152 Madison Avenue, Room 802 New York, NY 10016
2016 Prime Site Awards 22
2016
Facilities &Event Management TM
SuperBook Nashville in the Spotlight
For Booking Agents, Promoters, Talent Buyers, Special Event Planners & Venue Managers
6
Marketing Strategies to Help Fill Seats 62
Bridgestone Arena garners the city more attention from touring acts 14
Top Products & Services Companies 18 Ford Center's 5th Anniversary 20 Florida Venues 29
Madonna makes her Nashville debut at Bridgestone Arena, Jan. 18
OPENING THIS OCTOBER - SACRAMENTO, CA -
Introducing Golden 1 Center, a new state-of-the-art entertainment facility that’s smarter, faster and built to facilitate the most elaborate shows on earth. In a market filled with 2.5 million people and built in the heart of vibrant downtown Sacramento, Golden 1 Center is an ideal destination for any artist. Sacramento is already breaking long-standing sales and attendance records, and we’re just getting started.
Download the App “Virtual ESC” on your Apple device and place over the augmented reality square to view Golden 1 Center.
BOOKING CONTACT James Rasmussen I jrasmussen@kings.com I 916-928-3604
VIEWPOINT
Facilities &Event Management
Ensuring there are more insurance options
TM
SuperBook 2016
For Booking Agents, Promoters, Talent Buyers, Special Event Planners & Venue Managers
Volume 24 No. 1 Chief Operating Officer David Korn
I
deally, a live event will be insured against the full spectrum of disruptive contingencies that lie outside the organizer’s control. In practice, a venue or promoter may not be able to afford certain types of insurance, or feel that the available policies don’t deliver the desired coverage. That’s why the proliferation of insurance policies is always good news. A more diverse marketplace means a better chance that venues and promoters can improve their coverage.
Associate Publisher Michael Caffin
A recent case in point is terrorism insurance, which is held by most major arenas, stadiums and the big acts that play those venues. The policies cover the costs of rescheduling shows that were disrupted by terrorist acts (definitions of such acts vary somewhat depending on the policy), as well as the costs of psychological counseling and other damages incurred from the incident. A new offering in this type of insurance by ProSight Specialty Insurance Group effectively makes the coverage more attainable by smaller venues and acts, insofar as it offers a relatively small payout of $100,000 for rescheduling costs and $75,000 for “psychological counseling, public relations and image restoration, and unrecoverable charges,” as Roger Sandau, Managing Principal at Integro Insurance Brokers, told The Wall Street Journal. Such a plan is timely in light of the recent cases of terrorism at smaller venues, most poignantly Orlando’s Pulse nightclub and Paris’s Bataclan Concert Hall.
Contributing Editors Anthony Bilden Deborah Shapiro
This year’s F&EM SuperBook offers more examples of the diversifying event insurance marketplace with Robert Holmes’ column on the state of rain insurance (page 63). Holmes, President of Spectrum Weather and Specialty Insurance, Inc., discusses options such as “stepped coverage,” which provides payouts at different thresholds of rainfall, and “Cancellation Plus,” which combines event cancellation insurance and coverage for events that go on while incurring revenue loss due to rainfall. Holmes’ update is just one part of the diversified content in this issue, which also includes advice from the pros on web marketing and lighting technology, a feature on the progressive Ford Center, as well as insights from two of our industry’s leaders in booking: Darren Davis, now with Mandalay Bay, and David Kells of Bridgestone Arena. Enjoy the issue, and the remainder of the summer.
– George Seli Editorial Director, Facilities Media Group gseli@facilitiesonline.com
Editorial Director George Seli
Creative Direction & Design Scott-Goodman Associates Circulation Manager Hadasah Korn Editorial Assistant Shuyu Guo Business Operations Nadia Derelieva © Copyright 2016 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 Facilities, 152 Madison Avenue, Suite 802, New York, NY 10016. Printed in U.S.A. Cover ad space is available by contacting a Facilities advertising account executive at (212) 532-4150.
CONTENTS
DEPARTMENTS
In Brief................................................................................................................. 6 Forum Darren Davis, Mandalay Bay.............................................................................. 12 David Kells, Bridgestone Arena......................................................................... 14 Perspectives In the Mobile Moment, by Maureen Andersen.................................................. 62 When Rain Threatens Revenue, by Robert Holmes............................................ 63 Traditional vs. LED Lighting, by David Grindle................................................... 64 Photoview Event & Arena Marketing Conference 2016...................................................... 16 F&EM A-List Top Products & Services Companies.................................................................. 18
Features
Ford Center Celebrates Its Fifth Year................................................................ 20 Prime Site Awards.............................................................................................. 22 State Spotlight: Florida...................................................................................... 29 Facilities Directory........................................................................................ 34-60 Advertiser Index................................................................................................ 61 2
ON THE COVER Nashville is the home turf of many great musical acts, but historically has been less prominent as a tour stop for big-name stars and shows. Bridgestone Arena is working to change that with its stellar entertainment programming, a standout example being Madonna’s performance at the arena, and first show in Nashville, this past January.
Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook
OTTAWA
CANADA
F OR BOOK ING IN F O R M AT I O N : T O M C O N R O Y • 613- 599- 0140 • TC O N RO Y @ O TTAWA S EN ATO RS . COM
American Bank Center
Arie Crown Theater
DCU Center Arena
Dunkin’ Donuts Center
Royal Farms Arena
Saenger Theatre
Bellco Theatre
Florence Civic Center
Santander Arena
Blue Cross
BOK Center
INTRUST Bank Arena
Silver Spurs Arena
Laredo Energy Arena
Smoothie King
2 0 1 6
PRIME SITE W I N N E R S To inquire about SMG managed facilities call 1.866.BOOK.SMG or visit smgworld.com
Cabarrus Arena & Events Center
Arena
Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
a
Center
CenturyLink Center
North Charleston Coliseum
Stockton Arena
Chesapeake Energy Arena
Pinnacle Bank Arena
Times Union Center
Richmond Coliseum
Van Andel Arena
Coliseo de Puerto Rico
Rogers K-Rock Centre
Verizon Wireless Arena
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR TWENTY-EIGHT 2016 PRIME SITE WINNERS American Bank Center (Corpus Christi, TX) Arie Crown Theater (Chicago, IL)
North Charleston Coliseum (North Charleston, SC)
Bellco Theatre (Denver, CO)
Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, NE)
BOK Center (Tulsa, OK)
Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, VA)
Blue Cross Arena (Rochester, NY)
Rogers K-Rock Centre (Kingston, ON)
Cabarrus Arena and Events Center (Concord, NC)
Royal Farms Arena (Baltimore, MD)
CenturyLink Center (Bossier City, LA)
Saenger Theatre (Pensacola, FL)
Chesapeake Energy Center (Oklahoma City, OK)
Santander Arena (Reading, PA)
Coliseo de Puerto Rico (Hato Rey, PR)
Silver Spurs Arena (Kissimmee, FL)
DCU Center Arena (Worcester, MA)
Smoothie King Center (New Orleans, LA)
Dunkin’ Donuts Center (Providence, RI)
Stockton Arena (Stockton, CA)
Florence Civic Center (Florence, SC)
Times Union Center (Albany, NY)
INTRUST Bank Arena (Wichita, KS)
Van Andel Arena (Grand Rapids, MI)
Laredo Energy Arena (Laredo, TX)
Verizon Wireless Arena (Manchester, NH)
Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza (Wilkes Barre, PA)
In Brief Concert watch
ALBANY, NY Bruce Springsteen on stage at the Times Union Center, Feb. 8.
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO Broadmoor Arena welcomed Carrie Underwood, March 29, and ZZ Top, April 13.
AMES, IA Ron White (second from right) at the Iowa State Center, April 22.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI SMG Regional General Manager Richard MacKeigan presents Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood with a certificate of donation to Teammates for Kids at Van Andel Arena on May 13, 2016.
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA Jeff Dunham’s Perfectly Unbalanced Tour visited the MTS Centre on March 16. Kevin Donnelly, Senior VP Venues & Entertainment, presents Dunham with an NHL Winnipeg Jets jersey for one of his puppets, Walter.
TAMPA, FL The Wizard of Oz at the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, July 12-17. For more Florida entertainment venue news, see p. 29.
6
Facilities & Event Management 2016 Superbook
In Brief INDUSTRY notes
BOSTON, MA — A highlight of the Event & Arena Marketing Conference, held June 1-4 in Nashville, TN, was the second annual EAMC Awards. Awards went to the Top Marketing, Publicity and Group Sales Campaigns of the Year, as well as a brandnew award for Sponsorship Integration. The 2016 EAMC Award winners are Allied Integrated Marketing’s “Rock the Block” for marketing, Nitro Circus’ “Ride on the Late Late Show with James Corden” for publicity, The Lakeland Center’s “From this seat ... anything is possible” for group sales, and AEG’s “Draft Kings Fantasy Sports Bar & Lounge” for sponsorship integration. CHICAGO, IL and ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Levy Restaurants has been selected as the athletics hospitality partner for the University of Notre Dame. Levy will develop Notre Dame’s culinary offerings across all athletic venues, including Notre Dame Stadium, Compton Family Ice Arena and Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center among other venues. Levy has also recently become the athletics hospitality partnership for the University of New Mexico. The company will handle premium dining, concessions and catering operations across the university’s athletic venues, including University Stadium and WisePies Arena. “Lobo fans have incredible passion — from the deafening thunder of The Pit to the renewed energy at Branch Field,” said Andy Lansing, President and CEO of Levy Restaurants. “We intend to bring that same level of passion to our partnership with The University of New Mexico in crafting an exciting dining and hospitality program that could only be tasted in the heart of Albuquerque.” 8
CORAL GABLES, FL — Pinnacle Venue Services began service as the new management company for the University of Miami’s 8,000seat BankUnited Center on July 1. Home to UM’s men’s and women’s Division I basketball team, the 13-year-old multipurpose facility also hosts concerts, family shows, award shows, graduations, conferences, lecture series and banquets. PHILADELPHIA, PA — Spectra by Comcast Spectacor’s venue partnerships have undergone several recent developments: • Spectra will be providing Food Services & Hospitality to the 25,500-seat Orlando City Soccer Club Stadium, set for completion in 2017. • Spectra’s Ticketing & Fan Engagement division has extended its 27-year partnership with Colorado State University. CSU continues to utilize Spectra’s ticketing, fundraising and marketing services, as well as the division’s strategic partnership integration with StubHub. • The Ticketing & Fan Engagement division has entered into a partnership with the Keystone Centre in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. Services begin this summer. The independently managed Keystone Centre includes Westman Communications Group Place, a 5,102-seat arena that is home to the 2016 WHL champion Brandon Wheat Kings team. • The Ticketing & Fan Engagement division has extended its 24-year partnership with the University of Michigan. With the extended partnership, the University will implement the division’s Salesforce CRM services, and continue to leverage the division’s ticketing, fundraising and Marketing Automation services.
AEG wins the EAMC Award for Top Sponsorship Integration Campaign. (L-r): Jim Delaney with EAMC, Cara Vanderhook with AEG/STAPLES Center, Amber Lasher with EAMC, Cassie Zebisch with AEG, and Vanessa Kromer with EAMC.
The Lakeland Center for Top Group Sales Campaign (l-r): Jim Delaney with EAMC, Mary Beth Scott and Tara Allen with The Lakeland Center, Amber Lasher with EAMC, and Vanessa Kromer with EAMC. For more Lakeland Center news, see page 29. • The Ticketing & Fan Engagement division has also entered into a partnership with Mississippi State University. The University will implement the division’s ticketing, Access Management, fundraising and marketing services. PHOENIX, AZ — Per a new agreement, SMG began providing full management and operational services for University of Phoenix Stadium on July 1. The fiveyear agreement provides the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority with $1.5 million in upfront capital investment. “University of Phoenix Stadium is among the finest facilities in the country. We recognize the significant role that it plays in the region and the standard of service that is needed to ensure its continued success,” commented Doug Thornton, SMG’s Executive Vice President. “We look forward to working with all of the stakeholders in making that happen.”
Andy Lansing Levy Restaurants
Doug Thornton SMG
Facilities & Event Management 2016 Superbook
In Brief
CONSTRUCTION/RENOVATION DETROIT, MI — In April, Olympia Entertainment and Little Caesars announced a naming rights partnership for Detroit’s new 20,000+ seat arena. Little Caesars Arena, the new home of the Detroit Red Wings, is scheduled to open in the fall of 2017. The facility will be the cornerstone of The District Detroit, a $1.2 billion recreational and residential development. “We’ve experienced an incredible response from our fans, our partners and the community as the vision for this new facility and The District Detroit have begun to come to life,” commented Tom Wilson, President and CEO of Olympia Entertainment, which oversees business operations for the Red Wings.
in Las Vegas that will “redefine the live music and entertainment experience.” The companies are partnering with Azoff MSG Entertainment, Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. and Oak View Group in the venture. The 17,500seat venue will be located on Sands Avenue between Manhattan Street and Koval Lane. “A world-class performance venue with direct connectivity to our Venetian and Palazzo resorts will undoubtedly be positive for our business in Las Vegas, but it is also exactly the type of investment that is important to the long-term interests of Las Vegas as a leading international tourist destination,” said Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon G. Adelson.
LAS VEGAS, NV — The Madison Square Garden Company and Las Vegas Sands Corp. plan to create a unique, 400,000-sq.-ft. venue
LOUISVILLE, KY — Indiana University’s football stadium, Memorial Stadium, was approved for a $53 million renovation last month.
MILWAUKEE, WI — The $524 million Milwaukee Bucks arena broke ground last month. The arena will be the centerpiece of the 30-acre Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center district. Completion is expected in 2018. SALT LAKE CITY, UT — Funding for the planned $125 million renovation of Vivint Smart Home Arena is underway with the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City’s recent approval of $22.7 million in tax increment financing.
Tom Wilson Little Caesars Arena
SPRINGFIELD, OH — The $2.5 million renovation of the John Legend Theater is expected to be completed Sept. 1. Legend, a graduate of the Springfield School District, donated $500,000 for the project. TEMPE, AZ — The Arizona Board of Regents has approved the final phase of the Sun Devil Stadium Renovation Project. The third phase will focus on the east and north end of the stadium and include the replacement of concessions, utilities and seating.
