUMINARY Entertainment Venue Executives

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ur country’s entertainment venues welcome the most talented performers touring today, and it takes considerable talent to ensure that these facilities provide the experience that artists, touring managers and patrons expect. A venue’s top executives are at the helm when it comes to delivering on those expectations. They are often the driving force behind venue promotion, community relations, business development, vendor partnerships, renovations and upgrades, staff performance and more.

Below are the 20 entertainment venue executives who received the most LUMINARY Award nominations last year from our readership of booking agents, talent buyers, promoters as well as facility managers — demonstrating recognition by both clients and industry peers. The following pages feature a sampling of these award winners and some of their most notable achievements.

F&EM looks forward to recognizing more winners in this category and others in future issues.

Dennis Andres

Executive Director, Morris Performing Arts Center

Frank Bradshaw

Executive Director, Val A. Browning Center for the Performing Arts

Matthew Brown

Managing Director, Greensboro Coliseum Complex

Michael Caddell

General Manager, Harbour Station

Dot Lischick

General Manager, Colorado Springs World Arena and Pikes Peak Center

Will Lofdahl

CHIEF Executive Officer, SASKTEL CENTRE

Steve Miller

General Manager, SeaGate Convention Centre & HUNTINGTON CENTER

Nina Simmons

Lynn Carlotto

Director, Halton Arena/UNC Charlotte

Michael Cera

General Manager, Nashville Municipal Auditorium

General Manager, Rogers K-Rock Centre General Manager, Stockton Arena/Bob Hope Theatre/ Stockton Ballpark/Oak Park Ice Arena

Darren Davis

Executive Director, Orleans Arena

Matthew Gibson

General Manager, Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena

David Holscher

General Manager, North Charleston Coliseum/PAC/ Convention Center

Todd Hunt

Executive Director, BancorpSouth Arena & Conference Center

Facilities & event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

Robert Skoney Leslee Stewart

General Manager, Paramount Theatre

Cheryl Swanson

Executive Director, Alerus Center

Kevin Ullestad

Director, University of Illinois State Farm Center

Kendall Wall

General Manager, Florence Civic Center

Robyn Williams

Executive Director, Portland’5 Centers for the Arts

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2015 LUMINARY Entertainment Venue Executive

2015 LUMINARY Entertainment Venue Executive

2015 LUMINARY Entertainment Venue Executive

Dennis Andres

Lynn Carlotto

Darren Davis

Executive Director Morris Performing Arts Center South Bend, IN

General Manager Rogers K-Rock Centre SMG Canada Kingston, Ontario

Executive Director Orleans Arena Las Vegas, NV

Since coming to the helm of the Morris Performing Arts Center as Executive Director in May 2000, Dennis Andres has taken the Center to a new peak of performance. He brings more than 30 years of experience as an actor, director, designer and manager to his position.

Lynn Carlotto oversees the booking, finance, marketing and operations departments of the 8-year-old, award-winning Rogers K-Rock Centre. Prior to her move to Canada, Carlotto’s career was Connecticut based with general manager positions at Live Nation’s Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford and Centerplate’s Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport.

Darren Davis, CFE has over 22 years of experience combining facility operations and event management, including both public and privately owned venues. He was named Executive Director of the Orleans Arena in June 2008. Before assuming that position, he was the Senior Director of Booking for the facility and prior to that, the Director of Operations. Davis has launched two arena grand openings: in 2003 with the Orleans Arena and in 2013 for the Kansas Star Arena. Awarded the Venue Excellence Award by IAVM, the Orleans Arena is owned and operated by Boyd Gaming Corporation, which gives Davis the unique opportunity to work in both venue management and the gaming industry simultaneously.

Andres earned his bachelor’s degree in theater/scene design from Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA, and his master’s degree in theater at Syracuse University. He served as an Assistant Professor and Department Chair in theater arts at Mercyhurst, and has held positions at Erie Civic Theatre in Pennsylvania, Syracuse Stage in New York, Berkshire Summer Festivals, Hartford Ballet Company in Connecticut and Erie Civic Center/Warner Theatre in Pennsylvania.

At the Star Theatre/Resort in Merrillville, IN, he was involved in presenting more than 250 events a year and is credited with helping to develop much of the theater’s operational functions and control systems that have made the facility a model of excellence in the industry.

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Facilities &Event Management

As GM of the Bridgeport Arena, Carlotto was instrumental in securing Webster Bank into a long-term naming rights sponsorship. She also successfully lobbied the state legislature for an exemption to the admission tax levied against the arena. While in Bridgeport, Carlotto also built the arena event base from the ground up, securing a number of prestigious events, including NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball tournament games, sell-out concerts, and the Vote 2010 Election Rally featuring President Obama.

Carlotto serves on the Executive Committee for Downtown Kingston! and is a member of IAVM. She earned her Magna Cum Laude bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston College, and master’s in leadership from Albertus Magnus College.

In 1994 Davis graduated from Louisiana State University with a bachelor’s in mass communication/advertising. He is also a graduate of Oglebay – Public Assembly Facility Management School.

Davis serves on IAVM’s Membership Advisory Counsel for Region 7 as the Chair of the membership growth and recruitment subcommittee.

Facilities & event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

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2015 LUMINARY Entertainment Venue Executive

2015 LUMINARY Entertainment Venue Executive

2015 LUMINARY Entertainment Venue Executive

Todd Hunt

Will Lofdahl

Steve Miller

Executive Director BancorpSouth Arena and Conference Center Tupelo, MS

Chief Executive Officer SaskTel Centre Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

General Manager SeaGate Convention Centre Huntington Center Toledo, OH

Todd Hunt, CFE has led BancorpSouth Arena and Conference Center since 2007. The 10,000-seat arena attracts approximately 300,000 guests annually to events as diverse as Jason Aldean, Cirque du Soleil, Disney on Ice, Elton John and Kid Rock.

Will Lofdahl heads the 15,000-seat arena that is home to the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey league and the Saskatchewan Rush of the National Lacrosse League. The SaskTel Centre is also one of Canada’s leading concert venues. In his current role, Lofdahl is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the venue, including managing a $23 million annual operating budget, longrange planning, marketing, booking, development, food service, parking and ticketing. He manages a full-time staff of 26 and a contracted and part-time staff of some 700.

Since January 2008, Steve Miller, a 20year veteran of the facility management industry, has been the General Manager of the SMG-managed SeaGate Convention Centre and the Huntington Center.

Home to the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL, the 8,000-seat arena is one of the busiest arenas of its size in the country, hosting 85-90 ticketed events per year.

During his time in Tupelo he has increased concert bookings (200 percent), tickets sold (160 percent), gross ticket sales (230 percent), total venue attendance (50 percent), total revenues (50 percent) and cash reserves (700 percent), while delivering a budget surplus each year.

His first general manager position was from 1997-1999 at the Tupelo Coliseum, where he negotiated the first venue naming rights deal in the state of Mississippi while also bringing professional sports to the area for the first time.

From 1999-2007, Hunt served as the Director of Humphrey Coliseum and Athletic Concessions for Mississippi State University. Hunt is very active in IAVM, currently serving on the Board of Directors as the Sector Director for Arenas.

Prior to assuming his current position in 2011, Lofdahl held management positions with The Georgia Dome, Pan American Center/Aggie Memorial Stadium, the Tacoma Dome and the Show Me Center.

Facilities & event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

Hailing from the small town of Homer, MI, Miller graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in sports management and communications, and received his master’s in sports administration and facility management from Ohio University. He came to Grand Rapids in 1996 to serve as Event Coordinator at Van Andel Arena. Miller has also been Sales Manager for the former Grand Center, and Director of Event Services and then Director of Sales for DeVos Place. In January 2006, he was named Assistant General Manager at the newly expanded DeVos Place. Two years later, he was appointed to his current role.

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2015 LUMINARY Entertainment Venue Executive

2015 LUMINARY Entertainment Venue Executive

2015 LUMINARY Entertainment Venue Executive

Cheryl Swanson

Kendall Wall

ROBYN L. WILLIAMS

Executive Director Alerus Center Grand Forks, ND

General Manager Florence Civic Center Florence, SC

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PORTLAND’5 Centers for the Arts PORTLAND, OR

Cheryl Swanson, CFE leads the Prime Site Award-winning Alerus Center, home to NCAA Division I University of North Dakota football. Early in her career she opened a new arena at Eastern Michigan University, where she also managed a performing arts theater and football stadium. With demonstrated success in the positive transformation of venues, she traveled up the road to serve as Executive Director of Michigan State University’s Breslin Center, a position she held for four years.

Kendall Wall has been SMG’s General Manager at the Florence Civic Center since October 2001. During his tenure, the revenue at the facility has increased by threefold, or 240 percent. Wall is co-founder and past Chairman of the Florence Area Sports Council, and a member of the Florence CVB Board of Directors, Florence Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Florence County Economic Development and Partnership, as well a member of IAVM and IFEA.

Robyn Williams, CFE has worked in the public assembly facility management field for more than 30 years. Currently, she leads Portland’5 Centers for the Arts. Among several prior roles, she has served as Director of Theater District Facilities in Houston, TX, and as Vice President of Operations and Real Estate for the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center and Spirit Square Center for the Arts and Education.

Swanson is a past chair of the Board of Governors for the Senior Executive Symposium at Cornell University, and has served two terms on IAVM’s Board of Directors. In June she will assume the chair position for IAVM’s Board of Regents for the Venue Management School in Wheeling, WV, where she has been an instructor since 2010 and chaired the Curriculum Committee. In November 2015, Swanson was proud to serve as an exchange instructor at the Venue Management School in Kingscliff, New South Wales, Australia.