Sheldon G. Adelson Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Festival Beat AUGUST 5-7 5-7 11-14 26-27 26-28
Watershed Festival Telluride Jazz Festival The Peach Music Festival Breakaway Music Festival Psycho Las Vegas
2-4 2-4 8-10 17-18 24-25
Bumbershoot North Coast Music Festival Hopscotch Festival Sundown Music Festival Moonstone
6-9 7-9 13-16 28-30 28-30
Joshua Tree Fall III Points Hillberry Voodoo Experience Suwannee Hulaween
18-20/11 29/12-1/1 16-20/1 20-25/1 2-7/2
Zen Awakening Festival Snowglobe ShipRocked Jam Cruise Monsters of Rock Cruise
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVember–February
10
George, WA Telluride, CO Scranton, PA Columbus, OH Las Vegas, NV
watershedfest.com telluridejazz.org thepeachmusicfestival.com breakawayfestival.com psycholv.com
Seattle, WA Chicago, IL Raleigh, NC Huntington Beach, CA Orlando, FL
bumbershoot.com northcoastfestival.com hopscotchmusicfest.com sundownmusicfest.com moonstonemusicfestival.com
Joshua Tree, CA Miami, FL Eureka Springs, AR New Orleans, LA Live Oak, FL
joshuatreemusicfestival.com iiipoints.com hillberryfestival.com voodoofestival.com suwanneehulaween.com
Orlando, FL South Lake Tahoe, CA Miami, FL Miami, FL Tampa, FL
zenawakeningfestival.com snowglobemusicfestival.com shiprocked.com jamcruise.com monstersofrockcruise.com/east
Facilities & Event Management 2016 Superbook
A Perfect Circle Anne Murray Amy Grant Ani DiFranco Ben Harper Bill Burr Blue Man Group Blues Traveler Bob Dylan Carlos Mencia Chicago Chris Tomlin Daniel Tosh Dave Chappelle Dave Matthews Emerson Lake & Palmer Experience Hendrix Fitz & the Tantrums Gabriel Iglesias George Clinton & The P-Funk All Stars Glen Campbell Government Mule Harry Connick, Jr. Home Free Indigo Girls Jackson Browne Jars of Clay Jason Mraz Joe Bonamassa John Prine Jonny Lang Kathy Griffin Little Big Town Lyle Lovett Mannheim Steamroller Matchbox 20 Melissa Etheridge Mercy Me Michael W. Smith moe. Moody Blues Natalie Merchant Norah Jones O.A.R. Prairie Home Companion Red Green Rick Springfield Rockapella Rodney Carrington Ron White Ryan Adams Santana Sarah McLachlan Second City Touring Co. Sheryl Crow Smashing Pumpkins Steven Curtis Chapman Tedeschi Trucks Band Third Day Tori Amos Tracy Chapman Weird Al Yankovic Widespread Panic Willie Nelson
AMES, IOWA
For booking information on 2,700-seat Stephens Auditorium, contact Tammy Koolbeck at 515-294-3347 or tkool@iastate.edu.
*Awarded by the American Institute of Architects, Iowa Chapter in 2004
FORUM Darren Davis
Vice President of Entertainment, Mandalay Bay
By George Seli
I
n March, Darren Davis joined Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas after 14 years with Orleans Arena, most recently serving as Executive Director. A 22-year veteran in the venue and event management industry, Davis views the move as an opportunity to contribute to the success of MGM Resorts International during a dynamic time. The company partnered with AEG to bring the 20,000-capacity T-Mobile Arena to market in April, and last month the NHL approved its 31st team to begin playing at the arena in 2017. MGM Resorts is also preparing to debut a 5,300-seat theater at Monte Carlo in December, as well as a 3,000-seat venue at MGM National Harbor in Maryland later this year.
W T
hat most excites you about the new appointment?
he company is for all purposes the leader in entertainment. I can’t think of another organization that has the amount of venues that we manage and produces the amount of content that we do. And that’s probably the most exciting thing: It wasn’t specific to the job or the venue that I was coming to, it was the fact that I was going to get to work for MGM Resorts International. I had been kind of watching from afar what MGM Resorts has been doing the past few years and how aggressive they’ve been in the entertainment market, building new venues, creating new venues. I said to myself, probably a couple years ago, I hope at one point there is an opportunity for me to slide over and play with the “big boys” on the Strip. A few months ago that opportunity presented itself.
Y Y
W
hat aspects of entertainment programming at Mandalay Bay Events Center will represent a change from your work at Orleans Arena?
W
e do a lot more music here than we did at the Orleans, which is great. There is also a big component of private events at the Mandalay Bay Events Center because we’re adjacent to one of the top five convention facilities in the world, with almost two million sq. ft. of convention space. We only had 40,000 sq. ft. of banquet space at Orleans Arena, so we did do some private events. Most of the time the arena was a big draw and the convention space was secondary. is a little bit the reverse of ery few companies This that: The conventions are the big draw for the private events and that you work for in then they use the Events Center for an entertainment the general sessions. For example, during my first week here Home career allow you the Depot was in house. They had the convention center and then opportunity to work with entire they held their general sessions business meetings in the three arenas of varying and Events Center. So that’s a great example of how the property has a size, a beach concert unique mix of entertainment and venue and first-class business-use facilities.
“V
theater facilities.”
our oversight of venues is much broader now, correct?
es, very few companies that you work for in an entertainment career allow you the opportunity to work with three arenas of varying size, a beach concert venue and first-class theater facilities. So I go to these booking, strategy and operational meetings, and I get to hear not only about my venue but also about the unique aspects of all those other venues, and it really helps to educate me in the industry. Mandalay Bay is a big property with lots of moving parts. In addition to the venues that we operate ourselves, I’m also involved with Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson ONE Theatre, the House of Blues Foundation Room, and PLAY Management’s LIGHT Nightclub and DAYLIGHT Beach Club. They are all under my realm of my responsibility as well, though not directly. I’m also continuing to understand how the nightclub world and Cirque du Soleil operate.
12
H
as the transition been easier due to the fact that the Events Center and Orleans Arena are similar capacity (12,000 and 9,000, respectively)?
I
t does make it nice that it’s a similar-size facility. But whether you’re in a 25,000-seat or a 10,000-seat arena, the things you do to prepare for an event and the way you execute it are really no different; it’s just more people at one time.
W T
ill the promoter relationships you developed at Orleans Arena be an asset?
he company already has great relationships with all the big promoters, including Live Nation and AEG. And some of the relationships with regional promoters that I have developed over the years have already produced fruitful results for the company. Through 14 years of getting to know agents and promoters, many of them are familiar with me and excited about bringing their events here.
Facilities & event management 2016 SuperBook
FORUM David Kells
Senior Vice President of Booking Bridgestone Arena and the Nashville Predators
T
he recipient of IEBA’s Venue Executive of the Year award in 2014, David Kells has been with Bridgestone Arena and the Nashville Predators since 2005. Prior to joining Bridgestone, Kells worked in marketing and production roles for Great Big Shows and SFX Entertainment. He has also been involved in producing such festivals as Dancin’ In the District, Sundown in the City, Sewanee Bound Music Festival and Birmingham City Stages.
By George Seli
a Carson show to further their career. And traditionally comedy was a fairly stripped down production, but Kevin Hart came out with full videoscreens and pyro [Bridgestone Arena, April 2015]. Their production is bigger; I see that trend as well.
W T
hat are some major acts that have recently played your venue for the first time?
Y
ou have served in a variety of executive roles at Bridgestone, including VP of Booking, Director of Marketing, Event Manager and Operations Conversion Manager. Did you intend to become involved in both the operations and marketing/booking sides of the business?
T
hat kind of happened by accident early on. When I was going to school I would intern for record labels and groups doing the marketing and promotion side of things, but then to get paid I worked as a stagehand. So I kind of always had that “yin and yang” thing going on.
H I
ow has Nashville’s live entertainment market developed over the last 10 years?
think we’re definitely more on the radar for tour routing. I worked at Starwood Amphitheatre and with SFX early on in my career, and at that time — 10 to 15 years ago — this market was not a “must play.” We’d get some of the good shows, but you’d kind of have to fight, scratch and cry to get some acts to play the market. But over time people started coming out and supporting more events, and [promoters and agents] began to see that Nashville and Bridgestone Arena can be successful.
O W
verall, what kind of entertainment programming do you aim to offer?
“We’re
on the radar for tour routing. Ten to 15 years ago this market was not a ‘must play.’ But over time people started coming out and supporting more events, and [promoters and agents] began to see that Nashville and Bridgestone Arena can be successful.”
e like to keep a broad and diverse calendar to serve everyone in rural Tennessee and the surrounding area. We’re a big tourist destination, and it’s a fun place for people to come out to if they’re planning to hit a hockey game on Thursday, a concert on Friday and the rest of the town on the weekend.
H T
ave you noted any trends in the types of acts you’ve been hosting recently?
hese last couple of years I’ve seen a lot more arena-level comedy acts out, such as the Kevin Hart tour last year, The Comedy Get Down and Amy Schumer.
W I
his past January was the first year Madonna had played the Nashville market and Bridgestone Arena specifically, so that was fun for everybody to be a part of. The comedy trend seems to continue and we have Louis CK and Jim Gaffigan coming up, both first-times. Florida Georgia Line’s first performance here will be in October, and then we’ll have two nights with Widespread Panic on Dec. 30 and New Year’s Eve. It’s been a definitely more long time since they played the arena.
hat do you think is behind that trend? xxx
t’s hard to put my finger on, but there just seem to be more outlets for comedians than in years past. They don’t just have to rely on one or two networks. They can be stars in movies, they’re able to do the traditional comedy specials on cable, and they have YouTube and other [social media] outlets too. So it’s easy to get product out all the time instead of waiting for 14
C L
an you describe the new upgrades to the Arena?
ast year we replaced all the lower-bowl seating and redid the majority of our concession stands, and this summer we’re doing the 200- and 300-level seats installation. We finished renovating the suites last year, redid the HVAC and put LED sports lights in the arena bowl. So we’ve been having a couple good years of investment into the building.
A I
ny tips to share on maintaining long-term partnerships with agents and promoters?
don’t think there are any tricks or secrets. Just be straightforward, treat them well when they come in — those types of things pay dividends throughout your life and career. We’re fortunate that a good amount of them have offices here in Nashville, from Live Nation and AEG to Feld, Outback, NS2 and AC Entertainment. So I get to see them regularly.
W L
hat recent event at Bridgestone Arena would you cite as a personal highlight?
ast year’s NHL All-Star game, which had never been held in Nashville before. It was awesome for all of our staff to be able to showcase what a great town Nashville is and how passionate the hockey fans are here, with the spotlight of the hockey world on us. We were able to establish a local organizing committee and involve many aspects of the entertainment. So representatives from CAA, William Morris and others [e.g., the CVB and Mayor’s office] all came together and programmed a weekend of entertainment that was not just on the ice and in the arena, but also featured free concerts outside. It brought the hockey and entertainment sides of Nashville together to make it a really big event. Facilities & event Management 2016 SuperBook
Photoview
EAMC 2016 The Event & Arena Marketing Conference was held June 1-4 in Nashville, TN
Jeff Johnson (left), Pacers Sports & Entertainment, and Raz Cano, State Farm Arena
David Kells, Bridgestone Arena, speaks at a press conference announcing new PBR event
Cassie Zebisch (left), AEG, and JoAnn Esposito, Madison Square Garden
Allison Alfano (left), STAPLES Center, and Shani Tate, Sprint Center
Misty Cox (left), Nutter Center, and Liz Roca, AmericanAirlines Arena
Jason Perry, Verizon Wireless Arena
Kay Meilleur (left), Meridian Centre, and Cheryl Cohen, Dunkin’ Donuts Center
Cynthia HazellCutchin (left), FedEx Forum, and Tanya Bowley, Amway Center
(L-r): Allie Dicken, Talking Stick Resort Arena, and Alayne Nott and Christina Caligiuri, MTS Centre
Amy Peterson (left), DCU Center, and Erin Villeneuve, Times Union Center
Tricia Gonyo (left), Kristina Lankow (second from right) and other VenuWorks team members
Dave Redelberger (left), Schottenstein Center, and JT Tepolt, Bill Young Productions
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Facilities & event management 2016 SuperBook
䄀氀氀攀渀 䌀漀甀渀琀礀 圀愀爀 䴀攀洀漀爀椀愀氀 䌀漀氀椀猀攀甀洀 䄀爀攀渀愀 ⴀ 䔀砀瀀漀 䌀攀渀琀攀爀 ⴀ 䌀漀渀昀攀爀攀渀挀攀 䌀攀渀琀攀爀
䘀漀爀 戀漀漀欀椀渀最 椀渀昀漀爀洀愀琀椀漀渀Ⰰ 挀漀渀琀愀挀琀㨀 刀愀渀搀礀 䰀⸀ 䈀爀漀眀渀Ⰰ 䌀䘀䔀 ㈀㘀 ⸀㐀㠀㈀⸀㤀㔀 ㈀ 漀爀 爀戀爀漀眀渀䀀洀攀洀漀爀椀愀氀挀漀氀椀猀攀甀洀⸀挀漀洀 ⼀愀挀眀洀挀 䀀愀挀眀洀挀
Management & Design
THE BIGELOW COMPANIES
Chris Bigelow, President he Bigelow Companies are consultants to the sports, entertainment and convention markets, specializing in foodservice and merchandise services. The organization’s two major divisions, Design Services and Management Advisory Services, complement each other. Major projects include renovation services for the University of Michigan, and F&B operational audit for the O2 Arena and full design services for AT&T Park.
T
Design
THORNTON TOMASETTI
Thomas Z. Scarangello, P.E., CEO hornton Tomasetti provides engineering design, investigation and analysis services to clients worldwide on projects of various sizes and levels of complexity. It is a 100 percent employee-held organization of 1,200 engineers, architects, sustainability practitioners and support professionals collaborating from offices across North America and in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.
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F&EM -LIST
Ticketing
AUDIENCEVIEW
Mark Fowlie, CEO udienceView offers an industry-leading engine that enables intelligent ticketing and e-commerce for global entertainment brands. The company powers over $2 billion in transactions each year, servicing over 550 venues in 15 countries. Clients range from University of Minnesota Athletics, Wembley Stadium and Opry Entertainment to events such as the FA Cup, Edinburgh International Festival and Los Angeles Film Festival.
A
A
Top Products & Services Companies
Equipment
IRWIN SEATING COMPANY
Graham Irwin, CEO rwin Seating Company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of audience seating for movie theaters, auditoriums, arenas, performing arts centers, stadiums and places of worship. In addition to auditorium and theater seating, the company manufactures stadium seating, lecture room furniture, bleachers, telescopic platforms and provides comprehensive restoration services.
I
18
Don Dethlefs, CEO ink Combs Dethlefs is a leader in planning and design and has a reputation for exceptional quality and budget control. The 50-person firm, established in 1962, maintains offices in Denver, Chicago, Ann Arbor, and Los Angeles. Its designs are tailored to each project’s site, program, context and budget; services include ADA compliance, feasibility studies, renovation design and more.
S
Ticketing
TICKETFLY
Andrew Dreskin, CEO icketfly, a subsidiary of Pandora, offers powerful ticketing, digital marketing and analytics software to help promoters sell more tickets, streamline operations and increase revenue per attendee, while the company’s consumer tools make it easy for fans to find and purchase tickets to events across North America. More than 1,200 leading venues and promoters have partnered with Ticketfly.