For the past 27 years, Wall has been involved in the operations and management of public facilities. As President of the Crown Center in Fayetteville, NC, he developed and opened the $55 million Crown Coliseum. He has also served as Assistant Director of the Montgomery Civic Center and Events Manager for the State Fair of Oklahoma.

Wall has received national recognition from the industry, including the PAFMSTicketmaster award, and the Florence Civic Center itself is an 11-time Prime Site Award winner.

Williams is a Past President of IAVM and serves on the Foundation Board of Trustees. She chaired the IAVM Performing Arts Committee in 1993 and 1994; chaired the first Performing Arts Facility Management Seminar in Chicago; and served on the IAVM Board of Directors as the Director at LargePerforming Arts. Williams is also a past instructor and chair of the Board of Regents for IAVM’s Venue Management School, where she introduced the first class on stage operations and rigging safety. She was the 2008 recipient of the school’s Ray Ward Award, honoring her contributions to VMS.

Facilities & event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

IAVM VENUECONNECT

Top product/service companies on hand at the 2015 IAVM Annual Conference & Trade Show, Baltimore, MD

Steven Cahoon (left), Senior Vice President of Sales, and Gary Wattie, Senior Vice President of Sales, Centerplate

Facilities &Event Management

Sean O’Leary, Ron Bilodeau, Steve Luttazi, Jack Rogers and Todd Vigil of Hussey Seating

Vice President of Sales & Marketing Ken Persson and the staff of Maywood Furniture Corp.

IAVM Minneapolis For the 24th consecutive year, F&EM will be exhibiting at the IAVM Venueconnect tradeshow. All advertisers in our special iavm show section get bonus show distrubution.

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Guerin Pavilion Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA ©2015 MTS Seating

Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2015-2016 Booking Guide

Photo credit: Courtesy of Skirball Cultural Center Photo by Elon Schoenholz

25 MTSM493 F&EM Buyers Guide.indd 1

5/22/15 11:06 AM

I am the IAFE.

Bryan Schulz, CFE Red River Valley Fair

“

Education is the lifeblood for continued growth in a person’s quest for job advancement and the Red River Valley Fair Association board and management believe this whole heartedly. We see the courses offered through the IAFE as being major factors in our staff’s advancement and our boards overall knowledge of the Fair industry.

In the past 8 years we have had three graduates from the Institute of Fair Management with two of us going on to get our CFE’s. In addition to the aforementioned graduates, we also have 4 additional staff members enrolled in the Institute Course and one more that will begin shortly. We have had a total of 8 board and staff members take the Consumer Protection course from which major changes were implemented in how we handle livestock events on our grounds.

We are a midsize Fair with a limited budget for education but believe if we want to keep good people, we need to invest in their future by giving them all of the necessary tools to perform their daily duties and work for possible advancement.

Thanks to the IAFE Staff and instructors for their continued commitment to the Fair Industry.

www.fairsandexpos.com

”

ASU Gammage, the Valley’s premier venue for theatrical productions

spotlight

Tim Trunble

Valley of the Sun Local promoters share insights on the Phoenix area’s vibrant entertainment venues

By Anthony Bilden

T

he concert scene in Phoenix, AZ will be especially hot this summer with the recently announced performances by Adele. The British superstar’s world tour, supporting her multiplatinum album 25, will stop Aug. 16 and 17 at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Known as US Airways Center until completing the transition last October, Talking Stick Resort Arena is no stranger to hosting some of the biggest names in music, with upcoming dates by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Carrie Underwood and Selena Gomez. The promoters and managers behind those shows will surely be pleased by the draw in this dynamic Southwest market, not to mention the service they receive from venue staff.

“I consider [Talking Testament comes from Terry Burke, President, Southwest Music at Live Nation: “Working with Talking Stick Resort Arena has always been a positive experience since the venue was opened,” he relates.

“I consider them the benchmark on how to treat artists, fans and promoters. [GM] Ralph Marchetta and his entire team have always been flexible in adapting to the specific needs for a particular show. They will go out of their way to make sure your experience there is the best it can possibly be, whether it is your first show or 150th show.”

Burke oversees the booking and operations of the Live Nationoperated facilities Ak Chin Pavilion and Comerica Theatre, and is a veteran of the Phoenix live entertainment industry. He has been promoting concerts in the region since 1985, when he served as VP/talent buyer for Evening Star Productions, founded by Burke’s colleague, Danny Zelisko. A legendary Arizona promoter who started his career in 1974, Zelisko today is President of Danny Zelisko Presents and promotes about 125-150 shows a year. Given his illustrious history, Zelisko has insight on a multitude of local concert venues, including Talking Stick.

Stick Resort Arena] the benchmark on how to treat artists, fans and promoters. . . . They will go out of their way to make sure your experience there is the best it can possibly be.”

—Terry Burke, President Southwest Music at Live Nation

Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 booking guide

“I am the buyer for Talking Stick Resort. The place has become synonymous with entertainment, and I’m not just saying that to bang the drum because I’m paid to, but because it happens to be true, if you look at the lineup of acts that have been promoted there over the last four years,” he says.

“So Talking Stick’s taking over the name sponsorship of the [US Airways Center] I think really solidifies them in the entertainment market, because that’s what they’re about.”

Zelisko has booked Todd Rundgren, David Crosby, Steve Hackett and comedians such as Tracy Morgan and Kathleen Madigan at the resort’s 650-seat Showroom. “Nearly all the shows that we do sell that room 27

out, and ticket prices are high but you’re getting to see these acts that are very high quality. The room is beautiful and it’s got this resort around it with great restaurants and gaming,” says Zelisko, who has also had sellouts with Frankie Valli and the Brian Setzer Orchestra at Talking Stick.

Grand Canyon University Arena “is a beautiful facility. . . . The shows I did there that stand out the most are Lady Antebellum and The Beach Boys when they did their reunion.”

Looking at the Valley’s facilities more broadly, he highlights Phoenix’s 2,650-seat Celebrity Theatre, noting that the local crowd “still loves going” to this classic venue, opened in 1964. And the Grand Canyon University Arena “is a beautiful facility, although I haven’t been in it since they added the capacity to it [see facing page regarding the expansion],” he says. “The shows I did there that stand out the most are Lady Antebellum and The Beach Boys when they did their reunion.” While ASU Gammage in Tempe has not been a player in the concert industry for about 15 years, Zelisko notes that “they’re the leader in theatrical events.”

Danny Zelisko, third from right, with The Beach Boys at GCU Arena.

Complementing Gammage are Arizona State University’s arenas: the 65,000-seat Sun Devil Stadium and 14,000+ seat Wells Fargo Arena. The latter recently added a multimillion-dollar centercourt hung video scoreboard that is among the finest in college athletics. Meanwhile, Sun Devil Stadium has been on the path to —Danny Zelisko improvement, recently launching Danny Zelisko Presents Phase II of its construction project.

Upgrades will include amenities, concessions, restrooms, seating, concourses and more. Phase III, the last phase, will focus mainly on the east side of the stadium (see p. 32 for details). Built in 1958, the Stadium has certainly done its part to raise the Valley’s profile in the concert industry, appearing in The Rolling Stones’ 1983 concert film Let’s Spend the Night Together and U2’s 1988 documentary Rattle and Hum.

ASU GAMMAGE www.asugammage.com

T

Tim Trunble

he Frank Lloyd Wright-designed ASU Gammage, located on the Tempe campus of Arizona State University, is a top venue for Broadway and major performing arts tours.

Upcoming shows include Bridges of Madison County, Feb. 16-21; 42nd Street, April 5-10; and Newsies, June 14-19. Last October, the blockbuster hit Wicked closed a six-week run that capped off a record-breaking 2014-2015 season that drew 300,000 patrons for an estimated $89 million economic impact for the Valley of the Sun. According to Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, Executive Director for ASU Gammage and Associate Vice President Cultural Affairs for ASU, “During the summer months, this boost is much needed and is important to the business vitality of the region.”

CAPACITY: 2,800 STAGING: Stage depth, 32 ft. (can be increased); proscenium width, 64 ft. maximum, 42 ft. minimum; proscenium height, 30 ft.; orchestra pit, 76 ft. wide by 11 ft. deep.

BACKSTAGE AREAS: Two star dressing rooms, two principal rooms, one men’s chorus room for 18; one women’s chorus room for 18. Lower level: three rooms of varying sizes, one dressing room for three. Upper level: laundry/ wardrobe room.

Joan Marcus

FOOD & BEVERAGE: Dining options include the Portico Patio, open 90 minutes before Broadway shows, and The Wright Place, a new cocktails venue.

Alyssa Fox stars in Wicked. The show’s 2015 national tour had a successful six-week run at ASU Gammage.

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Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 booking guide

GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY ARENA www.gcuarena.com

A

rizona’s premier private Christian university, Grand Canyon University debuted its Arena on Sept. 1, 2011. In August 2014, GCU expanded the venue with 2,000 additional seats. With only 42 steps from event level to concourse level, every seat in the house has a good view. The 135,000-sq.-ft. Arena hosts GCU athletics, University and community events, and national concert tours.

For example, on Feb. 27 the Arena will welcome the Rock & Worship Roadshow, with Christian music favorites such as Newsboys, Jeremy Camp and Mandisa.

CAPACITY: 7,000 STAGING: StageRight, 60 ft. by 40 ft. maximum BACKSTAGE AREAS: Four dressing rooms, green room, two visiting team locker rooms, two coaches’ offices within the home team locker rooms AV FEATURES: One 15 ft.-by-35 ft. high-definition video board, two 10 ft.-by-18 ft. high-definition video boards, high-resolution digital ribbon board, and high-definition lobby video board. The JumboTron can be moved with the touch of a finger via a trolley beam.

L Acoustics house sound system.

OTHER FEATURES: Five concession stands (including three pizza ovens), portable basketball floor, large windows providing natural light

TALKING STICK RESORT ARENA www.talkingstickresortarena.com

O

pened in 1992, the Talking Stick Resort Arena is home to the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and the AFL’s Arizona Rattlers, as well as a hub of top-tier entertainment in Phoenix. In 2004, the Talking Stick Resort Arena completed a $70 million expansion and improvement project that introduced the 14,000-sq.-ft. Casino Arizona Pavilion, serving as a grand entrance. On the east side, the Coors Light Cold Zone provides a flexible outdoor entertainment venue covered by a football field-length canopy and complemented by state-of-the-art AV. CAPACITY: 18,000 STAGING: Sico staging, 64 ft. by 40 ft. maximum (8 ft. by 4 ft. decks); height adjusts from 4 ft. to 6 ft. in increments of six inches; two sets of stage stairs available BACKSTAGE AREAS: 13 dressing rooms/offices, 12 of which include private shower/restroom facilities. A 2,194-sq.-ft. multipurpose area features movable walls, shower/restroom facilities, telephone lines, high speed Internet, and plasma TVs with cable. Two 320-sq.-ft. production offices are available with amenities.

AV FEATURES: 900-ft. LED ribbon; center-hung scoreboard with HDTV; sound reinforcement system consisting of Martin line array configured (in the round), and controlled by Crown IQ software U2 brought their 2015 iNNOCENCE + AMENITIES: 900-space attached garage (1,500-space garage next door), catering lounge (catering provided by Arizona Catering), two event-level club eXPERIENCE Tour to Talking Stick Resort Arena, spaces, 87 luxury suites and six party suites, 16 concession stands operated by playing two sold-out shows on May 22 and 23.

Levy Restaurants EVENT PROMOTION: Full-service, in-house marketing staff

Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 booking guide

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Facilities A-Z Air Canada Centre..................................................................... 36

Ford Center...................................................................................40

Allen County War Memorial Coliseum............................ 36

Frank Erwin Center....................................................................40

Arie Crown Theater................................................................... 36

Lloyd Noble Center...................................................................40

ASU Gammage............................................................................. 36

Morris Performing Arts Center............................................40

Blue Cross Arena........................................................................ 36

MTS Centre..................................................................................... 41

Cabarrus Arena............................................................................ 36

Sprint Center.................................................................................. 41

Chesapeake Energy Arena..................................................... 36

State Farm Arena......................................................................... 41

Coliseo de Puerto Rico............................................................ 36

Straz Center for the Performing Arts................................ 41

DCU Center...................................................................................40

Talking Stick Resort Arena.......................................................47

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

United Supermarkets Arena...................................................47

The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre.............................40

Verizon Wireless Arena.............................................................47

Florence Civic Center..............................................................40

Wright State University’s Nutter Center..........................47

NORTH D U O L T A GRE TRIC

@MLSE.COM IA.SILLIPHANT

PAUL A.PERR

I@MLSE.COM

@MLSELIVE AIRCANADACENTRE.COM | RICOHCOLISEUM.COM

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Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

indiana

Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

W

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

ith the recent opening of the Conference Center, the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum now includes more than 1,000,000 sq. ft. under one roof. It is one of only a few facilities in the United States that can feature two arenas, connected by a shared lobby. 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 and now has the state’s second-largest public assembly facility, in the Memorial Coliseum complex. Easily accessible from major Midwest markets, such as Indianapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Columbus and Cincinnati, the market offers affordable local media and easy, convenient routing for touring productions and events.

Arena The Coliseum Arena is home to the Komets (ECHL) and the Mad Ants (NBADL) and annually hosts major concerts and family show events. It features a four-sided, center-hung video scoreboard, nearly 360 degrees of ribbon boards and a custom curtaining system to reduce capacity when needed. In 20132014, the concourses underwent a complete overhaul and renovation with new restrooms and expanded concessions offerings.

Expo Center The Coliseum Expo Center is 152,000 sq. ft. of multipurpose space with two portable walls and flexible telescopic seating units. The main Expo Center room can be used in its entirety of 180,000 sq. ft. or in smaller increments. Ample loading docks and drive-through bays facilitate easy load-in and load-out.

NEW Conference Center

The 50,000-sq.-ft. Conference Center includes 27,155 sq. ft. of multipurpose carpeted event space that can be divided into five smaller spaces with airwalls. Over 20,000 sq. ft. of luxurious pre-function lobby space and the state-of-the-art CREATE Tasting Kitchen provide an impressive venue for banquets, meetings, tradeshows and other events. Built-in screens, projectors and intelligent LED lighting make audiovisual easy and convenient.

Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

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Arizona

Arizona State University’s Sun Devil Stadium

500 East Veterans Way Tempe, AZ 85287 (480) 965-2381 thesundevils.com

A

rizona State University is turning to an experienced leader of high-profile events to oversee programming at Sun Devil Stadium as it seeks to transform what today is primarily a football venue into a community and cultural hub available for use year round.

With the next phase of the stadium renovation project underway, President Michael Crow has named Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, Executive Director of ASU Gammage and Associate Vice President Cultural Affairs for ASU, to program and manage additional events at the revitalized Sun Devil Stadium.

Sun Devil Stadium has seen sold-out rock concerts, a Papal visit and many local events in the past, but in recent years it has been utilized almost exclusively on game days. Crow previously charged Jennings-Roggensack with designing a process to envision new uses for the space; now she will have responsibility for the implementation of those ideas.

“I am confident that the experience and creativity that Colleen brings to this project will make full use of the university’s capacity to innovate,” Crow said.

Jennings-Roggensack said that the reinvented Sun Devil Stadium will provide a venue for a variety of community and university engagements. The extent to which the facility becomes a multipurpose venue will depend upon creative thinking and philanthropic support.

Sun Devil Stadium, which was originally constructed in 1958, has played host to the Super Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl and NFL games. Sun Devil Stadium was also featured in The Rolling Stones concert film Let’s Spend the Night Together and in U2: Rattle Hum as well as several movies including the Oscar-nominated Jerry Maguire.

“We want Sun Devil Stadium 2.0 to weave together athletics, student life and the vibrant community that surrounds ASU,” Jennings-Roggensack said. “The stadium-between-the-buttes can play host to competitions and celebrations of academics, the arts and community success. The stadium should be infused with life and learning as never before.”

In addition to her responsibilities at Gammage, Jennings-Roggensack co-chaired the 2004 presidential debate at ASU, served as a Super Bowl XXX vice-chair, is a current Tony Awards voter and has held a host of leadership roles in local and national civic and arts organizations.

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Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

NORTH CAROLINA

Cabarrus Arena & Events Center

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he Cabarrus Arena & Events Center is the region’s newest and most innovative exhibition center, offering a flexible floor plan and state-of-the-art features. With the 5,000-seat arena, in excess of 150,000 sq. ft. of temperature-controlled event space and an 11-acre lawn, the Cabarrus Arena offers more meeting, banquet and exhibition options than any other facility in Cabarrus County.

4751 Highway 49 North Concord, NC 28025 (704) 920-3976 cabarrusarena.com

Situated in Concord, NC, the Cabarrus Arena & Events Center is in the heart of an area rich with colorful history and a tapestry of both the old and the new. The facility is only moments away from the historic downtown district with its stately antebellum homes and specialty shops, and minutes from the Charlotte Motor Speedway and Concord Mills Mall, the most visited tourist attraction in the state of North Carolina.

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Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

Massachusetts

DCU Center

O

wned by the City of Worcester and managed by SMG, the DCU Center in Worcester, MA has been recognized as the gathering place for people to experience the finest in entertainment, sporting events and public functions. Hailed as one of the most successful entertainment and convention facilities in the nation, the DCU Center opened its doors in September 1982 with the legendary Frank Sinatra Inaugural Concert. Since then, acts of all musical genres have found their way to the arena stage.

The arena features annual appearances of the top family shows including Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Disney On Ice and the Harlem Globetrotters. The DCU Center also plays host to a variety of sporting and entertainment events, including NCAA Hockey, Holy Cross Basketball, Professional Bull Riders, MIAA High School Basketball Championships, Monster Trucks and more.

The facility expanded in 1997 with the opening of an attached state-of-the-art convention center that features panoramic views of downtown Worcester. The complex, described as an architectural gem, added 50,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, 11 meeting rooms, a 12,144-sq.-ft. ballroom (the largest in Central Massachusetts) and a state-of-the-art kitchen. During the summer of 2009, the DCU Center underwent the first phase of a multiyear capital improvement project ($8.5 million), which included an electrical service upgrade and the complete replacement of the ice surface. A new ice plant and chillers were replaced, and new dasher boards and state-of-the-art seamless glass were installed. The Arena remained

open while the project continued behind the scenes until May 1, 2013, when the DCU Center closed for the final phase of construction. Over a five-month period, the DCU Center underwent a $23 million renovation and expansion project, May 1–Oct. 1, 2013, and officially reopened with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Public Preview event on Oct. 3, 2013. Elements of the new design include upgrades to both the interior and exterior of the facility and consist of a new façade, digital marquee, a landscaped promenade/entrance, redesigned box office pavilion, an expanded concourse, indoor/outdoor retail space, four luxury event suites and a new concourse-level bar/club area. The cumulative total for the multiyear capital improvement project is $31.5 million.