T
Equipment
SICO
Ken Steinbauer, President ince 1951, SICO has been a leading worldwide manufacturer of long-lasting mobile folding products that help organizations maximize the efficient use of their space. SICO’s clients range from schools and churches to hospitality businesses, community and convention centers, clubs, time-shares, and consumer environments. Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, SICO has affiliate offices across the globe, including Europe, The Middle East, and Asia.
S
Security
CENTERPLATE
A
SINK COMBS DETHLEFS
Equipment
Food & Beverage
Chris Verros, CEO t gathering places across North America and the United Kingdom, Centerplate and its partner venues have been defining memorable, locally authentic experiences through thoughtful hospitality for more than 80 years. Centerplate’s strategic approach to hospitality delivers tailored food and beverage programs, hospitality design, and event and retail services.
Design
ANDY FRAIN SERVICES
John Lewis, CEO aunched in 1990, Staging Concepts is an industry leader in portable staging equipment, providing superior staging product solutions for facilities with custom needs. The company and team of engineers are devoted to producing advanced modular, lightweight custom staging systems for performing arts centers, sports facilities and other types of venues.
L
Utilities
David Clayton, President ndy Frain Services has been providing integrated solutions to security and events needs for over 90 years. On the sports and entertainment side serves MLB, NBA, NHL, PGA, USGA, LPGA, NCAA, NHRA and 25 major sports arenas, venues and universities. The company provides roving officers, entry screening, video/fire alarm monitoring, event staff and more.
A
STAGING CONCEPTS
EDLEN ELECTRICAL EXHIBITION SERVICES
James E. Wetterling Jr., CEO dlen is an innovative leader in providing cost-effective, temporary utility services to the tradeshow, convention and special event industry. Its nationwide network of offices serve more than 4,000 events annually in 245 venues, including convention centers, hotels, sport stadiums, fairgrounds and theme parks.
E
Facilities & event management 2016 Superbook
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Facilities & event management 2016 Superbook
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Ford Center Celebrates Its
Photographs by Susie Gough
O
ver the last half-decade, the On Nov. 11, the Ford Center will Ford Center has proven celebrate its five-year anniversary its versatility as a host for date with a performance by Carrie “We inch up a acts in a variety of genres. As Darin Underwood, one of the top stars couple shows every Lashinsky, CEO of NS2, confirms, in any genre, and an especially “Evansville has always been and high-profile artist for a midsized year, the quality of continues to be a strong ticketarena. Underwood’s show, a stop selling market for rock and country on The Storyteller Tour, may be the shows has concerts.” And “rock” includes considered the culmination of gotten better and modern bands that are finding it five years of steadily increasing profitable to route a tour through business at the arena. “We’ve the diversity of the Ford Center’s corner of the actually done really well [since the shows has Heartland. For example, Lashinsky opening],” says Schoenike. “We has recently booked Five Finger inch up a couple shows every year, gotten a lot better.” Death Punch at the arena, as well as the quality of the shows has gotten —Scott Schoenike, Executive Director, acts that are more predicable hits in better and the diversity of the the market: Def Leppard and Dolly shows has gotten a lot better.” Ford Center and Victory Theatre Parton. Expressing his confidence Fortunately, the local media in the Evansville market, Lashinsky has been a proactive partner in says, “Hopefully, all of the tours we maximizing turnout at those promote nationally will make a stop at the Ford Center.” shows. “The radio stations and the media here have gotten on Five Finger Death Punch, together with Shinedown and board helping us to kind of explain to people that if you want special guest POD, sold about 8,000 of the Ford Center’s more music here, what you have to do is supply more tickets to 11,000 seats. In fact, the show “sold so well in our market, it generate a snowball effect — a public understanding of how it inspired the groups to do a full tour,” remarks Kristi Spalding, works,” says Schoenike. Sales and Marketing Manager at the Ford Center. “We’re Still a relatively new building, the Silver LEED-certified starting to overachieve on some of these other genres,” adds Ford Center is physically prepared to host any show that fits Scott Schoenike, Executive Director for the Ford Center and its market and capacity. That includes Cirque du Soleil, which accompanying Victory Theatre. “So it’s great for the people will be presenting TORUK – The First Flight, Sept. 1-4. “We locally who don’t have to travel anymore [to see these artists].” have excellent rigging [180,000 lbs.], and production-wise it’s 20
Facilities & Event Management 2016 SuperBook
Evansville, IN sits squarely on the routing map thanks to the efforts of Scott Schoenike and his team By George Seli
Fifth Year (L-r): The ninth annual Guns and Hoses charity event presented by 911 Gives Hope; Luke Bryan’s third sold-out concert, Feb. 18; and POD, a special guest of the Five Finger Death Punch show on May 3.
FORD CENTER FAST FACTS
Management: VenuWorks Overall capacity: 11,000 (basketball, 9,800; hockey, 9,100; concerts, 10,500; half house 3,500-5,700) l Arena floor: over 20,000 sq. ft. of usable space that can be modified for basketball, hockey, concerts, conventions, rodeos, expos and more l Rigging capacity: 180,000 lbs. l Suites: 16 20-person suites and one 40-person suite, four mini suites and 95 main concourse loge seats l Back of house: two star dressing rooms, two locker rooms, green room, multipurpose room l l
VICTORY THEATRE
Capacity: 1,950 Staging: 42 ft.-by-46 ft. wide stage with 24 ft. of off-stage wing space and a 30-ft.-tall grid l Amenities: banquet hall, conference room, second-floor mezzanine accommodating 180, three bar locations in the lobbies l Back of house: two star dressing rooms and four support dressing rooms, each with private shower and restroom l l
“I think in the next five a great building for that show,” says years we’re really going Schoenike. Lashinsky adds that “The to concentrate on helping our upper-level curtaining options are “Hopefully, all tenants [NCAA Division I crucial to presenting concerts that of the tours we University of Evansville Aces require flexibility with the sellable and the SPHL Evansville capacity.” Overall, he observes that promote nationally Thunderbolts] reach the next “From the front of house to backstage, level. Between hockey and the experience for fans, artists and their will make a basketball, there are 66 crews is first class.” stop at the events in the core season, and To ensure the experience remains we want to give them a longfirst class, Schoenike and his team Ford Center.” sustaining, high attendance are already discussing upgrades to events.” He believes that the building. “We’re 5 years old but by —Darin Lashinsky, one means of reaching 10 years we’re going to need a little CEO, NS2 that goal is to augment the facelift. We’ll do it at the 10-year mark guest experience around the rather than wait 20 years for a major sporting event, including overhaul,” he explains. “So right now aspects such as digital we’re talking about AV upgrades, more connectivity and F&B. “When you’re here for a concert you kind digital signage, and a better patron experience on the WiFi — to of get focused on the music, but when you’re here for a sporting try to keep pace with some of the newer features we see out there.” event you’re also here for the [broader] experience, things to do Also key to the patron experience is sufficient quality lodging with the kids, your buddies, etc.,” he explains. for those coming in from out of town and seeking accommodations. Past performance tends to be the best predictor of That will be enhanced in December with the opening of the future performance. And given the success the Ford Center 241-room Doubletree by Hilton Evansville Indiana Hotel and has experienced over these last five years, no doubt its Convention Center. The property will provide direct access via management and staff have the ability to add to that success Sky Bridge to the Ford Center and Old National Events Plaza. and optimize business for its tenants. Indeed, they have already Evansville’s downtown is sure to become even more vibrant with realized the goal of diversifying Evansville’s live entertainment the hotel’s debut; in part, it means more incoming conventioneers scene — ever since Bob Seger’s sold-out inaugural concert on who may well become Ford Center patrons during their free time. Nov. 9, 2011. Looking to the future of the Ford Center, Schoenike says, Facilities & Event Management 2016 SuperBook
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F
2016 Prime Site Awards
&EM is always keen to focus on new entertainment venues, a prime example being the state-of-the-art T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, which opened in April. As reported in this issue (page 10), there are plans for an even more ambitious concert venue in Las Vegas, not to mention new arenas being developed in Detroit and Milwaukee. But it is just as important to recognize the arenas, stadiums, theaters and performing arts centers that are already a “hit” with agents and promoters. It is these industry-leading venues that deliver the kind of features and service the newcomers to the
market will look emulate and, ideally, surpass. That recognition comes from our annual Prime Site Awards. Readers nominated venues for our 2016 Prime Site Awards based on numerous criteria, ranging from promotional support and event staff proficiency to physical aspects such as seating versatility, AV and staging quality, and backof-house amenities. Winners thus demonstrate the ability to please both incoming acts and patrons on multiple levels. We congratulate this year’s winners, and look forward to nominations for next year’s awards.
NORTH D U O L T A GRE TR ICIA
@M LS E.CO M .SI LL IP HA NT
CHARLES.HAM
E.COM ILTON@MLS
@MLSELIVE AIRCANADACENTRE.COM | RICOHCOLISEUM.COM
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Facilities & EVENT Management 2016 Superbook
For events big and small, ASU Gammage has a venue that’s just right for your needs! Three convenient Tempe venues with easy access for the Phoenix Metro and ASU student populations. ASU Gammage outdoor and Wells Fargo Arena photos: Tim Trumble
ASU GAMMAGE - 2,800 SEATS
SUN DEVIL STADIUM
WELLS FARGO ARENA - 10,000 SEATS
For information, contact ASU Gammage at 480.965.5062 asugammage.com
Fac i l i t i e s & Ev e n t M a n ag e m e n t 2 0 1 6 P r i m e S i t e Awa r d W i n n e r s Barclays Center
Northeast
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, NY Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, PA CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA DCU Center Arena, Worcester, MA Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence, RI Madison Square Garden, New York, NY Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes Barre, PA Mullins Center, University of MA Amherst Prudential Center, Newark, NJ Ryan Center, University of Rhode Island, Kingston Santander Arena, Reading, PA Times Union Center, Albany, NY Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, NH Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Mid-Atlantic
Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore, MD Ted Constant Convocation Center, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA Verizon Center, Washington, DC Royal Farms Arena
Infinite Energy Center, Duluth, GA KFC YUM! Center, Louisville, KY The Lakeland Center, Lakeland, FL Legacy Arena at the BJCC, Birmingham, AL North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, SC Saenger Theater, Pensacola, FL Silver Spurs Arena, Kissimmee, FL Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA The Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa, FL Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC The Straz Center for the Performing Arts
Midwest
Adler Theatre, Davenport, IA Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, IN Arie Crown Theater, Chicago, IL Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN Ford Center, Evansville, IN Hartman Arena, Park City, KS Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines, IA INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita, KS Iowa State Center, Ames, IA i Wireless Center, Moline, IL Morris Performing Arts Center, South Bend, IN Nutter Center at Wright State University, Dayton, OH Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids, IA Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, NE Resch Center, Green Bay, WI Rushmore Civic Center Plaza Arena, Rapid City, SD
Morris Performing Arts Center
Southeast
AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami, FL Amway Center, Orlando, FL Bancorpsouth Center, Tupelo, MS Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN Cabarrus Arena & Events Center, Concord, NC CenturyLink Center, Bossier City, LA Colonial Life Arena, University of South Carolina, Columbia Fedex Forum, Memphis, TN Florence Civic Center, Florence, SC Greensboro Coliseum Complex, Greensboro, NC 24
Facilities & EVENT Management 2016 Superbook
N L O C N LI
G N O STR LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
BOOKING INFO:: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
www.Pinnaclebankarena.com
Facilities & EVENT Management 2016 Superbook
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Fac i l i t i e s & Ev e n t M a n ag e m e n t 2 0 1 6 P r i m e S i t e Awa r d W i n n e r s Rushmore Civic Center Plaza Arena
Sanford Center, Bemidji, MN Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO Swiftel Center, Brookings, SD Target Center, Minneapolis, MN Topeka Performing Arts Center, Topeka, KS United Wireless Arena, Dodge City, KS U.S. Cellular Center, Cedar Rapids, IA U.S. Cellular Coliseum, Bloomington, IL Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, IA
26
West
American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, TX ASU Gammage, Tempe, AZ AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX Bellco Theatre, Denver, CO BOK Center, Tulsa, OK Broadmoor World Arena, Colorado Springs, CO Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK Frank Erwin Center, Austin, TX Grand Canyon University Arena, Phoenix, AZ Honda Center, Anaheim, CA Laredo Energy Arena, Laredo, TX Lloyd Noble Center, Norman, OK Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, NV Rabobank Arena, Bakersfield, CA SAP Center, San Jose, CA STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, CA State Farm Arena, Hidalgo, TX Stockton Arena, Stockton, CA Taco Bell Arena at Boise State University, Boise, ID Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, WA Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, AZ T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV United Supermarkets Arena, Lubbock, TX XFINITY Arena at Everett, WA
Facilities & EVENT Management 2016 Superbook
Talking Stick Resort Arena
INTERNATIONAL: Canada
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario BC Place, Vancouver, B.C. Budweiser Gardens, London, Ontario Canadian Tire Centre, Kanata, Ontario General Motors Centre, Oshawa, Ontario MTS Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba Rogers K-Rock Centre, Kingston, ON
IS PROUD TO BE A
FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT MAGAZINE P R I M E S I T E AWA R D W I N N E R HOME OF THE
Puerto Rico
Coliseo de Puerto Rico, Hato Rey, PR N A S H V I L L E P R E D AT O R S
C M A AWA R D S
20 16 NHL A L L STA R GA ME
CM T MUS I C AWA R DS
20 16 S EC ME N’S BAS K E TBA L L TO UR NA M ENT
Facilities & EVENT Management 2016 Superbook
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we’ve got it all...