Capacities: 240° end stage concert, 11,625; 360° end stage concert, 14,526; 180° end stage w/curtains, 5,460 (expandable up to 9,915).

Backstage areas include four large rooms with showers, two medium rooms, one small room, production room, catering room, meeting room, officials locker room.

Located in the heart of Massachusetts, Worcester is New England’s second-largest city, located 40 miles west of Boston. With its central location, the DCU Center draws fans from throughout New England — from neighboring markets like Hartford, Manchester and Providence, as well as pulling from the more than six million people living within a 50-mile radius of Worcester. Worcester is a safe and affordable destination that is easy to navigate, making it an attractive place for fans to travel to and from.

50 Foster Street, Worcester, MA 01608 • (508) 755-6800 • www.dcucenter.com Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

35

Ontario

Air Canada Centre

40 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (416) 815-5500 theaircanadacentre.com Vice President, Live Entertainment: Wayne Zronik

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

illinois

Arie Crown Theater

2301 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60616 (312) 791-6196 ariecrown.com Director: Dulcie Gilmore

Arizona

ASU Gammage Wells Fargo Arena

600 East Veterans Way, Tempe, AZ 85281 (480) 965-5062

asu.edu/tour/tempe/wfa.html

Director of Operations: Terri Cranmer

NEW YORK

Blue Cross Arena

1 War Memorial Square, Rochester, NY 14614 (585) 758-5300; Fax: (585) 758-5327 bluecrossarena.com SMG General Manager: Jeff Calkins

NORTH CAROLINA

Cabarrus Arena & Events Center

4751 Hwy 49 North, Concord, NC 28025 (704) 920-3976; Fax: (704) 920-3999 cabarrusarena.com Sales & Marketing Manager: Pam Sossamon OKLAHOMA

Chesapeake Energy Arena

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

Puerto Rico

Coliseo De Puerto Rico

500 Arterial B Street, Hato Rey, PR 00918 (787) 777-0800; (877) Coliseo (265-4736) Fax: (787) 777-0809 coliseodepuertorico.com General Manager: Wesley Elizabeth Cullen

36

Since its introduction in 1999, Air Canada Centre has hosted over 36 million fans at 2,500 events, and is consistently ranked among the top sport and music venue in the North America and the world. The venue is home to the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey club (NHL), Toronto Raptors basketball club (NBA) and the Toronto Rock Lacrosse team (NLL). Capacities: basketball: 18,639; hockey/lacrosse: 17,372; theater: 5,996; concert bowl: 8,607; 180° mode: 13,412; center stage: 18,959. Five restaurants and bars; 13,000 parking spaces within walking distance; e-mail list of 35,000 Live Insiders. One quarter of Canada’s population live within a 100-mile PAGE radius of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), which features a broad ethnic diversity.

30 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 events, with telePAGE scopic seating and floor chairs.

3 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 Crown Theater offers convenient underground parking for all performances.

Located on Arizona State University’s Tempe Campus, Wells Fargo Arena is home to a variety of Sun Devil sporting events as well as concerts and shows, and is one of the nation’s top collegiate arenas. The 14,000-seat basketball arena serves the Phoenix Valley, with a population of three million. It offers more than 8,000 parking spaces and is located two blocks from two light rail stations, and two blocks from a bus transportation center. Wells Fargo Arena recently added a multimillion-dollar center-court hung video scoreboard, along with four 8 ft.-by-12 ft. video screens. The venue also features PAGE an in-house marketing department.

33 Serving the Rochester market since 1955, the SMG-managed Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial has hosted acts as diverse as Ringling Brothers, Barry Manilow, Harlem Globetrotters and Monster Jam. The arena offers seating for 12,428 (upper bowl, 6,052; lower bowl, 4,696; floor, 1,680) and has a maximum capacity of 14,000 for general admission. Rolling 80 ft.-by-80 ft.

StageRight concert stage with adjustable 4 ft. to 6 ft. height. Backstage areas include three locker rooms, four dressing rooms, an officials room and a green room. A promoters’ office of about 10 ft. by 25 ft. is available. The Blue Cross Arena is also known for the War Memorial shrine, PAGE accessible to the public, and the Veteran’s Memorial Plaza overlooking the Genesee River. 30 Multipurpose venue with 150,000 sq. ft. of temperature-controlled event space, plus 11-acre lawn, 28,000-sq.-ft.-arena seats: 5,000 concerts/4,390 boxing and wrestling, 3,800 arena football; 1,500–3,000 half-house; indoor/outdoor portable staging; two dressing rooms. Exhibition space - Event Center A: 40,000 sq. ft.; Event Center B: 30,000 sq. ft.; Gold Hall 1: 20,000 sq. ft.; Gold Hall 2: 10,000 sq. ft.; Cabarrus Room A: 2,400 sq. ft.; Cabarrus Room B: 1,200 sq. ft.; Cabarrus Room C: 1,200 sq. ft. Audience: 313,700 within a 15-mile radius; 1,377,900 – 30-mile radius; 3,154,100 – 60-mile radius; Seven VIP suites; six PAGE onsite concession stands.

34 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 PAGE dining areas. Full service, award-winning marketing staff.

7 Opened in 2005, the Coliseo is the premier stage in the Caribbean. Capacities: concerts end-stage 240° – 15,694; end-stage 180° – 14,730; boxing or wrestling – 18,163; basketball – 17,024; hockey ice rink, size 200 ft. by 85 ft. – 15,635; half-house – 10,959; theater style – 3,093; 26 Corporate Suites, 1,000 club seats, two party suites, VIP Lounge with private elevator. StageRight 88 ft. by 48 ft. max, adjustable from 4 ft. to 6 ft. in 2-in. increments; four stairs units; 80 ft. StageRight barricade; 16 food concessions stands plus six onsite concessions restaurants and five bar concessions.

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Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

RHODE ISLAND

Dunkin’ Donuts Center

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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 Center & 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 ft., 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, as well as concessions 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 and public relations’ specialists, who in turn operate a full-service 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, 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, Rhode Island 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.

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

Contacts: Cheryl Cohen, Director of Booking (p) 401.331.0700 ext.7123 (e) ccohen@dunkindonutscenter.com Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

Debra Polselli, Booking Assistant (p) 401.331.0700 ext.7112 (e) dpolselli@dunkindonutscenter.com 37

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

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Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

South Carolina

Florence Civic Center SMG Florence Continues to Upgrade and Update the 20-plus-Year-Old Venue Team builds in-house print shop to benefit venue and clients

T

here are always new concepts, a reinvention of the wheel, or small changes to current plans that can improve the experience for visitors as they walk through the doors of any facility. As time passes, so do the effective and efficient ways of impressing patrons. In the age of technology there is always room for improvement, especially in older buildings. One way of making those small changes is the D.I.Y. method, which is exactly what the team in Florence, SC is doing. Over the past several months the SMGmanaged Florence Civic Center has been developing their own in-house print shop to enhance the venue’s visual appeal, as well as benefit promoters.

Now operating a wide format printer and Class A production printer, the Florence marketing team has been hard at work updating the visual effects for visitors. Through subtle changes such as event flyers printed edge-toedge (no white border), custom stand-up banners, large wall posters and window clings, the splendor is seen within the fine details.

More extravagant changes like 10-ft. floor decals, 25-ft. concession art and multi-window transparent panel graphics have had visitors widening eyes in notice of the transformation. Although the print shop is fairly new, the team has managed to implant multiple updates and has plans for several more phases over the next couple of years. “We didn’t know exactly what we were capable of and although we’re still learning the system and software, we now know the opportunities are endless,” says Nick Hooker, Senior Marketing Manager for SMG-Florence.

No longer does the building have to wait for an outside vendor to produce arena backlit signs or print vinyl banners just hours before an event. And projects that previously would have been dismissed due to budget or time concerns are now a standard procedure. “The in-house printers provide an ability to be more creative, quickly change messages, and rejuvenate outdated visuals, all at a reduced cost,” states Hooker.

As the saying goes, “It’s all about first impressions,” and the Center has this thought in mind while redesigning the exterior with parking lot directionals, custom event welcome boards and window

displays. Furthermore, the venue impresses with interior changes including new concession panels, sponsorship wall graphics, concourse directional boards, floor decals and more. These details enhance the fan experience and leave patrons exiting the venue with a much better perception and lasting impression from their visit.

Visitors are not the only beneficiaries to this new print shop; event promoters see it as a major bonus as well. The venue can now produce posters, banners, flyers, coupons and handouts for promoters in-house with exceptional quality at a rate unrivaled to commercial print vendors. The business of live events can be demanding and require art changes on the fly or print jobs needed overnight, all of which SMG-Florence can now accommodate with ease. “Promoters are somewhat shocked when we tell them we can print street team flyers here at the venue. Then they’re really shocked when we say we can do it within hours at material cost,” states Chastity Wilson, Media and Design Coordinator.

The world of print media has just begun in Florence and the team is eager to embrace it. “We have the ability to print our own billboards or display a 100-ft. message on the arena floor. I can’t wait to implement some out-of-the-box ideas,” continues Wilson. In a short few months, the changes are beyond noticeable in Florence.

Imagine what changes are to come over the next few years.

3300 West Radio Drive, Florence, SC 29501 • (843) 679-9417 • florenceciviccenter.com Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

39

MassachuseTts

DCU Center

50 Foster Street, Worcester, MA 01608 (508) 755-6800; Fax: (508) 929-0111 www.dcucenter.com General Manager (Arena Bookings): Sandra Dunn New England’s Premier Arena & Convention Complex 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

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 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!

indiana

Ford Center

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

TEXAS

Frank Erwin Center

1701 Red River Austin, TX 78701 (512) 471-7744; Fax: (512) 471-9652 uterwincenter.com Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director: John M. Graham

oklahoma

Lloyd Noble Center

2900 South Jenkins Avenue, Norman, OK 73019 (405) 325-4666; Fax: (405) 325-4583 lloydnoblecenter.com Director of Events: Loida Haffener-Salmond

indiana

Morris Performing Arts Center

211 N. Michigan Street, South Bend, IN 46601 (574) 235-9190; (800) 537-6415; Fax: (574) 235-5604 morriscenter.org Executive Director: Dennis J. Andres The Magnificent Morris Has The Hottest Tickets in Town!

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For over three decades, the DCU Center in Worcester has been recognized as the gathering place for people to experience the finest in entertainment, sporting events and public functions. Capacities: 240° end stage concert, 11,625; 360° end stage concert, 14,526; 180° end stage w/curtains, 5,460 (expandable up to 9,915). Backstage areas: four large rooms with showers, two medium rooms, one small room, production room, catering room, meeting room, officials locker room. Located in the heart of Massachusetts, Worcester is New England’s second-largest city, located 40 miles west of Boston.

PAGE 15

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) – 3,50014,000; 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 PAGE students annually within a five-mile radius of downtown.

37 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 in Canada – 2.5 million+, Greater Toronto Area PAGE – five million+.

38 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 supplemental PAGE marketing efforts. 17,000+ Facebook fans; 22,000+ email club.

9 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; highPAGE 51 definition video board with upper and lower displays and ribbon board.

Since 1977, the Frank Erwin Center has fulfilled its mission of serving the greater Austin area with the most spectacular live entertainment. It is deep in the heart of 51,000 University of Texas students and more than 1.7 million people in the greater Austin area. The convenient location off of IH-35 is within walking distance of downtown Austin and the Texas Capitol. Staging: center stage or in-the-round setup, 16,737 seats; theater setup, 6,200-8,600 seats. StageRight staging units of 4 ft. by 8 ft., usable in various configurations at levels from 4 to 7 ft. Four large dressing rooms, two office-size dressing areas, three star dressing rooms, four multipurpose PAGE rooms, Lone Star Room for receptions, and production offices.

41 Multipurpose facility serving University of Oklahoma and surrounding community, Lloyd Noble Center is 20 minutes from downtown Oklahoma City, with one million+ within an 80-mile radius.

Capacities (including floor seating): in-the-round – 11,205; full arena – 8,519; expanded theater – 4,516; theater – 2,848. Six locker rooms; 850-sq.-ft. catering/media room; 1,140-sq.-ft. Media Work Room. House stage – 40 ft.-by-60 ft.-by-40 in. Stage area ranges from 48 sq. ft. to 2,400 sq. ft., made up of 8 ft.-by-4 ft. sections. 12 fixed concession stands operated by OU concessions. State-of-the-art retractable center-hung scoreboard and sound system features four PAGE high-definition video boards and four video boards.

41 State-of-the-art PAC ($24.3 million renovation in 2000) originally opened as The Palace Theater in 1921 with a design that replicated Italian Renaissance, Spanish Revival and Baroque architecture. Seats 2,560. Backstage areas: eight dressing rooms, two chorus rooms in Lower Level Hair/Wardrobe Room (30 ft.-by-18 ft.); catering room. Brand-new stage, 45 ft. deep by 103 ft. wide, with a 72-ft. fly height and 70 fly lines. Expanded orchestra pit; full Wenger symphonic shell; fully updated utilities and HVAC system.

One million within 40-minute drive; venue hosts 125+ events per year, attracting PAGE 156,000+.

42 Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

Manitoba

MTS Centre

300 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3C 5S4 (204) 987-7825; Fax: (204) 926-5555 mtscentre.ca Senior Vice President Venues & Entertainment: Kevin Donnelly

Missouri

Sprint Center

1407 Grand Boulevard Kansas City, MO 64106 (816) 949-7100 sprintcenter.com General Manager: Brenda Tinnen

texas

State Farm Arena

2600 North 10th Street, Hidalgo, TX 78557 (956) 843-6688; Fax: (956) 843-5547 statefarmarena.com General Manager/Director of Booking: Marc Solis

florida

Straz Center for the Performing Arts

1010 North W.C. MacInnes Place, Tampa, FL 33602 (813) 222-1000; (800) 955-1045 strazcenter.org

The geographic center of North America, Winnipeg is the capital of Manitoba, a province of 1.1 million+. The MTS Centre is home to the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets, and can accommodate a variety of configurations for 3,500 to 15,000 fans. Hosting events ranging from hockey and other sports to the music industry’s biggest-name concerts, the venue offers excellent sightlines and superb acoustics. Amenities include four premier artist rooms, five team rooms, venue and tour catering areas, offices, Valhoffer stage (up to 72 ft. by 48 ft. by 6 ft., with additional stage pieces and railings available upon request), standard arena house lighting PAGE as well as six Xenon 2K supertroopers. Catering by Centerplate, onsite restaurant.

C3 Sprint Center is Kansas City’s home for live entertainment and sporting events. Anchor to more than $6 billion of reinvestment in a revitalized downtown Kansas City, the award-winning venue has welcomed more than eight million guests attending nearly 850 events. The Sprint Center has multi-event capability, including hockey, basketball, soccer, arena football, concerts, family and dirt shows. Maximum capacities are 17,297 (hockey), 18,482 (basketball), 14,356 (end stage) and 19,246 (center stage). AV features include 16 LED screen scoreboard, 360-degree ribbon board and two 50-ft. ribbon boards. Backstage areas include six locker room facilities, five-star dressing PAGE rooms, green room, a team family room and a broadcast interview room.

C4 Opened in 2003, the $20 million multipurpose State Farm Arena has hosted Alan Jackson, WWE, IFC, boxing, Harlem Globetrotters, Monster Jam and more. The 6,800-seat arena configures up to 5,500 seats for ice hockey, football and soccer, and a center stage concert capacity of 6,800. Audience amenities include 25 suites and 500 club seats. The property also includes 2,200 surface parking spaces onsite, a 2,000-sq.-ft. lounge with access from outside of the arena, as well as a bar and pro shop. The McAllen-Harlingen-Brownsville MSA is the fourthfastest market in the United States and is the 10th ranked Hispanic market. The MSA has PAGE grown by 40 percent in the last 10 years.

44 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 Chrissy.Hall@strazcenter.org.

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Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

41

Indiana

THE MORRIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

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

T

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 42

Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

Missouri

Sprint Center

S

print Center is Kansas City’s home for live entertainment and sporting events. Anchor to more than $6 billion of reinvestment in a revitalized downtown Kansas City, the award-winning venue has welcomed more than eight million guests attending nearly 850 events. Located in the 34th largest DMA, Sprint Center is annually recognized among the Top 12 arenas in the United States based upon ticket sales. Having exceeded attendance and financial projections in each year since opening in 2007, AEG/Sprint Center has provided nearly $10 million in unanticipated revenue to the City of Kansas City through a revenue-sharing provision in the arena management agreement.

1407 Grand Boulevard Kansas City, MO 64106 (816) 949-7100 sprintcenter.com

The Sprint Center has multi-event capability, including hockey, basketball, soccer, arena football, concerts, family and dirt shows. Maximum capacities are 17,297 (hockey), 18,482 (basketball), 14,356 (end stage) and 19,246 (center stage). AV features include a 16 LED screen scoreboard, 360-degree ribbon board and two 50-ft. ribbon boards. Backstage areas include six locker room facilities (NHL, NBA, Auxiliary), five-star dressing rooms, green room, a team family room and a broadcast interview room.

Managed by Levy Restaurants, Sprint Center boasts 14 concession stands with a variety of food and beverage offerings. There is the popular Main Concourse Metro Sports Zone public bar. Fans can also avail themselves of TEAM STORE@1407 and novelty stands at Main and Upper Concourse. Special facilities include the Perceptive Software Founders Club for club seating and the Sprint Event Center on Suite Level A. More than 20,000 parking spaces are available within a five-block radius.

The Sprint Center’s marketing department is proficient at traditional marketing, public relations and social media. Marketing department personnel regularly offer best practices and are asked to speak at various industry conferences and events. For more information, contact Brenda Tinnen, General Manager, at (816) 949-7100.

Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

43

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Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

arizona

Talking Stick Resort Arena

F

rom 30 guests to 18,000, Talking Stick Resort Arena sets the stage for impressive events. This remarkable facility is home to the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, the AFL’s Arizona Rattlers, and is one of the city’s most dramatic multi-use spaces.

Located in the heart of downtown Phoenix, Talking Stick Resort Arena offers state-of-the-art audio/visual, innovative dining, and front door access to the Valley’s METRO light rail.