under
one roof
State Spotlight
Florida
Tampa’s Amalie Arena
By Anthony Bilden
I
n many states, patronage at outdoor events is inhibited during the winter months — not so in Florida. Mecum Auctions, for example, enjoyed a very healthy attendance of around 30,000 at its January event in Kissimmee. In fact, attendance at the world’s largest collector car auction has increased annually over the 10 years it has been held at Osceola Heritage Park, and the show remains the best attended of the 18 auctions Mecum holds. “We started it there as a very small event with 200 cars, and it’s now become a 3,000-car, 10-day auction,” notes Harold Gerdes, VP of Operations with Mecum Auctions. “And at this point, along with all the memorabilia that we’re selling, we’ve pretty much maxed what we can do over that amount of time.” Helping to optimize turnout is Osceola Heritage Park’s location, about 10 minutes from the Orlando International Airport, which is especially ideal for the auction’s international guests. “Orlando’s theme park attractions have destination appeal and people don’t just come for an auction; they bring their families and make it a vacation,” Gerdes adds. Geographic location is indeed key to maximizing revenue from an event, but so is the viability of the facility as a business partner. And the SMG-managed Osceola Heritage Park shines as one of Florida’s most flexible venues for concerts, fairs and festivals, and the like. “They’ve got a over a hundred acres and a lot of room for all the things we do,” says Gerdes. “We put up 10 acres of tents with just cars, and we use the arena with the raised seating for the auction itself, so it plays out well. This year we changed the layout to add a huge exhibition tent with flooring, lighting and glass walls, and it became the highlight of the whole event. We had several multimillion dollar cars housed there and had a huge video wall. Osceola paved all of that for us as part of the multiyear deal we signed. They improve the facility each year in some way; many places don’t do that.” One very significant venue improvement project in Central
Facilities & Event ManAgement 2016 Superbook
Florida is the upcoming $14 million renovation of the venerable Lakeland Center, scheduled to begin next summer. One aspect of the renovation, the first since 1996, is ADA compliance. “We were built in ’74 so we were grandfathered in from an ADA perspective ever since then. Now we’re going to bring the arena up to code,” explains Scott Sloman, Assistant Director. “We’ll also work on the façade of the arena so it has a much nicer presence, add an escalator to the first level, get a new sound system for the arena and put new videoboards in.” The Lakeland Center also has a new dashboard system that will allow it to support the Florida Tropics, an indoor soccer team that begins play at the arena in November. In nearby Tampa, The Straz Center for the Performing Arts has its own plans for the future, dubbed the Master Plan. The idea is to make the Straz Center a true Riverwalk attraction, not simply a venue to see a show. Effectively, the Straz Center will be integrated with Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s InVision Tampa plan, which includes Center City projects such as the completion of the Tampa Riverwalk, the restoration of the Federal Courthouse, the evolution of the Encore district and the construction of downtown residential towers. A feasibility study is currently underway for the $65 million-$100 million Master Plan, which calls for the creation of a Grand Terrace that flows to the riverfront, expanding the Patel Conservatory, reinventing and enlarging the Silbiger Lobby in Morsani Hall and adding a multipurpose events center to accommodate growth in food and beverage, education and artistic programming. Like the rest of the industry, the Central Florida entertainment scene — home to Osceola Heritage Park, The Lakeland Center and The Straz Center — has been under a pall since last month’s tragedy at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub. The deep questions raised about venue security will surely inform future measures at entertainment venues. But the future also holds the promise of an even stronger Central Florida live entertainment industry, given the forward-thinking management at its major facilities. Following is an overview of some of the state’s other popular tour-routing stops. 29
Amalie Arena
Tampa • amaliearena.com Originally known as the Ice Palace, Amalie Arena opened in 1996 with a show by the Royal Hanneford Circus. It went on to enjoy highlights such as four consecutive sellouts by Garth Brooks, Elton John and Billy Joel performing together in 2009, and Roger Waters’ performance of The Wall in 2011. Home to the Arena Football League’s Tampa Bay Storm, the arena has also hosted the 1999 NHL All-Star Game, the 2007 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament, the 2008 NCAA Women’s Final Four, the 2009 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, the 2012 Republican National Convention, the 2012 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four and more.
AmericanAirlines Arena Miami •aaarena.com
Pearl Jam on stage at Amalie Arena, April 11, 2016 CAPACITIES: Concerts: 18,150, in the round; 14,500, end stage 270°; 12,500, end stage 180°; 9,500, half house; 7,000, theater. Hockey: 19,000. Arena football: 10,500. BACKSTAGE AREAS: Six performer dressing rooms; four locker rooms, two with adjoining training rooms. Dressing rooms and locker rooms have all-new finishes including LED dimmable lighting, makeup mirrors, restroom finishes, Wi-Fi, TVs and game clocks. Both the Star Performer Room and Hospitality Lounge have been recently expanded. AUDIOVISUAL: In a recent renovation, sound blankets at bowl ceiling spaces and vertical acoustical panels at bowl walls were added to improve sound quality for artists. Two hundred forty-two new sport lights have been installed to increase game night lighting by doubling foot-candle levels, exceeding all NHL standards and enhancing HD broadcasts for all events. Additionally, seven new motorized Mac 3 theatrical lights bring a premier feel to every event. FOOD & BEVERAGE: 213 points-of-sale, 19 hard concession stands, 19 bars, 28 portables, two vending teams. The Firestick Grill, the Amalie Arena onsite restaurant, features an enhanced dining area and ambiance with open fire action stations and menu items indigenous to the Tampa Bay area. TECH AMENITIES: First NHL building to have Apple Pay. Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), which allows partners and messaging to engage with fans over 600 TVs located throughout the concourse, suites and premium areas. Fan Cap, which allows fans to have a chance to see themselves live on the scoreboard during events. All clients and guests have the opportunity to manage their sporting and events tickets online with digital ticketing. EVENT PROMOTION: Amalie Arena has a marketing team that has the ability to secure media buys and promotions using venue’s contracts and existing discounted media rates. LOCAL MARKET: Tampa/St. Petersburg is the 11th largest U.S. market, with over 3.7 million people and growing. With ticket sales that dominate the Tampa market, the Arena also draws guests from large surrounding cities like St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Lakeland and more. 30
Located in Downtown Miami on the waterfront of Biscayne Bay, the 19,600-seat AmericanAirlines Arena ranks among the nation’s top 10 venues annually for total ticket sales and among the top 5 for Latin entertainment. The arena has hosted top artists such as Katy Perry, Coldplay, Marc Anthony, Justin Timberlake, Pitbull and Jay Z, and top productions such as Harlem Globetrotters, Disney On Ice, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and WWE. For smaller events, the elegant Waterfront Theatre is available with a capacity of 5,700. The arena is also a forerunner in sustainability. Last month, The HEAT Group—parent company of the Miami HEAT and AmericanAirlines Arena—has been named the first-ever Environmental Innovators of the Year in the NBA category by the Green Sports Alliance. CAPACITIES: 19,500, basketball; 15,500, concerts end-stage; 5,700, theatrical shows (Waterfront Theatre). MARKETING: Full-service marketing department offers advertising expertise and relationships with local media outlets. In addition, the HEAT Enterprise management team works in partnership with promoters to showcase events through a variety of methods and relationships. AMENITIES: Newly renovated Flagship Lounges accommodate 75-150. Dewar’s Clubhouse offers an upscale dining room setting overlooking the Arena Floor, accommodating 100-300. One thousand onsite parking spaces; more than 15,000 within 15-minute walk. Complimentary high-speed XFINITY Wi-Fi Internet access for fans.
Amway Center
Orlando • amwaycenter.com The Amway Center has hosted top acts such as Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, Elton John and the Eagles, as well as milestone sporting events such as the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend, World Championship Boxing and NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championships. Home to the NBA’s Orlando Magic and the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears, the Amway Center won the international 2013
Facilities & Event ManAgement 2016 Superbook
Customer Experience Award from The Stadium Business Awards. CAPACITIES: 16,300, end stage 360°; 14,100, end stage 270°; 12,000, end stage 180°; 9,100, half house; 17,000, center stage. STAGING: In-house standard size rolling stage measuring 60 ft.-by-40 ft. BACKSTAGE AREAS: Four locker rooms, six star rooms, one green room and a conference room with two production offices. OTHER FEATURES: Two full-service restaurants including Jernigan’s, which overlooks the arena bowl, and Magic Grill at street level on the northwest corner of the building. There are 22 permanent stands and numerous other concession options on multiple concourses. EVENT PROMOTION: Amway Center’s Marketing Department offers a complete range of services and support, including media buying, social media, promotions, graphic design and e-card distribution. LOCAL MARKET: Orlando’s 2013 total population is 249,835 with a median age of 33.8 years. Orange County’s 2013 total population is 1,199,801 with a median age of 34.1. Orlando also welcomed 66 million tourists in last year, making it the most-visited U.S. destination.
Janet Jackson Wicked Daniel tosh counting crows Mary J. Blige Jerry seinfelD The Book of MorMon Mike epps itzhak perlMan iDina Menzel sting Jon stewart The PhanToM of The oPera leonarD cohen Jeff DunhaM Black star harry connick, Jr. alicia keys
Bon iver Bill clinton chris cornell John leguizaMo Matisyahu Disney’s The Lion king renée fleMing Juanes Blue Man group J. cole John fogerty the piano guys wilco Jersey Boys Josh groBan cesar Millan the weeknD MoToWn The MusicaL
STATE-OF-THE-ART 5-THEATER ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX IN DOWNTOWN TAMPA
The Lakeland Center Lakeland • thelakelandcenter.com
The Lakeland Center is located minutes from Tampa and features a multipurpose arena, two exhibit halls, a theater and several meeting rooms. The George Jenkins Arena has hosted music legends from Elvis to Led Zeppelin to Rod Stewart since it opened in 1974. The facility also hosts FHSAA basketball, wrestling and volleyball tournaments, livestock events, monster trucks, professional wrestling and more.
CAPACITIES: 10,000 (8,000 reserved seating), George Jenkins Arena; 2,296, YouKey Theatre. STAGING: George Jenkins Arena features a 60 ft.-by-40 ft. SECO concert stage with PA wings and concert barricades. Jenkins Arena is equipped with six Gladiator 3 spotlights. YouKey Theatre stage is 55 ft. wide by 40 ft. deep and features a full Facilities & Event ManAgement 2016 Superbook
Morsani Hall has been ranked in the Top 5 in the world by Billboard, Pollstar and Venues Today.
Contact for avails: 813.222.1272 or Chrissy.Hall@strazcenter.org STRAZCENTER.ORG 31
counterweight system and rigging capacities of one ton per point. BACKSTAGE AREAS: The arena features two star dressing rooms, four team or chorus rooms, four meeting rooms, promoters’ and production offices. OTHER Backstage at The Lakeland Center, June 9 (l-r): FEATURES: YouKey Executive Director Tony Camarillo, “Weird Al” Yankovic and Assistant Director Scott Sloman Theatre includes a full production audio package, in-house lighting up to 120K plus additional theater-style lighting. YouKey Theatre also features a Myer M’elodie line array system with 16 Myer sound UM-1 stage monitors. Complete Shure microphone catalog is available. Spectra by Comcast Spectacor is the official food and beverage partner of The Lakeland Center. Five hundred parking spaces are available, and The Lakeland Center lots are available for festival and ride and drive rentals. EVENT PROMOTION: The Lakeland Center’s marketing team provides award-winning marketing services to promoters and event planners each year. Social media marketing, digital production, media strategies/buys and design services are available. LOCAL MARKET: The Lakeland Center is conveniently located between two major Florida metropolitan markets and is the premier entertainment venue and convention center for Polk County. More than a million visitors a year enjoy events at The Lakeland Center and the potential media reach is over 10 million residents.
Osceola Heritage Park Kissimmee • ohpark.com
Mecum Auctions at Osceola Heritage Park, Jan. 15-24.
“We started [the auction at Osceola Heritage Park] as a very small event with 200 cars, and it’s now become a 3,000-car, 10-day auction.” —Harold Gerdes, VP of Operations, Mecum Auctions
Saenger Theatre
Pensacola • www.pensacolasaenger.com The historic Saenger Theatre, managed by SMG, is arguably the premier performance space on the Gulf Coast. The venue has hosted performances by Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, Harry Connick Jr., David Copperfield, John Tesh, Wynton Marsalis, Ziggy Marley and Sesame Street Live.
The only venue in Central Florida that has 150 wide-open acres, an indoor Arena and Conference Center, Osceola Heritage Park provides promoters with total flexibility for festivals, fairs, concerts, extreme sports, rallies and more.
CAPACITIES: 11,400, Silver Spurs Arena. Concrete floor with unlimited load capacity; dirt installation available. BACKSTAGE: Four locker rooms, two star dressing rooms, several production meeting rooms. TECHNOLOGY: Brand-new sound system, state-of-the-art center-hung video scoreboard, ribbon signage and exterior digital marquees. AMENITIES: World-class catering and concessions from SAVOR; four stands in Arena. 3,500-sq.-ft. Heritage Club with catering by Savor Osceola, property-wide WiFi, 7,200 parking spaces. MARKETING: Full-service marketing department. 32
CAPACITIES: 1,650 with orchestra pit; 1,594 without orchestra pit. STAGING: 71 ft.-by-38 ft. stage with 43-ft. proscenium. BACKSTAGE AREAS: Six dressing rooms, including two Star dressing rooms, Green Room, musician’s warm-up room near Orchestra Pit, 18 ft.-by-26 ft. wardrobe room, two production offices. TECHNOLOGY: Sound Yamaha M7cl Mixer, EAW Speaker System, patch bays for microphone, line level, Ethernet and video. T-coil hearing loop system and FM-assisted hearing devices are also available. EVENT PROMOTION: In-house agency available. Access to 20,000-subscriber email database for event promotion, 5,000plus venue Facebook fans, Twitter followers and venue Web site banner advertising. In-house digital advertising system, lobbies and audience chamber. Poster display locations on Palafox and Intendencia Streets. Facilities & Event ManAgement 2016 Superbook
The Straz Center for the Performing Arts Tampa • strazcenter.org
The David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts has welcomed more than 10 million guests since it opened in 1987. As the largest performing arts complex south of the Kennedy Center, the 335,000-sq.-ft. Straz Center boasts one of the nation’s leading Broadway series and is nationally respected for producing grand opera, as well as presenting a wide variety of concerts, performances and events. CAPACITIES: Carol Morsani Hall: 2,610, full seating; 2,466, musical/Broadway; 2,239, opera; 2,286, symphony. STAGING: Proscenium opening is 60 ft.; performance area is 60 ft. by 45 ft.; wall to wall is 120 ft. wide by 75 ft. deep. Fly system. 109 line sets. Capacity is 1,500 lbs. SOUND/LIGHTING: Yamaha CL 5 console; Martin Audio Line Array. Lighting: House rep plot available on request; ETC EOS console. BACKSTAGE AREAS: Fourteen dressing rooms ranging from one to 18 stations with toilets and showers. Total capacity of 128. All dressing rooms are stage level. Loading dock is truck high; four bays. Two production offices; 50 ft.-by-70 ft. rehearsal hall with ballet bars and mirrors. Sprung Dance floor. Portable wall curtains. 24/7 Stage Door Security. FOOD & BEVERAGE: Maestro’s (fine dining), Maestro’s Café (buffet dining), Maestro’s On the River (casual, outdoor dining) and SteamHeat Café (coffee shop). MARKET/DEMOGRAPHICS: 65 percent-70 percent female; $100k+ average household income.