The arena opened in 1992, and in its first full year of operation received every award a new venue of its kind was afforded, including Best New Concert Venue by Performance Magazine and Best NBA Facility by those who know best, the players themselves. Talking Stick Resort Arena completed a major $70 million expansion and improvement project in 2004. Gone is the block exterior, replaced with soaring glass walls. The outdoor ticket office is now enclosed inside the new 14,000-sq.-ft. Casino Arizona Pavilion, serving as a grand entrance highlighted by a 12 ft.-by-20 ft. video wall. The facility features a Courtside Club, Blue Moon Club, Verve Energy Lounge, and the Greenhouse, a 7,000-sq.-ft. family-friendly active home to the Phoenix Suns Gorilla. At street level Talking Stick Resort Arena offers a Carl’s Jr., an expanded

Team Shop and the Blue Moon Club. On the east side of the building is the Coors Light Cold Zone, a flexible outdoor entertainment venue covered by a football field-length canopy. The Coors Light Cold Zone features state-of-the-art sound and video projection systems as well as the stylish bar area and facilities that double as a television studio for Phoenix Suns telecasts and a performance stage for music events. There are 16 concessions stands, operated by Levy Restaurants, serving the lower and upper concourse, in addition to 18 specialty stands. Guests in the suite levels can choose from a variety of menu items for in-suite catering.

Tech features include a 900-ft. LED ribbon, a center-hung scoreboard with HDTV screens and a new sound system. Backstage, performers have at their disposal 13 separate dressing rooms/ offices, 12 of which include private shower/restroom facilities.

In addition, a separate catering lounge and two event-level club spaces are available. There are 87 luxury suites and six party suites on two mid-level concourses.

A Ticketmaster building, Talking Stick Resort Arena offers patrons a 900-space attached garage, and a 1,500-space garage next door.

Promoters can partner with a full service, in-house marketing staff.

201 East Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004 • (602) 379-2000 • talkingstickresortarena.com Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

45

Puerto Rico

You

checked us out…

Ten years have passed since you first checked us out and liked what you saw. Now, the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot is the most acclaimed arena in the Caribbean. We offer world-class facilities and a team that cares about every detail of each event.

We are your Tropical venue of choice for a variety of concerts, major sporting events and acclaimed theatrical presentations; all because we have one goal: to provide an amazing experience on each and every event keeping our clients adrenaline always raising.

As we celebrate our tenth anniversary we are proud of our passion and the enthusiasm we provoke in all of our visitors.

We thank our staff for 10 years of emotions and our clients and collaborators for making the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot a Prime Site Facility.

10 The Coliseo Team is proud of creating great moments and experiences for all our guests.

46

Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

ies Media Group

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Talking Stick Resort Arena

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201 East Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004

Fax:e (602) S e r v(602) i c379-2000; es R s 379-2002 ource talkingstickresortarena.com Director, Event Booking: Nick Vaerewyck

UrbanRide

421 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10001 (800) 525-5750; Fax: (212) 202-9638 www.urbanride.net

From 30 guests to 18,000, Talking Stick Resort Arena sets the stage for impressive events. This remarkable facility plays home to the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and the AFL’s Arizona Rattlers. Located in the heart of downtown Phoenix, our venue offers stateof-the-art audio/visual, innovative dining, and front door access to the Valley’s METRO light rail.

Features a 900-ft. LED ribbon, a center-hung scoreboard with HDTV screens, and new sound system. Thirteen separate dressing rooms, catering lounge, two event-level club spaces, 87 luxury suites and six party suites, 16 concessions stands operated by Levy Restaurants and 18 PAGE specialty stands. Offers a 900-space attached garage and 1,500-space garage next door. 5

State-of-the-art, 15,000-seat multipurpose facility was designed to both showcase Texas Texas Chief Executive Officer: Jeremy Milikow Tech University Northeast v1 1/13/09 7:52 AM Page 20 basketball and volleyball and also help meet the growing entertainment United Supermarkets ArenaSVP Senior Vice President: Mitch Bornstein, and event needs of the South Plains region. 81,017-sq.-ft. concourse space/ 31,916-sq.-ft.

1701 Indiana Avenue, Lubbock, TX 79409-2200 arena floor; StageRight staging; four concourse-level meeting rooms; concourse level club (806) 742-7362; Fax: (806) 742-7557 ‘Leading Global Provider of Meeting & Event Transportation’ unitedsupermarketsarena.com area, six dressing rooms, practice gym, media work room, press conference room, 10 fixed Associate Director: Cindy Harperof ground transportation for meetings & events, and UrbanRide is a global provider concession stands, and 24 luxury suites. Lubbock, with a population of 230,000 and a uses top-of-the-line sedans, vans, minibuses and motorcoaches. We provide campus of 29,000+ students, draws from a 1,000,000+ market including West Texas, Thethe Entertainment Showcase of SUVs, West Texas PAGE our clients with IMS, our software that enables meeting planners to better manage 47 NEW HAMPSHIRE transportation for their meetings, conferences, conventions, tradeshows & other events. Eastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle. PENNSYLVANIA 5,400; Theatrical Stage – 3,000.

Exhibition Sp We work exclusively with meeting & event planners and our customer service is the best in Exhibition Space: 25,348 sq. ft.; 277 10’x8’ the business.

UrbanRide is a one-stop solution for meeting & event transportation.

The City of Manchester, NH opened the SMG operated Verizon Wireless Arena in 2001. Backstage Are new Hampshire

booths in typical trade show configuration.

The arena can accommodate a center-stage concert of more than 11,000 attendees as wellduction room, star dressing ro Backstage Areas: main dressing room, 3 as a theater-style performance for 2,500.

The venue has featured such prestigious artists auxiliary locker rooms, visiting team locker 100 p asroom, Bruno2 officials Mars, Dave Mathews, Elton John, Cher, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan, to name aStaging: locker rooms, press office, variable configu few.

Six dressing rooms/team locker rooms and five production rooms round out backstageStage/Gray car 3 production rooms, lounge, catering room. with the ability to configure mostisstaging needs. Take the versatile design of the arena, 80’ x 40’, adjust Staging: Stageright equipment,to setup 48 72” in 2” increm a successful thewide Manchester Monarchs and a state that loves ft. deep X 60hockey ft. wide franchise X 4 ft. tall,in 8 ft.

PAGE entertainment and you have theSR, perfect X 24 ft. deep sound wings SL & and a stop for any tour.

11 Front of house

Verizon Wireless Arena

555 Elm Street, Manchester, NH 03101 (603) 644-5000 verizonwirelessarena.com Regional General Manager: Tim Bechert

Keppler Speakers

4350 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 700, Arlington, VA 22203 VERIZON WIRELESS ohio (703) 516-4000; Fax: (703) 516-4819 ARENA www.kepplerspeakers.com 555 Elm Street Wright State University’s Senior VP for Sales and Marketing: John Truran Manchester, NH 03101

24” Wenger de

front of house mixer riser 12 ft. deep X 16

GIANT CENTER hung scoreboar ft. wide X 1Ohio’s ft. tall,premier 100 ft. from theand down Southwest sports entertainment550complex.

Market population: 1.7 million; Company; nort West Hersheypark Drive stage edge.

Hershey, PA20,000+ 17033 college students in area. boards; Mitsub within a one-day drive of 60 percent of the U.S. population; Food & Beverage: 4 permanent concession (717) 534-3911; Fax: (717) 534-8996 Capacities: 11,500 – in-the-round/end-stage; 2,000-7,500 – half-house; 9,500 – basketball. Leader board. www.giantcenter.net stands; 12 portable concession stands; VIP (603) 644-5000; Fax: (603) 644-1575 Nutter Center curtain and truss Total available flat Complex space: 85,000 sq. ft.Director, (main arena Managing Event floor – Broadcast: InWith Speakers, creating feltManager: so easy.Tim With over 25 70-ft.

Lounge; 2 specialty barssystem. located on upper Regionalnever General Bechert 3640Keppler Colonel Glenn Highway, Dayton,memorable OH 45435 meetings Ticketing, stage and Marketing: 28,000 sq. catering ft.). Eightservices dressing rooms and productionBookings, room. StageRight – 32 in.-by-8 ft. full edit/studio www.verizonwirelessarena.com years experience, we provide offered back(937)of775-3498; Fax: (937) 775-2060you solid, seasoned expertise, making speaker selection level; Full Vikki Hultquist stress-free by managing all of the details. KepplerNew Speakers saves syou precious time&by decks; stage and to suites. ft. stage with 12 ft.-by-24 ft. wings; 60 ft.-by-40 adjustable height from 48 in. to 84 in. throughout are nuttercenter.com Hampshire’ Premier Sports throughout; 15 matching you with speakers who are right on target.

From provenFacility performers to dynamic Ovations is the exclusive F&B provider; seven permanent A Sweet Place to Play!

Executive Director: Jim Brown, CFE Entertainment stands.

Amenities: 34 luxury suites, 5 party suites, tions all patcha rising stars, our speakers bring fascinating, real stories and a gift for inspiring audiences.

Snapshot: New Hampshire’s premier sports and entertainment facility, the Verizon Wireless Arena, managed by SMG, has attracted more than 4.4 million people, hosted more than 830 sports and entertainment events, including more than 120 sold out shows, since opening seven years ago. The arena was designed to accommodate a wide variety of events— including concerts, wrestling, figure skating, hockey, basketball, family shows, as well as convention and trade shows.

Capacities: Center Stage in the round –11,700; End Stage (360) – 10,655; End Stage (270) – 9,337; End Stage (240) – 8,931; End Stage (180) – 8,536; 3/4 Stage – 6,700; House Stage –

Exclusive Club Lounge, 542 Club Seats, Wireless connection, Flat Screen TV’s throughout the concourse.

Marketing: Group Sales; Email Marketing; Grassroots Marketing; Media Buying; Media Promotions/Trade; Public Relations.

Demographics: New England Market— mainly from New Hampshire, as well as MA, ME, and VT.

PENNSYLVANIA

concert - 7,500; Hockey - 8,500; Center stage - 10,000.