Event Calendar: Florida City Venue Date Event Clearwater Capitol Theatre 9/7/16 Donovan Clearwater Ruth Eckerd Hall 10/16/2016 Amy Schumer Live Daytona Beach Ocean Center 8/26-8/28/2016 2016 Volusia County Fall Home & Garden Show Daytona Beach Peabody Auditorium 10/6/2016 Rent 20 Anniversary Tour Estero Germain Arena 9/28/2016 - 10/02/2016 Cirque Du Soleil: OVO Fort Lauderdale Broward Center for the Performing Arts 8/3/16 The Go-Go’s Farewell Tour Fort Lauderdale Broward Center for the Performing Arts 9/18/16 Legends Of Rock In Concert Fort Myers JetBlue Park 8/18/2016 Billy Joel Hollywood Hard Rock Live 8/1/2016 An Evening with Pitbull Hollywood Hard Rock Live 8/27/2016 Ricky Martin Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena 8/5/2016 Janet Jackson – Unbreakable World Tour Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena 10/14/2016 Jacksonville Music Fest w/ Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Jaheim & Joe Miami American Airlines Arena 8/30 - 8/31/2016 Drake Miami American Airlines Arena 9/16 - 9/17/2016 Kanye West Miami American Airlines Arena 10/25 - 10/26/2016 Adele Miami Bayfront Park Amphitheatre 9/2/16 Goo Goo Dolls Miami Bayfront Park Amphitheatre 3/24 - 3/26/2017 2017 Ultra Music Festival Orlando Amway Center 9/2 - 9/4/2016 Disney On Ice presents Follow Your Heart Orlando Amway Center 9/9/16 Maroon 5 Orlando Amway Center 9/21 - 9/25/2016 Cirque Du Soleil St. Petersburg Mahaffey Theater 11/11/2016 Tracy Morgan: Picking Up The Pieces Sunrise BB&T Center 8/30/16 AC/DC Sunrise BB&T Center 11/17/16 Carrie Underwood Tallahassee Donald L. Tucker Civic Center 8/12/16 Travis Tritt Tampa Straz Center for the Performing Arts 11/29/16 - 12/04/16 Into the Woods Tampa Straz Center for the Performing Arts 2/1/217 - 2/26/17 Wicked Facilities & Event ManAgement 2016 Superbook
33
The Northeast
Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial
B
lue Cross Arena at the War Memorial opened as the Roch-
is 60 feet. One drive-in truck ramp with 15-foot clearance leads
ester Community War Memorial in 1955, and underwent a
straight to the Arena floor. Backstage areas include three locker
$41 million renovation and expansion in the late ‘90s. Managed by
rooms, four dressing rooms (including a 30 ft.-by-12 ft. Star’s
SMG, the Arena has hosted acts such as Barry Manilow, Harlem
Dressing Room), an officials room, green room and nine ft.-by-25
Globetrotters and Monster Jam. Recent events include the Gala
ft. promoters office.
of the Royal Horses, WWE Live, Nancy Kerrigan’s Halloween on Ice, Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey Circus and the Festival of
The area is known for the War Memorial and Veteran’s Memo-
Praise Tour.
rial Plaza. Accessible to the public, the shrine is designed to be a lasting tribute to all those from the Rochester area who gave
The 12,428-seat arena accommodates 6,052 in its upper bowl,
their lives for our nation’s liberties. Veteran’s Memorial Plaza
4,696 in its lower bowl and 1,680 on the floor. An 80 ft.-by-80
overlooks the Genesee River. Nearby points of interest include
ft. StageRight concert stage is available; heights from 4 ft. to 6
the George Eastman House, Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester
ft. can be built in any 4 ft. by 8 ft. dimension as well as tiered in
Museum & Science Center and National Museum of Play. Hotel
different heights. The Arena utilizes four covered loading docks
options include the Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, Roches-
off Court Street. Approximate distance to the upstage center
ter Plaza Hotel and Hyatt Regency Rochester.
1 War Memorial Square, Rochester, NY 14614 • (585) 758-5300 • bluecrossarena.com 34
Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook
The Northeast
Dunkin’ Donuts Center
P
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 2016 SuperBook
Debra Polselli, Booking Assistant (p) 401.331.0700 ext.7112 (e) dpolselli@dunkindonutscenter.com
35
The Northeast
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 • dcucenter.com 36
Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook
for world class, unique venues worcester, ma has it all! DCU CENTER - 13,840 seat arena 100,000 square feet of exhibit space
Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts - 2,300 seats For booking contact: Tom Fitzmaurice 508.753.1550 x228 fitzmauricet@discovercentralma.org
www.discovercentralma.org
The Northeast
Times Union Center O wned by Albany County and managed by SMG, Times Union Center opened in 1990 and is home to the Albany Devils of AHL hockey and the Division I Men’s College Basketball Siena Saints. The arena has hosted such prestigious artists as Rolling Stones, U2, Eric Clapton, Kenny Chesney and Toby Keith.
The state-of-the-art curtaining system allows capacities to be adjusted between 6,000 and 17,000. In 2016, the Center will undergo renovations to the front exterior, front atrium and parking garage entrance. Renovations will include new LED screens to the outside of the facility, an enclosed and temperature-controlled atrium, new escalators and stairs, and live landscaping with a beautiful waterfall. Recent upgrades to the interior of the arena include a new production studio, LED interactive ribbon boards, a new center-hung video scoreboard equipped with LED boards and two cocktail lounges. Backstage areas include three team-size locker rooms and seven star dressing rooms. There are over 1,200 hotel rooms and nearly 22,000 parking spaces in the downtown area, 1,000 of which are located in the attached parking garage. The Times Union Center is located within minutes of the Amtrak station, Greyhound terminal and Albany International Airport and is also easily accessible via Interstates 787, 90 and 87. Easy access to the capital region is key since Times Union Center draws patrons from all over New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut. There are more than 20 colleges and universities in the Greater Capital Region, with nine of them located within the Albany city limits. This large population of students adds to the diverse culture of Albany. The Times Union Center’s marketing department has access to media outlets throughout New York, Massachusetts and Vermont. The in-house department also offers complete coordination of advertising production
and placement, group sales, promotions and publicity. The Times Union Center has an email database of more than 140,000 members and more than 30,000 fans on social media. The Times Union Center has a rich history of bringing concerts, family shows and sporting events to the Capital Region of New York. More than 17 million fans have seen artists ranging from Frank Sinatra in 1990, to Bruce Springsteen in 2016. In between, the arena has seen the likes of Metallica, Justin Timberlake, Carrie Underwood and many more. In addition to the best there is in music, the Times Union Center has seen a number of sports milestones, from the worldwide-televised NCAA Frozen Four Men’s Ice Hockey Championship in 2001 to the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball East Regional in 2015. The Times Union Center eagerly awaits the grand opening of its sister facility, the Albany Capital Center. Together with the Empire State Plaza, the buildings will make up what will be known as the Capital Complex, offering 159,000 sq. ft. of combined event space, making it the largest in Upstate New York. Situated in the midst of historic downtown Albany, the Times Union Center continues to stay on the pulse of Capital Region excitement and improvements as the years go on.
51 South Pearl Street, Albany, NY 12207 • (518) 487-2000 • timesunioncenter-albany.com
38
Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook
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 REE T, MAN C HESTER N H 03101 / 603- 644- 5000 / VE R I Z O N WI R E LE S S A R E N A . C OM
The Southeast
bancorpsouth Arena & Conference Center
N
estled in the heart of Tupelo, Mississippi, the BancorpSouth Arena & Conference Center is a hub of entertainment, education, and excitement. From worldrenowned entertainers to corporate business leaders, at BancorpSouth Arena & Conference Center you are center stage. The state-of-the-art venues, combined with personal attention and southern hospitality, create memorable events of all styles and sizes. This multi-building facility is the ideal space for meetings, tradeshows, conventions, concerts and even ice skating. In this facility, your imagination is the only limit. Quality service, accommodations and facilities allow guests to enjoy each event, while the focus remains on your talent, your business or your celebration.
With over 47, 000 sq. ft. of usable space, and over 22 main rooms that can be easily transformed and subdivided into diverse spaces, this is the place where dreams come true. The main arena is 32,000 sq. ft. with a maximum seating capacity of 10,000 and facility concourses that provide access to concessions and amenities, along with a separate VIP entrance, which provides exclusive access for guests. Within the main arena building are a variety of rooms of all shapes and sizes. The 10,000-sq.-ft. Conference Center has six rooms that can be separated and rearranged to meet client needs. Whether here to host, meet, entertain, or wed, you can be certain that staff will manage every detail to your satisfaction. With southern hospitality for 10 or 10,000 guests, the highly flexible space configures to meet every need. The exceptional service-centered team ensures every event runs smoothly and efficiently. Facility personnel are always on hand to assist with production, merchandising, advertising, house staffing, ticketing and more. Additionally, guests will find conveniently located lodging adjacent to the facilities. Stop by for a visit and see why every year thousands choose the BancorpSouth Arena & Conference Center to be center stage.
375 East Main Street Tupelo, MS 38804 (662) 841-6573 bcsarena.com
At BancorpSouth Arena & Conference Center YOU Are Center Stage Nestled in the heart of Tupelo, Mississippi, the BancorpSouth Arena & Conference Center is a hub of entertainment, education and excitement! The state-of-theart venues, combined with personal attention and Southern hospitality, create memorable events of all styles and sizes, including concerts, meetings, tradeshows and even ice-skating. • 32,000-sq.-ft. main arena with a maximum seating capacity of 10,000 • Over 47,000 sq. ft. of usable space • 22 main rooms that can be easily subdivided into diverse spaces • 10,000-sq.-ft. Conference Center Facility personnel are always on hand to assist with production, merchandising, advertising, house staffing, ticketing and more. Book with us today!
375 East Main Street, Tupelo, MS 38804 • (662) 841-6573 40
Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook
The Southeast
T
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 square feet 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. Situated in Concord, North Carolina, 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 only minutes from the Charlotte Motor Speedway and Concord Mills Mall, the most visited tourist attraction in the state of North Carolina. 4751 Highway 49 North Concord, North Carolina 28025 704.920.3976 CabarrusArena.com
Debbie Shields 704.920.3988 dshields@CabarrusArena.com
Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook
Kenny Robinson 704.920.3986 klrobinson@CabarrusArena.com
41
The Southeast
FLORENCE CIVIC CENTER Welcome to the most thriving city in the South Why Florence, SC may be your top stop for success
One of several concept renderings for the pre-function concourse area after the Florence Civic Center expansion
T
he flourishing city of Florence, South Carolina, along with the award-winning Florence Civic Center, is positioned conveniently at the intersections of I-95 and I-20 precisely halfway between New York and Miami. Florence, famous for its contemporary Southern belle atmosphere, offers the amenities of a sophisticated metropolitan area, with over 5,000 quality hotel rooms, unique boutique shopping, national chain retailers, and an extensive variety of local and world-renowned restaurants, all served up with a relaxed, easygoing style. Although the area has seen steady growth for the past two decades, Florence has begun booming with new businesses and development over the past five years. An economic surge has propelled an astonishing number of new corporations, firms, restaurants, hotels, shopping locations, nightlife, entertainment and more to the already-thriving region. The SMG-managed Florence Civic Center is one of those growing businesses and intends to continue the trend through a major venue expansion. With very few large metropolitan cities in South Carolina, Florence and the Florence Civic Center have become the focal point of an eight-county radius known collectively as The Greater Pee Dee region and serves a population of more than 662,000 inhabitants within these eight counties. The US Census confirms a total population of over 1M within a 60-mile radius of Florence County. “Many promoters and planners are shocked when they learn the extent of our geographic reach,” states Nick Hooker, Senior Marketing Manager for SMG Florence Civic Center. “Our event attendance generally — not seldom but generally — includes visitors from Myrtle Beach, Georgetown, Columbia, Lumberton (NC), Fayetteville (NC), and everywhere in between.” For over 20 years the Center has offered a range of entertainment options to the Pee Dee region including family shows, sold-out concerts, expos, conferences and more. But this does not mean that the Center is slowing down. Beginning in the late fall of 2016 the Center will break ground on a new expansion project that will allow the site to offer more space and amenities to regional and national event planners. The Florence Civic Center is currently the largest convention, entertainment and exhibition facility in northeast South Carolina with over
Aerial view of the tremendous growth surrounding Florence Civic Center over the past years
50,000 sq. ft. of multipurpose space. The Center presently includes a 10,000-seat arena, the 14,500-sq.-ft. Uptown Ballroom and 5,250 sq. ft. of meeting room space. Through this new expansion project, the SMG venue will add a projected additional 40,000 sq. ft. to the facility including approximately 12,000 sq. ft. of sub-dividable meeting space, a 5,000-sq.-ft. kitchen and a 20,000-sq.-ft. lobby and prefunction space.
A concept rendering for the new, fully functioning SAVOR kitchen for SMG Florence Civic Center
The Center has the advantage of a prime location on a spacious, manicured complex just a few miles from the airport and is close to dozens of restaurants and national chain hotels, several of which are within walking distance. The prime location also translates to visitors assembling just a few short miles from many parks, museums, special attractions, sports fields, boating lakes, recreational activities, exciting nightlife and a bustling downtown. Venture out a little further and one can spend a day in the sand at Myrtle Beach, just an hour away, or experience the adrenaline at the famous Darlington Raceway, just a few minutes down the road.
3300 West Radio Drive, Florence, SC 29501 • (843) 679-9417 • florenceciviccenter.com 42
Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook
The Southeast
Time Warner Cable Arena
T
he home of the Charlotte Hornets, Time Warner Cable Arena is the premier destination for sports and entertainment in the Carolinas. Located in the heart of uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, Time Warner Cable Arena hosts nearly 200 events annually, including professional and collegiate sports, major concerts, family shows and conventions.
Since opening its doors in October 2005, Time Warner Cable Arena has played host to the biggest names in entertainment, including the Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Paul McCartney, Aerosmith, Beyoncé, U2, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Prince, Billy Joel, Elton John, Widespread Panic, Jay Z and Coldplay. Over the years, Time Warner Cable Arena has also hosted multiple visits from family shows like Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, Disney On Ice, Monster Jam and the Harlem Globetrotters. College basketball is a staple at the venue, with the CIAA, Southern Conference, ACC and NCAA all bringing their tournaments to the building, along with a bevy of regular season games. Time Warner Cable Arena was also the proud host of the Democratic National Convention in September 2012. In the coming years, Time Warner Cable Arena will host the NBA’s All-Star Weekend in 2017, first- and second-round NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament action in 2018 and the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament in 2019. “Our goal is to make Time Warner Cable Arena the epicenter for sports and entertainment in the Carolinas,” said Hornets Sports & Entertainment President & Chief Operating Officer Fred Whitfield. “We do that by attracting world-class performances to this world-class facility and we will have an excellent opportunity to showcase Charlotte on the international level when we host the NBA All-Star Game in 2017.” Designed to represent Charlotte’s diverse urban culture as well as the city’s strength and stability, Time Warner Cable Arena incorporates contemporary design elements that focus on creating an exciting future for the Queen City’s residents. Fans and visitors alike find familiar reflections of their community in the form of public art and unique displays that pay tribute to the region’s rich sports and commercial history. Ticket holder comfort is the hallmark of the Time Warner Cable Arena experience. The arena features 60 percent of its seating from baseline to baseline, providing guests with a unique feeling of closeness to the court, stage or ice. Generous seating and legroom is standard in every seat, and seating configurations for Time Warner Cable Arena were developed by incorporating the best elements from other NBA and NHL facilities.
During the summer of 2016, Time Warner Cable Arena will be installing a new scoreboard that will be among the largest and most unique in the NBA. The two sideline screens will be 25.2 ft. high by 42.8 ft. wide, while the two end zone screens will be 18 ft. high by 31.3 ft. wide, for a square footage increase of 180 percent larger for the sideline and 50 percent for the end zone from the previous scoreboard. The scoreboard will also include two underbelly screens measuring 9.8 ft. high by 16.5 ft. wide to provide a better view for those fans sitting in courtside and lower-level club seats. Along with the new scoreboard, four new auxiliary boards will be hung in the corners of the upper level. Each board will feature a video screen in the center flanked by static signage on each side, with the goal of continuing to improve the fan experience for those in the upper level Time Warner Cable Arena holds 19,077 for Hornets games. Concert capacities are 17,421 for end-stage 360°; 16,397 for end-stage 270°; 15,433 for end-stage 240°; 14,682 for end-stage 220°; 13,950 for end-stage 180°; and 4,000-7,000 for theater style. Suite seating includes 16-, 18-, and 22-person suites, with access to VIP entrance. FrontCourt, located on the lower of the two luxury seating levels, is the arena’s fine-dining restaurant available to premium seat holders. Event-level premium spaces include the Crown Club and the exclusive Hardwood Club. The floor is 85 ft. by 200 ft. Backstage areas include six production offices and four star dressing rooms. The loading dock can hold eight trucks and 10 buses. In-house marketing and promotions staff is available. For booking information, please email kdordick@hornets.com or (704) 688-9058.
333 East Trade Street, Charlotte, NC 28202 • (704) 688-9000 • timewarnercablearena.com Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook
43
The Southeast
Greensboro Coliseum Complex
T
he Greensboro Coliseum Complex is a multi-building facility designed to serve the citizens of Greensboro and the surrounding area through a broad range of activities, including athletic events, cultural arts, concerts, theater, educational activities, fairs, exhibits, and public and private events of all kinds including conventions, convocations and trade and consumer shows. It is both a primary center of activity for the community and a leading economic generator for our region. The Greensboro Coliseum Complex consists of Greensboro Coliseum (with seating capacity over 22,500), 2,400-seat War Memorial Auditorium, 300-seat Odeon Theatre, the 167,000-sq.-ft. Special Events Center that includes three exhibition halls, a 4,500-seat mini-arena and eight meeting rooms, and the 30,000-sq.-ft. Pavilion, located adjacent to the Special Events Center. The Greensboro Coliseum Complex is one of the most actively booked facilities in the country, hosting more than 1,000 events on an annual basis. With its incredible versatility, the Complex has gained worldwide acclaim from promoters, producers, event planners and patrons.
multimedia display of conference highlights, life-size ACC school mascot exhibits that have been a huge hit with younger visitors, and an interactive exhibit that lets fans face off in a head-tohead challenge to test their knowledge of ACC sports trivia. Greensboro Aquatic Center, a 78,323-sq.-ft., state-of-the-art facility with three bodies of water and a seating capacity of 2,500. This GAC brings together all major aquatic sports — competitive swimming and diving, water polo, synchronized swimming and other unique sports — all in one venue. White Oak Amphitheatre, an outdoor venue with a seating capacity of over 7,600, including more than 2,000 reserved seats. White Oak Amphitheatre hosts a diverse selection of community programs, music, arts and crafts, and festival-type events. The Terrace, a 12,900-sq.-ft. banquet facility ideal for hosting speaking engagements, hospitality functions and upscale dining events in a luxurious, richly decorated setting.
The Complex expanded dynamically in 2011 with the addition of four new, unique venues that attracted thousands of visitors and brought millions of dollars in economic impact to the Greensboro community.
City leaders recently authorized $24 million in improvements so that Greensboro’s greatest economic generator can continue to thrive. The upgrades include new, upholstered arena seating, widening of the Coliseum’s upper level concourse, addition of new concession cooking stands and a new, larger, higher-resolution video scoreboard.
ACC Hall of Champions, an 8,100-sq.-ft. museum that showcases ACC history through interactive displays, unique institutional exhibits and multipurpose program space. Highlights include a four-foot, 360-degree, state-of-the-art video globe with a unique,
These changes are critical as the Coliseum Complex, with its incredible versatility, continues to pursue bringing the most prestigious sporting events and biggest names in live entertainment to Greensboro, NC.
1921 West Lee Street, Greensboro, NC 27403 • (336) 373-7400 •greensborocoliseum.com 44
Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook
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Venue size, quality facilities, marketplace buyers and experienced facility management contribute to any great performance. We’ve got them all, on one property, in the middle of the east coast, in the heart of North Carolina, including a newly renovated seating bowl with all new seats, video-board and hospitality spaces. For booking information contact: Scott Johnson at 336.373.7449, Scott.Johnson@greensboro-nc.gov or Gerry Duncan at 336-373-7459, Philip.Duncan@greensboro-nc.gov • Web: GreensboroColiseum.com
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AMPHITHEATRE BACK OF HOUSE
FUTURE ENTERTAINMENT/ EXHIBIT SPACE
GREENSBORO AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU/ SWARM OFFICES
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THE Midwest
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
W
4000 Parnell Avenue, Fort Wayne, IN 46805 (260) 482-9502 memorialcoliseum.com
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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.
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 2016 SuperBook
THE Midwest
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 Theatre in 1922. The historic 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 as if they had just made a trip through Europe. In August of 1959 with the advent of television causing low attendance records, the theater was almost demolished. Mrs. Ella Morris purchased the theater and sold it for $1.00 to the City of South Bend, which then renamed it the Morris Civic Auditorium in her honor. In February 2000 an extensive $24.3 million renovation was completed and the theater was renamed THE MORRIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER. The theater reopened with new sound, lighting and technical equipment, stage, loading docks, dressing rooms and completely restored interior. The proscenium arch is 54 ft. wide, with a stage depth of 45 ft. and additional 8 ft. 6 in. with the orchestra pit at stage height. The new automated Serapid Orchestra Pit Lift can be positioned at stage, audience, orchestra, and low/storage levels. New cast and crew areas backstage include eight dressing rooms, two large chorus dressing rooms, one hair/wardrobe room, and one catering room. Navarre Hospitality is the exclusive in-house food and beverage service for both the theater and Palais Royale ballroom. THE MORRIS CENTER hosts over 100 events per year including national touring pop/rock/country concerts, Broadway tours, comedians, dance, South Bend Symphony, and ballroom events. The 2,564-seat MORRIS welcomes over 156,000 guests yearly and has an economic impact of $10.5 million on the City of South Bend. Professional staff offer event operation and marketing support, and full ticketing services. The MORRIS is the best-kept touring secret in the Midwest as a low-cost showcase for rehearsals and early performances of a tour.
211 North Michigan Street, South Bend, IN 46601 (574) 235-9190; (800) 537-6415; Fax: (574) 235-5604 morriscenter.org Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook
47
The West
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. 48
Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook
The West
PE I NO G CT T HO I SBOECRT O B E R O P E N I N GO T HNI S - SACRAMENTO, CA Golden 1 Credit Union Center - SACRAMENTO, CA -
Introducing Golden 1 Center, a new state-of
smarter, faster and built to facilitate the mo
filled with 2.5 million people and built in the
Golden 1 Center is an ideal destination for a
Introducing Golden 1 Center, a new state-of-the-art entertainment facility that’s smarter, faster and built to facilitate the most elaborate shows on earth. In a market
filled with million people and builtfacility in the heart of vibrant downtown Download Sacramento, Introducing Golden 1 Center, a new2.5 state-of-the-art entertainment that’s the App “Virtual ESC” peningfaster in October 2016,to Sacramento’s Golden 1 Credit Union smarter, and built facilitate the most elaborate shows on earth. In a market Golden 1 Center is an ideal destination for any artist. Sacramento is already on your breaking Apple device Center is a new state-of-the-art venue nestled in the heart of filled with 2.5 million people and built in the heart of vibrant downtown Sacramento, and place over the downtown Sacramento. Surrounded by an ever-growing population of long-standing sales and attendance records, and we’re just getting started. augmented reality 2.5 million, Golden 1 Center has a unique for indoor-outdoor design Golden 1 the Center is an ideal destination any artist. Sacramento is already breaking square to view and a seating capacity of 17,500. It is in a prime location at the core of long-standing records, and we’re just getting started. Golden 1 Center. 1.5 million sq. ft. ofsales retailand and attendance restaurant space, near public transportation. Features of Golden 1 Center include: Center, a new state-of-the-art entertainment facility that’s Download the
O
• LEED Gold with smart, sustainable practices uilt to facilitate thecertification most elaborate shows on earth. In aand market
innovative green technologies people and built inWi-Fi thearchitecture heart of vibrant downtown Sacramento, • Advanced and complex event processing platforms ideal destination for any artist. Sacramento is already • Public plaza adjacent to the venue, plus 1.5 million sq. ft. ofbreaking retail and restaurant space nd attendance records, and we’re just getting started. • A public art collection The Paul McCartney’s Oct. 4 show at the Golden 1 Center has seen strong enough demand to prompt a second performance on Oct. 5. Another upcoming highlight at the Golden 1 Center is the 7th Annual Green Sports Alliance Summit, which will be held in June 2017. “We are excited to take the Summit to Sacramento and showBOOKING CONTACT James Rasmussen I case Golden 1 Center’s commitment to sustainability,” said Green Sports Alliance Chair Scott Jenkins. “The Sacramento Kings and Golden 1 Center are a model for innovative solutions to environmental challenges.”
App “Virtual ESC” on your Apple device and place over the BOOKING CONTACT augmented reality square to view Golden 1 Center.
PollstarProof-2_ Golden1Ctr-Opening4-16 4_8_2016 3:23:35 PM
long-standing sales and attendance records
James
jrasmussen@kings.com I 916-928-3604
BOOKING CONTACT James Rasmussen I jrasmussen@kings.com
Golden 1 Center is the first sports venue in North America powered 100 percent by solar energy. It utilizes a “fan first” displacement ventilation system that cools the lower bowl with passive climate control, decreasing the energy spent on high-demand overhead fans. And the world-class food and beverage program sources 90 percent of the arena’s high-quality ingredients within 150 miles from responsible producers, reducing the arena’s carbon footprint drastically.
547 L Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 (888) 915-4647 CONTACT James Rasmussen I jrasmussen@kings.com I 916-928-3604 golden1center.com 50
Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook
Facilities &Event Management TM
2016 2015 LUMINARY Entertainment Venue Executives BALLOT Arena Executive of the Year Name:_______________________________________________________________________ Company:___________________________________________________________________ Theater Executive of the Year Name:_______________________________________________________________________ Company:___________________________________________________________________ Booking Agent of the Year Name:_______________________________________________________________________ Company:___________________________________________________________________ Promoter of the Year Name:_______________________________________________________________________ Company:___________________________________________________________________ Talent Buyer of the Year Name:_______________________________________________________________________ Company:___________________________________________________________________ Please Fill Out Form & Mail Your Vote To:
Facilities & Event Management LUMINARY Awards 152 Madison Avenue, Suite #802, New York, NY 10016 or Fax to: (212) 213-6382 or email ballots@facilitiesonline.com
52
Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook
INTERNATIONAL
THE ELGIN AND WINTER GARDEN THEATrE CENTRE HISTORY: Toronto’s historic Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, is a Canadian national historic site and the last operating double-decker vaudevilleera theater in the world. Originally built in 1913 by Marcus Loew, it contains two distinct and unique theaters, one sitting atop the other. Both theaters operated together for 14 years, but with the coming of “talkies,” the Winter Garden closed its doors in 1928 and remained boarded up for more than 60 years. RESTORATION: The ensuing years brought many changes to the building, but it gradually fell into disrepair. It was purchased by the Ontario Heritage Trust in 1981 and underwent a major restoration between 1987 and 1989 at a cost of $29 million (Cdn). A total of 65,000 sq. ft. of new space was added, including ample lobbies, lounges and an eight-story backstage addition housing spacious dressing rooms, crew rooms, a loading dock, freight elevator and two enormous rehearsal studios. The Elgin now sparkles with its gilded plaster details, rich damask wall coverings and domed ceiling. The Winter Garden Theatre, with its canopy of 5,000 branches of real beech leaves, painted sky and lit moon, is a dream fantasy come to life. The 1,561-seat Elgin and the 992-seat Winter Garden can operate simultaneously with services to patrons in the six separate bars and adjoining lounges. RENTAL OPPORTUNITIES: A multi-use complex, the center is able to accommodate a diverse range of presentations and events. The building can host live performances including everything from musicals, dramas, comedies, dance and opera to concerts, lectures, book signings and television broadcasts. The center also hosts film premieres complete with red carpet ceremonies as well as corporate and special events, one-night presentations and long-running engagements. Thanks to its meticulous restoration, combined with modern technologies and patron amenities, the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre is a perfect venue for any presentation and ensures an enjoyable experience for patrons and performers alike.
189 Yonge Street Toronto, ON (416) 325-4144 heritagetrust.on.ca/ewg
Musicals | Dramas Concerts | Film Premières Town Halls | Product Launches
Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook
53
INTERNATIONAL
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.
54
Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook
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
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
”
Sites & Cities Directory 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. 7
The Northeast / 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
Built adjacent to Indiana University’s 107,282-seat Beaver Stadium, the versatile Bryce Jordan Center was designed to accommodate a variety of groups and events in addition to basketball. The facility has hosted circuses, NBA pre-season games, family shows, commencements and lectures, as well as some of the top name performers in the music industry, including Garth Brooks, Janet Jackson, Billy Joel, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, the Backstreet Boys, Aerosmith, Whitney Houston, Yanni and Metallica. Concert capacity is 15,000. Features include VIP boxes, a top-of-the-line computer controlled rigging PAGE system, and meeting and function rooms. 22
pennsyLvania
Bryce Jordan Center
127 Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, PA 16802 (814) 865-5555 bjc.psu.edu General Manager: Al Karosas
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.
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
PAGE 37
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. 35
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
New York
Times Union Center
Northeast v1
1/13/09
7:52 AM
51 South Pearl St., Albany, NY 12207 (518) 487-2000; Fax: (518) 487-2020 www.timesunioncenter-albany.com General Manager: Bob Belber Upstate New York’s Premier Sports and Entertainment Facility
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Verizon Wireless Arena
555 Elm Street, Manchester, NH 03101 (603) 644-5000 verizonwirelessarena.com Regional General Manager: Tim Bechert
BancorpSouth Arena
375 East Main Street, Tupelo, MS 38804 (662) 841-6573; Fax: (662) 841-6413 bcsarena.com Executive Director: Todd Hunt
tennessee
Bridgestone Arena
501 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203 (615) 770-2000 bridgestonearena.com Vice President of Booking: David Kells
Exhibition Sp
5,400; Theatrical Stage – 3,000.