Backstage Areas: 2-12 6’x11’6’ dressing rooms ( w/facilities), 1-13’ x 12’ Lounge, Visitors Locker room 20’x36’, Tournament rooms A-18’6”x26’, B18’6”x26’, C-10’6”x24’, Meeting rooms A-24’6”x36’, B-20’6”x36’, C-19’x36’ and press room 33’6”x 12’.

Don’t GetDon’t Stuck a Fishbowl!

Getin Stuck WACHOVIA ARENA The Facilities Media Group in a Fishbowl!

AT CASEY PLAZA 255 Highland Park Blvd.

Facilities & Destinations Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702 The Facilities Media Group Fax: (570) 970-7601 Facilities • Conference(570) •970-7600; Planner Guide www.wachoviaarena.com Facilities & Destinations General Manager: Rebecca Bonnevier Facilities LIVE • Booking Guide Facilities Event Management Facility Description: The Wachovia Facilities & &Event Management Arena at Casey Plaza opened in the fall of Facilitiesonline.com www.Facilitiesonline.com 1998 and is under the management of

SMG. With over 8,000 permanent seats and a capacity of nearly 10,000 for concerts, this horse-show configured arena Facilities & Event Management 2015-2016 Booking Guide has played host to some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Elton John, Cher, Neil Diamond, Janet Jackson,

PAGE Snapshot: The GIANT Center, a C2 interconnect ro state-of-the-art arena, opened its doors camera positio in October of 2002, with a performance Food & Bever

by Cher. From that moment, GIANT Stands, 7 Port Center has been the area’s leading Lounge. sports and entertainment venue.

GIANT Center is also home to the Demographic AHL Hershey Bears. Because of the Lancaster-Leb constant support of its many fans, family oriented GIANT Center continues to be ranked household inco as one of world’s best concert venues in See ad on page Billboard and Pollstar. Located just minutes from GIANT Center is the 1,928seat Hershey Theatre.

Capacities: 12,500 (in-the-round concerts); 10,000 (end staging); 10,500 (hockey).

RHODE ISLAND

Staging: 40’ w with a 5’ 4” sta tions can be cu Lighting: Sta Halogen lighti bowl.

Exhibition Space: 27,050 sq. ft. of exhibition space throughout two floors.

Lighting: 4-2k Super Troopers (fixed), 4 portable 2k Super troopers.

Food & Beverage: 8 concession stands on the concourse plus a club lounge/ catering area on the event level that can hold up to 100 people.

Audience Amenities: 624 center ice club seats and 32 luxury suites; event level VIP club lounge, featuring: upscale menu, televisions, casual yet elegant atmosphere.

Parking: 3,500 spaces.

93 Marketing: Web site, e-mails (65,000+ in database), concourse posters, video scoreboard and concourse TVs.

Restaurant and rooms: 6,000 G

DUNKIN’ DONUTS CENTER

One LaSalle Square Providence, RI 02903 (401) 331-0700; (401) 621-5987 www.dunkindonutscenter.com General Manager: Lawrence Lepore

Snapshot: The Dunkin’ Donuts Center is a multi-purpose indoor sports and entertainment venue located in the heart of Providence, RI, and is home ice for the AHL Providence Bruins and home-court for the Big East Providence College Men’s Basketball Team. The Facility has recently undergone an $80million Renovation which was complet-

Backstage Are Rooms, 2 lock locker room an rooms.

Food & Bever concession stan suites, loges, h a restaurant.

Audience Am the-art Daktro Marketing: Fu department of event marketin advertising pro 47ment, media a sponsorships, g relations.

Partners in Prevention

Customer service staff must encourage guests to report suspicious activity

By Steve Zito

G

reat customer service means taking an extra step in interacting with our guests and patrons. As part of that step, we can inform them when they arrive that our security services are present for their protection, and that they can be partners in helping to prevent threatening situations from happening in the first place. This partnership brings added comfort to guests: Not only are they protected by security staff and police officers, but also by their fellow guests.

The concept can be presented to patrons in a way that makes them feel like being part of a “neighborhood watch” for the venue. As a further analogy, consider the flight attendant who asks passengers seated next to an exit door if they are comfortable handling the door in case of an emergency.

Ideally, then, we should greet guests in a consistent and positive manner while he concept can be reminding them of presented to patrons in their partnership in prevention. That a way that makes them approach will resonate with guests and feel like being part of a support a trend of crisis “neighborhood watch” prevention at sporting and entertainment for the venue. events. Today, many people are seeing that threatening situations can happen anywhere and anytime.

However, if they partner with the venue and their fellow patrons on safety and security, it will be easier for them to have peace of mind and enjoy the event.

T

around them because they are focused on enjoying the event they paid to see.

Capturing this audience for support requires various touchpoints, including placing “report any suspicious activity” signage in locations where these guests look the most, such as section signs and video boards. Another means of capturing guests’ attention is WiFi service, which many venues are increasing. A reminder message about the security partnership can be sent to guests’ phones when they connect to the venue’s Wi-Fi service. Even more compelling, a fan favorite player or entertainer can deliver a 10-second, pre-event voice or video message reminding everyone about reporting any suspicious activity.

The overall goal is to keep all guests, as well as personnel, safe and prepared for emergencies. This requires that we consider guests’ experience from arrival to departure. Event and security professionals should evaluate each stage, from guests’ walk up to the entrance for security screening to the path to their seat, so that guests get the most pleasant and informative experience. Our personnel should also think about what guests may have experienced in their day before arriving at the facility. They could have been stuck in traffic, parked far from the venue, or had a rough day at the office. In that context, a positive first impression at the venue is especially important, and part of that is to show patrons that the staff prioritizes their security and safety. As a result, their comfort level should increase, and hopefully they will be inspired to become proactive partners in the effort.

Since 2010, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, together with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, have conducted research demonstrating that reporting suspicious activity is not as common as we would like to think. While there are instances where people will report such activity because it is out of the norm of their regular day, reporting is less likely while at a sporting event or concert because of either fear of retaliation, or not knowing if the activity is important enough to report. This indicates the guest’s lack of comfort and trust when it comes to reporting to site security, police officers or any venue personnel. From another perspective, guests may decide to overlook things going on

Steve Zito, CFE, is President, Sports & Entertainment with Andy Frain Services, based in Memphis, TN. He has nearly 30 years of top-level management experience in a wide range of facilities within the public assembly industry. Zito has opened six new facilities, including the Alamodome, AT&T Center and FedExForum, and has hosted and worked more than 7,000 events with over 40 million patrons combined. He has created many industry precedent-setting programs and is the architect behind Andy Frain’s First Impressions™ program. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Sport Management program, Masters Leadership program and Disney School of Management, Zito serves on the IAVM Board of Trustees.

He is also active in the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission and the Memphis Music Foundation.

48

Facilities & event Management 2015-2016 booking guide

Getting It Right the First Time, Every Time

3 key aspects to managing guests’ facility and event experience

By Lee A. Esckilsen, CFE, CHE

R

staff need to know that, in addition to their individual purview, if they see something unusual or something that compromises event safety in any other area of the facility before, during or after an event, they must say something to one another and document it.

ecent global headlines told a tragic story that is becoming all too familiar.

As facility and event managers, when we learn of a terrorist attack at a public assembly facility during an event, such as the one that took place in Paris at Le Bataclan concert hall on Nov. 13, 2015, we are saddened deeply by the senseless loss of life and the pain this brings to all those affected. It is important that we also strengthen our resolve, in the face of these unconscionable acts, to provide our guests with a vital means to gather and congregate with family, friends and colleagues in public assembly facilities for events that offer them a reprieve from life’s difficulties — opportunities to celebrate their favorite teams, sing with their favorite artists and enjoy life.

During my 30-year career in international facility management, I have managed several arenas ranging in size from 4,000 to 22,000 seats, and have assessed the management of many NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and college facilities. I have also spent 13 years researching, writing and teaching the concepts in the field. I believe that how we educate, train and prepare our facility and event staff requires a review and analysis of our best practices.

The National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) develops best practices in this area and is an excellent resource. Conceived by Dr. Lou Marciani, NCS4 was the first academic center dedicated to spectator sports safety and security research, professional development, training and outreach. NCS4 has developed and disseminates three safety and security best practices guides for marathons, intercollegiate and interscholastic events, respectively.

Gone are the days when

NCS4’s National Sports Security Laboratory (NSSL) also offers solution the front-of-house staff, providers an independent, impartial testing back-of-house staff and environment to validate security had entirely their products and services for sports and special events.

That’s especially important today, as guests’ expectations separate responsibilities The NSSL provides industry have risen. They insist on being treated — and deserve to and functioned professionals with an be treated — with the highest level of customer service by awareness of new solutions all staff. Regardless of their position and responsibility in independently. and a comprehensive our organizations, and irrespective of the type of venue review to assist them in or event we operate, our staff must be reminded why making informed decisions they are there — to serve our guests. According to Russ regarding the procurement and deployment of products and Simons, Chief Listening Officer and Managing Partner of Venue services in areas such as screening, evaluation, access control, video Solutions Group, “It just goes to prove the whole mantra that you surveillance, explosive detection and information management. can’t control the product on the field, but you can control every (For further details, visit www.ncs4.com/lab.) part of the guest experience.”

Not only can we control the guest experience, we have an obligation to manage the experience — to provide an exceptional event experience to every guest at every event. That initiative should be divided into three areas: (1) providing a safe and secure facility, (2) providing an exceptional event experience and (3) training the staff to create an operationally transparent environment.