Exhibition Space: 25,348 NH sq. ft.; 277 10’x8’ The City of Manchester, opened the SMG operated Verizon Wireless Arena in 2001. Backstage Are 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 Areas: main dressing room, 3 asBackstage a theater-style performance for 2,500. The venue has featured such prestigious artists auxiliary locker rooms, visiting team locker 100 pi 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 backstage 3 production rooms, lounge, catering room. Stage/Gray car 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. 39 Front of house
new Hampshire
The Southeast / Mississippi
Times Union Center is a full service entertainment and sports facility featuring a wide variety of family Pageshows, 20 sporting events, trade shows and concerts. Owned by Albany County and managed by SMG, Times Union Center opened in 1990 and is home to the Albany Devils of AHL hockey and the Division I Men’s College Basketball Siena Saints. Curtaining system allows the capacity to fluctuate between 6,000 and 17,000. Three team-size locker rooms as well as seven star-sized dressing rooms make up the backstage area. New seats, ribbon boards and a brand new center-hung video scoreboard equipped with LED boards. Times Union Center draws PAGE patrons from all over the Northeast. 38 PENNSYLVANIA
VERIZON WIRELESS ARENA
24” Wenger dec
front of house mixer riser 12 ft. deep X 16
CENTER wide X 1example ft. tall, 100 from the down A ft. fantastic offt.community redevelopment,GIANT this former shopping mall was con- hung scoreboar 550 West Hersheypark Drive Company; nort stage edge. verted into a 10,000-seat arena in 1993. The facility underwent Hershey, PA 17033a $2 million renovation in boards; Mitsub 555 Elm Street Food & Beverage: permanent concession Fax: and (717)Conference 534-8996 conjunction with its4 20th anniversary in 2013. By (717) 2018,534-3911; the Arena Center Leader board. Manchester, NH 03101 stands; 12 portable stands; VIP cateringwww.giantcenter.net (603) 644-5000; Fax: (603) 644-1575 will feature a new concession main lobby, backstage facility and an additional 10,000 sq. ft. ofBroadcast: InComplex Managing Director, Event Lounge; 2 specialty bars located on upper Regional General Manager: Tim Bechert meeting space. Capacities: In the round: 10,000; end stage Ticketing, 9,000; halfandhouse 5,000; theaterfull edit/studio Bookings, Marketing: www.verizonwirelessarena.com level; Full catering services offered backVikki Hultquist Eight dressing rooms, three pro- throughout are stage and and toBroadway suites. 1,800. 72 ft.-by-48 ft. Sico stage. New Hampshire’s Premier Sports & 3,000; throughout; 15 A Sweet Place Play! gym. Over moter offices, dining room, high speed (100MB) fiber internet andtoonsite Entertainment Facility Amenities: 34 luxury suites, 5 party suites, PAGE tions all patcha 500,000 people reside in the Tupelo market. 40 Snapshot: The GIANT Center, a Exclusive Club Lounge, 542 Club Seats, Snapshot: New Hampshire’s premier interconnect ro 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.
Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook 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;
Wireless connection, Flat Screen TV’s
state-of-the-art arena, opened its doors
camera positio
October ofNo. 2002, with afor performance Opened in December 1996, Bridgestone Arena is inNashville’s 1 venue large-scale throughout the concourse. & Bever by most Cher.acclaimed From that entertainment moment, GIANT musical productions, as well and Food Marketing: Group Sales; Emailas one of the nation’s Stands, 7 Porta the area’s leading Marketing; Grassroots sports venues. SeatingMarketing; capacity Media is approximately Center 20,000has for been concerts, 19,395 for basketballLounge. sports and entertainment venue. Buying; Media Promotions/Trade; Public and 17,113 for Nashville Predators games (18,000GIANT in the round, proscenium Center13,000 is also home to the stage, Demographics Relations. 5,000 theater). The arena also houses more than AHL 6,000Hershey sq. ft. ofBears. meeting roomofspace Because the and Lancaster-Leb New England constant support of itscan many a Demographics: 13,500-sq.-ft. rehearsal hall.Market— Curtain system: The 300 Level seating be fans, covered to family oriented mainly from New Hampshire, as well as GIANT Center continues to be ft. ranked household inco create a more intimate atmosphere. One 40 ft.-by-60 ft. stage with 12 ft.-by-24 MA, ME, and VT. as one of world’s best concert venues in PAGESee ad on page sound wings featuring bridging or floating deck design. 27 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);
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North Carolina
Cabarrus Arena & Event Center 4751 Hwy 49 North, Concord, NC 28025 (704) 920-3976; Fax: (704) 920-3999 cabarrusarena.com Sales & Marketing Manager: Debbie Shields
Multipurpose venue with 150,000 sq. ft. of temperature-controlled event space, plus 11-acre lawn; 28,000-sq.-ft. arena with seating up to 5,000. Exhibition space: Event Center up to 70,000 sq. ft.; Gold Hall up to 30,000 sq. ft.; formal meeting and banquet space up to 5,000 sq. ft. with capabilities of using exhibition space for meetings and banquets. Seven VIP suites; six onsite concession stands. Audience: 313,700 within a 15-mile radius; 1,377,900/30-mile radius; 3,154,100/60-mile radius. PAGE 41
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!
North Carolina
Greensboro Coliseum Complex 1921 West Lee Street, Greensboro, NC 27403 (336) 373-7400 www.greensborocoliseum.com Deputy Director: Scott Johnson
Florida
The Lakeland Center
701 West Lime Street, Lakeland, FL 33815 (863) 834-8100 thelakelandcenter.com Assistant Director: Scott Sloman
florida
Straz Center for the Performing Arts
1010 North W.C. MacInnes Place, Tampa, FL 33602 (813) 222-1000; (800) 955-1045 strazcenter.org
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. 15 The Greensboro Coliseum Complex is a multi-building facility hosting athletic events, concerts, theater, fairs and more. It consists of Greensboro Coliseum (with seating capacity over 22,500), the 2,400-seat War Memorial Auditorium, the 300-seat Odeon Theatre and the 167,000-sq.-ft. Special Events Center that includes three exhibition halls. The Complex is one of the most actively booked facilities in the country, hosting more than 1,000 events on an annual basis. City leaders recently authorized $24 million in improvements, including new, upholstered arena seating, widening of the Coliseum’s upper-level concourse, addition of new concession PAGE cooking stands and a new, larger, higher-resolution video scoreboard. 45 Located between Tampa and Orlando, The Lakeland Center is composed of the George Jenkins Arena, 2,296-seat Youkey Theatre and Sikes Hall. The arena can accommodate up to 10,000 for a concert or indoor festival as well as an 85 ft.-by-100 ft. permanent ice floor. Capacities: 6,400, basketball; 5,432, indoor football and hockey; 6,700, end-stage concert; 4,800, arenatorium (half-house). The arena has a 60 ft.-by-40 ft. Sico stage with 12 ft.-by-8 in. wings. The theater has a 78 ft.-by-42 ft. stage and a 55 ft. 6 in.-by-20 ft. 2 in. Arena backstage areas: four team rooms, two star dressing rooms, show office, washer/dryer, four meeting rooms. Theater backstage areas: two chorus PAGE rooms, four artist rooms, green room, catering room, production office. 28 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.
PAGE 31
North Carolina
Time Warner Cable Arena
333 East Trade Street, Charlotte, NC 28202 (704) 688-9000; (800) 745-3000 timewarnercablearena.com The premier destination for sports and entertainment in the Carolinas
The Midwest / 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
Iowa
Iowa State Center
Scheman Building, Suite 102, Ames, IA 50011 (515) 294-3347; (877) 843-2368 www.center.iastate.edu Executive Director: Tammy Koolbeck Great Events Happen Here
58
Opened in 2005, Time Warner Cable Arena is the home of the Charlotte Hornets and hosts the Charlotte Checkers (AHL), college basketball (NCAA), the Jordan Classic all-star game, CIAA Basketball Tournament, NASCAR all-star pit crew challenge, American Idol and top-rated concerts. NBA capacity – 20,200; AHL capacity – 14,100. Concerts vary around 14,000+ capacity. End-stage 180° – 13,376; end-stage 270° – 15,236; end-stage 360° – 18,249; theater – 4,000-7,000. Floor size: 85 ft. by 200 ft. Six production offices; four Star dressing rooms. Suite seating includes 16-, 18-, and 22-people suites, and access to PAGE VIP entrance. In-house marketing and promotions staff available. C2 The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum has over one million sq. ft. of multipurpose event space, consisting of an Arena, Expo Center and Conference Center. With an MSA population of well over 450,000, Fort Wayne is Indiana’s second-largest city, within a day’s drive of 55 million. Arena capacities: End concert - 180: 8,843; end concert - 240: 10,006; end concert - 270: 10,297; end concert - 360: 12,045; hockey: 10,495; basketball: 11,083. 24 luxury suites, one super suite, 318 club seats. Expo Center has 152,000 sq. ft. of multipurpose space capable of hosting concerts (8,000) and tradeshows. Conference Center PAGE is 27,155 sq. ft. of carpeted space that can separate into five breakout rooms. 17 Iowa State Center, which comprises Stephens Auditorium, Fisher Theater and the Scheman Building, regularly features quality entertainment programming. Upcoming acts include Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Bill Maher and Moscow Festival Ballet Presents Sleeping Beauty. Stephens Auditorium seats 1,584, Orchestra; 467, First Balcony w/Loge; 354, Second Balcony w/ Loge; 204, Third Balcony; 2,609, Total Capacity; 112, Additional Pit Seating. Proscenium opening is 70 ft. by 30 ft. Stage floor is 80 ft. wide by 50 ft. deep. Backstage areas include five 1-4 capacity at stage level and two chorus rooms. Fisher Theater seats 450 and is supported by a PAGE loading dock, freight elevator, truck parking, dance floor and two dressing rooms. 11 Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook
The iWireless Center has hosted the top artists and touring acts in the country including The Eagles, Eric Clapton, Aerosmith, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Cirque du Soleil, Disney On Ice and more. The arena has a 12,000-seat center stage capacity (11,500 end-stage, multiple lower-bowl and theater capacities that range from 3,000-6,000; 10,700 for basketball; and 9,500 for hockey and indoor football). Seven dressing rooms include four team rooms, one training room, one small room, three production offices and a VIP promoter office. Food service by Levy Restaurants. Full-service marketing and PR department. Centrally located between PAGE Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Minneapolis and Omaha. 25
illinois
iWireless Center
1201 River Drive, Moline, IL 61265 (309) 764-2001; Fax: (309) 764-2192 iwirelesscenter.com Executive Director: Scott Mullen
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 C4 definition video board with upper and lower displays and ribbon board.
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
State-of-the-art PAC ($24.3 million renovation in 2000) originally opened as The Palace Theater in 1922 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.
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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The cornerstone of Lincoln, Nebraska’s West Haymarket Redevelopment Project, SMG-managed Pinnacle Bank Arena opened in August of 2013 and is an architectural embodiment of aesthetics and modernity. The $179 million, state-of-the-art, multipurpose indoor arena offers year-round entertainment, including concerts, family shows, touring acts and sporting events. Capacity: 3,800–15,000. 11 permanent concession stands, 14 portable locations, 85 concession points of sale. Thirty-six suites, 20 loges, 832 club seats; 500 restroom stalls — 36 restrooms; one private suite lounge; one private club lounge. Four-sided Panasonic scoreboard is 16 ½ ft. tall by PAGE 22 ft. wide, topped by another full video board that is six feet tall and 22 feet wide. 25
nebraska
Pinnacle Bank Arena
400 Pinnacle Arena Drive, Lincoln, NE 69508 (402) 904-4444 pinnaclebankarena.com
michigan
Van Andel Arena
130 West Fulton, Grand Rapids, MI 49503-2601 (616) 742-6600; Fax: (616) 742-6197 vanandelarena.com Regional General Manager: Richard MacKeigan
THE WEST / 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
Colorado
Broadmoor World Arena 3185 Venetucci Boulevard Colorado Springs, CO 80906-4020 (719) 477-2100; Fax: (719) 477-2199 www.worldarena.com General Manager: Dot Lischick
OKLAHOMA
Chesapeake Energy Arena
N L O C LIN
Van Andel Arena and Grand Rapids offer the perfect combination of cosmopolitan flair and Midwestern hospitality. Managed by SMG, the 12,000-plus capacity arena opened in 1996 and has attracted the biggest names in family shows, concerts and sporting events. Concert highlights include Elton John, Neil Diamond, Kenny Chesney, Eric Clapton, Michael Bublé, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, The Who, The Eagles, Bob Seger, Kid Rock and Taylor Swift. Among the major shows hosted at the arena are World Wrestling Entertainment, Disney On Ice, Blue Man Group, The Harlem Globetrotters and Cirque du Soleil.
G N O STR
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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. 23
The Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs is the premier sports and entertainment venue in the Pikes Peak region. The 7,343-fixed-seat, multi-purpose arena has hosted hundreds of events, including Cirque Du Soleil, Disney On Ice, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Professional Bull Riders, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the Tour of Gymnastics LINCOLN, NEBRASKA Champions and The Original Harlem Globetrotters. Other notable headliners include Carrie Underwood, Alan Jackson, Jeff Dunham and Elton John. The arena also features over 19,500 sq. ft. of floor space, enough to contain an additional 2,000 seats on the BOOKING INFO:: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: PAGE floor, as well as the elegant Penrose Club and Wigand Room. 49 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 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. 13
www.Pinnaclebankarena.com
100 West Reno, Oklahoma City, OK 73102 (405) 602-8700; Fax: (405) 602-8505 chesapeakearena.com General Manager: Gary Desjardins
Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook
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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
California
Golden 1 Center
547 L Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 (888) 915-4647 golden1center.com Kings President: Chris Granger
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. 25 Opening in October in time for Sacramento Kings 2016-2017 season, the Golden 1 Center is a state-of-the-art venue nestled in the heart of downtown Sacramento. Surrounded by 2.5 million residents, the Center is at the core of 1.5 million sq. ft. of retail and restaurant space. Features of Golden 1 Center include: Indoor-outdoor multiuse facility for sporting and entertainment events with a seating capacity of 17,500; LEED Gold certification; advanced Wi-Fi architecture and complex event processing platforms; a public art collection; and a public plaza adjacent to the venue.