1. Safe and Secure Facility

First and foremost, with the growing threat of domestic and international terrorism, venue and event managers need to reaffirm and strengthen their resolve to provide a safe and secure facility. That requires a thoroughly formulated and implemented risk management plan involving every staff member. All of our Facilities & event Management 2015-2016 booking guide

2. Exceptional Event Experience

Delivering an exceptional experience to each and every guest at every event can only be accomplished by developing and implementing an intensive staff training program coupled with thorough event research, planning, preparation and execution.

As I reflect on my experiences and research, I now believe, more than ever, that facility and event managers must organize the entire staff to think and act as one, regardless of their responsibilities and authority. Gone are the days when the front-of-house staff (ushers, ticket takers and customer service staff), back-of-house staff (operations, engineers, custodians and parking) and security had entirely separate responsibilities and functioned independently.

49

Staff cohesiveness requires cross-training. They should be trained in similar customer service and crowd management techniques.

They should also dress in similar professional uniforms with distinctive colors that are visible to our guests, not necessarily in the home team’s colors. Before each event, they should be reminded that their purpose is to provide a safe and secure facility as well as an exceptional event experience . . . for every guest and every event.

3. Operationally Transparent Environment

Back-of-house staff need to be provided with the necessary training and resources so that the entire staff can be part of creating an operationally transparent environment. Everyone involved needs to understand that the facility should not distract the customer from enjoying the event, or detract from that experience. We want our guests to remember that exciting ending to the game they just watched, or that the artist they paid dearly to see sang their favorite song. If they remember that the event staff was unfriendly or unhelpful, their sightline was obstructed, the sound system was below standard, the building was cold and dirty or the concession stands ran out of bottled water, then we have failed them, and they may not come back.

In our recently published book, my co-authors and I discuss this notion of what public assembly facilities represent

to patrons in today’s complicated, challenging and everchanging world: “Venues [facilities] are in the business of ‘selling experiences’ and must strive to provide the highest quality service in a way that enhances the event experience, not detracts from it. Once the event has taken place, you [the facility manager] cannot go back and change the outcome for the client [organization promoting the event] or the experience for the customer.”

Thus, we must strive to get it right the first time, every time. We want our guests to feel safe, relaxed and pleased with our events — and not be distracted by thoughts about the negative aspects of our society just outside our facility’s front doors.

Lee A. Esckilsen, CFE, CHE is an Associate Professor in the Center for Sports, Entertainment and Event Management at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. He has co-authored two textbooks on public assembly facility management, most recently Public Assembly Venue Management: Sports, Entertainment, Meeting, and Convention (Mahoney, Esckilsen, Jeralds and Camp, Brown Books, 2015) for the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM. org/textbook). Esckilsen is also the Principal of ESVenues, which conducts venue and event feasibility studies and assessments. He can be reached at leee@esvenues.com.

advertiser index Air Canada Centre.............................................................................................................................................................................30 Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.......................................................................................................................................3 ASU Gammage......................................................................................................................................................................................33 Blue Cross Arena................................................................................................................................................................................30 Cabarrus Arena.................................................................................................................................................................................... 34 Chesapeake Energy Arena................................................................................................................................................................ 7 Coliseo de Puerto Rico......................................................................................................................................................................13 DCU Center.............................................................................................................................................................................................15 Dunkin Donuts Center.......................................................................................................................................................................37 The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre..................................................................................................................................... 38 Florence Civic Center.........................................................................................................................................................................9 Ford Center & Victory Theatre......................................................................................................................................................51 Frank Erwin Center..............................................................................................................................................................................41 IAVM..........................................................................................................................................................................................................20 IAFE.............................................................................................................................................................................................................26 Lloyd Noble Center.............................................................................................................................................................................41 Morris Performing Arts Center.....................................................................................................................................................42 MTS Centre........................................................................................................................................................................................... C3 MTS Seating............................................................................................................................................................................................25 SMG............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Sprint Center........................................................................................................................................................................................C4 State Farm Arena................................................................................................................................................................................ 44 Straz Center for the Performing Arts....................................................................................................................................... 44 Talking Stick Resort Arena.................................................................................................................................................................5 United Supermarkets Arena...........................................................................................................................................................47 Verizon Wireless Arena.......................................................................................................................................................................11 Wright State University’s Nutter Center................................................................................................................................ C2 50

Facilities & event Management 2015-2016 booking guide

Evansville’s Center for Sports & Entertainment

FORD CENTER

• Located in Evansville, Indiana • Capacity of up to 11,000 seats • Curtain system for multiple seating configurations • Proud to host all these concerts during our 2014-2015 twelve month season: Judas Priest, Casting Crowns, Eric Church, Kenny Rogers, Miranda Lambert, Winter Jam, Luke Bryan, Theresa Caputo, O.A.R., Volbeat, Kenny Chesney, Aerosmith, Boston, Motley Crue.

ViCTORy ThEaTRE

• Located in Evansville, Indiana • Capacity of up to 1950 seats • Banquet Hall • Conference Room • Second floor mezzanine which can accommodate up to 180 guests

For Booking information contact:

Scott Schoenike 812.436.7151 SSchoenike@thefordcenter.com www.thefordcenter.com fordcenterevansville @thefordcenter

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F&EM -LIST 10 LEADING WOMEN VENUE EXECUTIVES Kim Bedier

Director of Public Assembly Facilities City of Tacoma Tacoma, WA www.cityoftacoma.org im Bedier is an accomplished executive who provides leadership in high-profile venues. She has successfully opened three new multi-use sports and entertainment facilities. Prior to her current role, Bedier served for nine years as General Manager at Comcast Arena at Everett/Global Spectrum. She has been an instructor at IAVM since 2001, and was the Chair of the Board of Directors of IAVM from 2014 to 2015.

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Stacey Church

General Manager MassMutual Center Springfield, MA www.massmutualcenter.com rior to her leadership role at MassMutual Center, Stacey Church was the Director of Finance at the (then) Global Spectrum-managed Century Center in South Bend, IN. She worked closely with the venue’s General Manager on long-term strategic planning, maintaining key relationships with staff and community partners. Church is an active member of the IAVM, serving as the Membership Committee Chair and a member on Global Spectrum’s Diversity Committee.

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Vickie Hubbard

Executive Director Hempfield Area Recreation Commission Landisville, PA hempfieldrec.com ickie Hubbard has extensive experience in event management and administration. Prior to her current role, she served for more than seven years as General Manager at The Pullo Family Performing Arts Center. She was responsible for overseeing marketing and sales, production management, finance, booking and ticketing. Her past experience includes event planning, marketing, advertising, and public relations.

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Amanda Gain

Executive Director Racine Civic Centre Racine, WI www.civiccentreracine.com manda Gain was promoted to her present position after serving as Interim Director following the departure of former Executive Director Rik Edgar last August. Gain maintains great relationships with clients, City staff and the community. Her knowledge of the venue’s financials and her ties to the community added to her qualifications for the top post. at the Racine Civic Centre.

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Tammy Koolbeck

Executive Director Iowa State Center Ames, IA www.center.iastate.edu ammy Koolbeck was chosen to lead the Iowa State Center after having served VenuWorks for the 10 years as Chief Marketing Officer/Senior Vice President. Prior to joining the VenuWorks corporate staff, she served as Assistant Executive Director of Marketing and Programming for the U.S. Cellular Center Arena/Paramount Theatre and General Manager of the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena. Her past work experience includes hotel management, convention and visitor bureau sales and professional sports.

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Facilities & event management 2015-2016 Booking Guide

Kathy Lowrey

General Manager Northshore Harbor Convention Center Slidell, LA www.northshoreharborcenter.com n 11-year veteran of the industry, Kathy Lowrey has proven abilities in event management, marketing and public relations. She received the Athena Leadership Award from the East St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce in 2014. The award is presented to recognize professional excellence, community service and actively assisting women in their attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills.

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Lisa McInturff Chamness

Director Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, TN www.johnsoncitytn.com/freedomhall isa McInturff Chamness has directed Freedom Hall, the City of Johnson City’s largest events center, since 1995. She is also an IAVM-certified facility executive who has served on the organization’s regional Board of Directors since 2002. Holding a master’s in public management from East Tennessee State University, she is regarded as one of the leading area professionals in bringing topquality entertainment to the Tri-Cities.

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Carol Moore

Director The Newnan Centre Newnan, GA newnancentre.com arol Moore has worked in the hospitality industry for 39 years. She began her career at the Macon Centreplex and left after 14 years to work at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter. Moore then headed to National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver, CO, and then came home to Georgia where she worked at the Athens Classic Center. Prior to coming to Newnan, Moore was the director of the Georgia Mountains Center.

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Lynda M. Reinhart

Director Stephen C. O’Connell Center Gainesville, FL www.oconnellcenter.ufl.edu ynda M. Reinhart has been working at the University of Florida’s Stephen C. O’Connell Center since 1994. She worked her way up the ranks until she was named Director in July 2007. She also served as Adjunct Professor at the UF College of Health and Human Performance.

Reinhart has been an active member of the IAVM since 1997. She currently serves as Chair of the FFMA Scholarship Committee and Vice Chair of the IAVM Arenas Committee.

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Cynthia Wood

CEO Veterans Memorial Civic & Convention Center Lima, OH www.limaciviccenter.com ynthia Wood began her military career with the U.S. Army Reserve from 1988 to 1996, serving with the 346th Psychological Operations Company in Columbus, OH, as Russian Interpreter, Psychological Operations Sergeant and Interrogations Sergeant.

Prior to her current role, she was Regional Director of the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio. She is a graduate of the IAVM Venue Management School.

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