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Texas
Laredo Energy Arena
6700 Arena Boulevard, Laredo, TX 78041 (956) 791-9192; Fax: (956) 523-7777 learena.com General Manager: Xavier Villalon
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
California
Stockton Arena
248 West Fremont Street, Stockton, CA 95203 (209) 373-1400 stocktonlive.com Director of Booking: Jim Johnson
Texas
United Supermarkets Arena
1701 Indiana Avenue, Lubbock, TX 79409-2200 (806) 742-7362; Fax: (806) 742-7557 unitedsupermarketsarena.com Associate Director: Cindy Harper The Entertainment Showcase of West Texas
international / Ontario
Air Canada Centre
40 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (416) 815-5500 theaircanadacentre.com Vice President, Live Entertainment: Wayne Zronik
ONTARIO
Canadian Tire Centre
1000 Palladium Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K2V 1A5 (613) 599-0140; Fax: (613) 599-9283 canadiantirecentre.com Vice President | Executive Director: Tom Conroy
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The Laredo Energy Arena is a state-of-the-art, 178,000-sq.-ft. facility with a 10,000-seat capacity. Now in its 11th year of operation, it offers a diverse mixture of world-class entertainment for the region of South Texas and Northeastern Mexico. There are approximately 320 ft. of in-house pipe and drape. Brand-new house curtain that is 120 ft. wide and 50 ft. tall. StageRight staging system; maximum of 72 ft. by 40 ft. and between 4 ft.-6 ft. high. The Laredo Energy Arena is equipped with 3 large team locker rooms with restrooms and showers, 1 Home Team Locker room with adjacent Training and Equipment Manager PAGE Rooms, 4 dress rooms, 1 green room and 1 show office. 9 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. 25 Built in 2005, the Stockton Arena, located in the California Central Valley between Sacramento and Fresno, defined the city’s downtown waterfront redevelopment program. Hosting concerts, family shows and ECHL hockey, the arena offers 8,600–12,000 seats, based on configuration; 24 Luxury Suites; the Record Press Club Level with 344 Club Seats; and four dressing rooms and four locker rooms. Features include full rigging and stage equipment, four-sided Daktronics video display and scoreboard, a distributed house sound system, easy load-in and load-out, and an NHL regulation ice sheet (85 ft. by 200 ft.). Provides email and social media support, as PAGE well as annual discounts with media partners on top of agency rate. 51 State-of-the-art, 15,000-seat multipurpose facility was designed to both showcase Texas Tech University basketball and volleyball and also help meet the growing entertainment and event needs of the South Plains region. 81,017-sq.-ft. concourse space/ 31,916-sq.-ft. arena floor; StageRight staging; four concourse-level meeting rooms; concourse level club area, six dressing rooms, practice gym, media work room, press conference room, 10 fixed concession stands, and 24 luxury suites. Lubbock, with a population of 230,000 and a campus of 29,000+ students, draws from a 1,000,000+ market including West Texas, PAGE Eastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle. 27 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 venues 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. 22 Canadian Tire Centre is Ottawa’s premier sports and entertainment venue. Located 15 minutes west of downtown Ottawa, the 19,153-seat venue is home to the National Hockey League’s Ottawa Senators and has played host to some of the world’s most popular performers including Luke Bryan, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, Fleetwood Mac, Cirque du Soleil and the best in family entertainment. Capacities: Hockey – 19,153; 360° concert – 17,855; 270° concert – 13,226; 180° concert – 12,000; theater setup – 2,500 to 7,140. State-of-the-art audio-video and full-service hospitality packages available. 6,500 parking spaces onsite. Serves an Eastern PAGE Ontario, Western Quebec and Upstate New York population of 1.6 million. 3 Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook
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 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
Puerto Rico
Coliseo De Puerto Rico
500 Arterial B Street, Hato Rey, PR 00918 (787) 777-0800; (877) coliseo (265-4736) coliseodepuertorico.com General Manager: Wesley Elizabeth Cullen
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 – five million+. PAGE 53
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 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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Name of Prime Site Award Nominee(s):
Please consider the following Criteria __________________________________________________________________________ when voting: ● Location/Market __________________________________________________________________________ ● Flexibility
__________________________________________________________________________
Booking agents, promoters, talent buyers and special event planners:
VOTE
for the top Entertainment Venues (Arenas, Theaters, Stadiums; facilities you have booked in the last three years)
● Seating
Name, Title:_______________________________________________________________ Configurations ● Ticketing
Organization:______________________________________________________________
● Lighting, Sound,
Phone:____________________________________________________________________ Staging
● Food & Beverage Email:_____________________________________________________________________
Describe the Event
● Interaction with venue staff ● Dressing Rooms,
__________________________________________________________________________ Backstage
May we contact you? Yes____ No____
● Access/Egress
Please Fill Out Form & Mail Your Vote To:
● Promotion/
Facilities
Marketing
152 Madison Avenue, Suite #802, New York, NY 10016 or Fax it to: (212) 213-6382; or email ballots@facilitiesonline.com
Advertiser Index Air Canada Centre........................... 22 Canadian Tire Centre........................ 3 Ford Center......................................C4 MTS Seating................................... 19 Chesapeake Energy Arena.............. 13 Golden 1 Credit Union Center........... 1 Pinnacle Bank Arena....................... 25 Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.............. 17 Coliseo de Puerto Rico.................... 55 Greensboro Coliseum Complex....... 45 SMG...............................................4-5 ASU Gammage................................ 23 DCU Center..................................... 37 Iowa State Center........................... 11 Stockton Arena............................... 51 BancorpSouth Arena....................... 40 Dunkin’ Donuts Center.................... 35 iWireless Center............................. 25 Blue Cross Arena.............................. 7 The Elgin & The Lakeland Center....................... 28 Bridgestone Arena.......................... 27 Winter Garden Theatre................. 53 Laredo Energy Arena......................... 9 Bryce Jordan Center....................... 22 Event Fire Safety Consulting......................... 19 Lloyd Noble Center......................... 25 The Broadmoor World Arena.......... 49 Florence Civic Center...................... 15 Morris Performing Arts Center....... 47 Cabarrus Arena & Events Center................................ 41 Frank Erwin Center.......................... 25 MTS Centre.....................................C3
Facilities & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2016 SuperBook
Straz Center for the Performing Arts............................. 31 Times Union Center......................... 38 Time Warner Cable Arena..............C2 United Supermarkets Arena........... 27 Van Andel Arena............................. 26 Verizon Wireless Arena.................. 39 61
IN THE MOBILE MOMENT 6 ‘micro-moments’ marketing strategies that will help fill seats and keep fans engaged By Maureen Andersen
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o capture the hearts and minds of today’s Friends who see these online posts will want to check out entertainment consumers, the live event your upcoming shows so they are not missing out on all experience has to begin long before musicians the fun. Shareable posts also get people talking — both and actors take the stage, the team puts on their online and in person — so you’ll have word-of-mouth uniform or a ticket is even sold. marketing working for you. There’s also the chance that a For many fans, the experience starts with a “microgreat shareable post could go viral! moment” online, such as looking for something to do on the weekend or checking out bands that have Be in the right place at the right time. A holistic, a tour stop in town. Other patrons may already have cross-channel approach that includes landing their seats, but want to find a great spot for dinner pages, social media, YouTube content, search engine and drinks before the show or figure out where to optimization (SEO), remarketing ads, Facebook dynamic park. With the average American adult checking his ads and more helps ensure customers always find you or her phone 150 times every day for an average of 71 when they take out their phone to look something up. By seconds each time and a total of 177 minutes per day, doing this, you are answering questions before they are this casual browsing can mean big business. asked and making it easy for patrons to To find the information they are seeking, click through and buy tickets. consumers may search on Google, watch videos on YouTube, check out social media posts or look in online Remove any roadblocks. When n many cases, microdirectories. The question is whether these curious, intentconsumers engage with your content moments marketing has on mobile, is it easy for them to complete driven actions will lead them to your venue, brand, band or team. Then, once they find you, will they engage with a transaction? If your site forces them to replaced “spray and your content? Find your events? Buy tickets? Pre-pay for the desktop when they want to make a parking or book an add-on, like a pre-show dinner or fastpray” email campaigns, purchase, you could lose the sale. Ditto lane entry? if too many clicks are required. Try it for which can reach a vast Today, our industry’s most successful marketers are yourself as an undercover customer — nurturing relationships at all stages of the event lifecycle how was the experience? If it was less audience but resonate using data and a firm understanding of where their than optimal, you’ll want to fix it. Also, with few. customers and potential customers are hanging out online. look at whether customers can connect In many cases, micro-moments marketing and storytelling with your organization in real time. These to create unique, individual connections have replaced “spray and days, many fans expect a timely response pray” email campaigns, which can reach a vast audience but resonate with to their Tweets and comments on Facebook and Instagram. few. Here are six micro-moments strategies that you can implement to help Test and measure. Micro-moments marketing gets better with time, turn empty seats into a full house and ensure no lost sales opportunities. so committing to being consistent is key. If something you tried did not return the results you were hoping for, learn from it and figure out how you can improve. Test your posts. Consider setting up an SEO or Identify your organization’s micro-moments. Where are your remarketing campaign that directs fans to a few different landing pages customers discovering your events and engaging with your content? By and see which strategy works best. A CRM can also help you analyze your analyzing your data to understand these trends, you’ll always know where data to understand what is resonating with your customers. and how to direct your marketing efforts. If you don’t already use a central solution to manage your customer data, you can start with a free tool Without these fundamental micro-moments strategies in place, you risk like Google Analytics. Monitoring digital media channels using social missing today’s opportunities, new opportunities and future growth listening tools also helps – you’ll better understand your audience and potential. This is increasingly important as live entertainment battles know their behavior so you can define benchmarks to stay accountable. “events from the couch” for the discretionary dollar. So go boldly into the micro-moment and set the stage for ongoing customer relationships — it’s Create interesting content. Organizations must add value whenever like an awesome encore that never ends! someone interacts with their mobile site, and New York City’s Playwrights Horizons is an excellent example of how to do this well. All current and upcoming shows have attractive landing pages, and Maureen Andersen is VP, Arts & Entertainment for AudienceView consumers can easily drill down to the show they are interested in on any and Chair of the INTIX Board of Directors. After starting out at The mobile device. They can find out who the stars are and who wrote the play, Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA), she learned every and then get excited by checking out artist interviews and watching trailer area of ticketing before working with some of the biggest industry videos. Watch your YouTube content with a critical eye — does it create an names. From 23 years at the DCPA to 18+ years on the INTIX emotional connection, educate, inspire or entertain? Being evergreen and Board, Andersen has worked in box office management, marketing, ensuring your content is always relevant and fresh is important too. development and everywhere in between — in not-for-profit, commercial arts and Broadway to rodeos, regional ticketing, performing arts centers Make it shareable. Increase your digital content footprint by creating and colleges. She has been an active INTIX member for 30+ years, all opportunities for fans to take photos that they can share. Anything while giving of her time as a frequent presenter at industry conferences, fun that puts them in the moment — from a cutout or interactive display seminars and workshops. in your venue entrance to an artist or mascot meet and greet — will work.
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Facilities & event management 2016 Superbook
When Rain Threatens Revenue . . . Event organizers have more tailored options in rain insurance today By Robert Holmes
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e’ve all seen it, and perhaps you’ve experienced it. The careful planning and preparation has been completed and the show is poised for a great success. And then Mother Nature decides to make an appearance. The result becomes an event that quickly turns into a financial disaster. However, thanks to a variety of weather-related insurance products, that scenario may be avoided. Rain insurance has been around for decades and is widely used for events around the globe, both large and small. It is designed to help mitigate a financial loss should rainfall occur that will impact the revenue generated by walk-up ticket sales, concessions, parking, merchandise sales and any other revenuegenerating activities. It is an agreed-value policy, meaning that if the rainfall occurs as designated in the policy, a claim is paid. There is no proof-of-loss provision, and the event does not need to be cancelled or abandoned. A standard policy consists of the specified coverage hours, the amount of rainfall during those hours to receive a claim payment, and the amount to the claim should rain exceed the insured threshold. While it is certainly the most popular coverage choice, it does suffer from some inadequacies; only the rainfall during the coverage hours “counts” toward a claim, and a specific rainfall threshold must be exceeded in order to have a claim paid, thus creating an all-or-nothing solution.
Stepped Coverage
during which rain occurs exceeds the insured threshold, a claim payment is made.
Event Cancellation Insurance
Beyond rain, events can be affected and ultimately cancelled for a wide range of reasons outside their organizers’ control, such as severe weather, a power outage, fire at the venue, nearby wildfire, earthquake, terrorism and nonappearance by key individuals. Event cancellation insurance helps to protect against financial losses associated with a forced cancellation or abandonment due to these and other causes. Unlike rain insurance, however, the event must be canceled or abandoned, and the insured must prove their loss. Recently developed, Cancellation Plus rain coverage enables event organizers to help recoup costs for both cancelled events and those that go on while suffering from poor ecently developed attendance due to exceptionally rainy conditions. Policies with a Cancellation stepped rain Plus endorsement provide a sublimit to pay out a percentage of projected gross insurance coverage revenues once an agreed trigger and eliminates the coverage time period is reached — for example, half an inch of rain between 2 requirement that an p.m. and 8 p.m. This kind of coverage is rapidly becoming the preferred option, event must procure as it combines the attributes of both rain an all-or-nothing insurance and cancellation coverage.
R
Recently developed stepped rain insurance coverage eliminates rain insurance the requirement that an event must procure an all-or-nothing rain Weather Coverage solution. insurance solution. Rather than have a single threshold define the for Indoor Events acceptance of a claim, with this coverage there are actually three It may not seem logical, but weather thresholds defined. As rainfall accumulates to levels that exceed each of insurance can be used to help protect indoor events, especially those the three thresholds, a claim amount is paid. that occur in the winter months in areas prone to high rates of snowfall. Suppose you have a significantly large outdoor event for which you have Blizzard conditions shut down numerous events each year, a scenario annually purchased traditional coverage that would provide for a $100,000 that can be addressed through a weather insurance or event cancellation claim should .33 inches of rain accumulate between the hours of 5 p.m. and insurance policy. 10 p.m. Does that coverage represent the true nature of the risk of rainfall? When planning your event, be sure to investigate the variety of weather Will there be revenue losses associated with an evening of rain that does not insurance and event cancellation insurance options available to you. accumulate to .33 inches? Was .33 inches chosen because it seemed like an Contact a broker that specializes in this type of coverage, as they typically affordable, happy-medium option? have a wealth of experience in providing coverage for an event similar to As an alternative, you could obtain a stepped coverage option, for the same yours, as well as a broader market reach, which may ultimately save you coverage hours, that provides for a $10,000 claim should rainfall be .10 inches premium dollars. After discussing your needs and considering prices for or greater and additional $30,000 should rain continue to accumulate to .25 the best options, you will be able to make a much more informed decision. inches, and an additional $60,000 should rain accumulated to the .50 inches Just remember, after all of your careful preparation and contingency level. This incremental, or stepped coverage, may better reflect the risk profile planning, Mother Nature always bats last! of the event. Basically, subject to the specific policy terms, the more it rains the greater the claim payment. Robert Holmes is President of Spectrum Weather and Specialty Insurance, Inc. Spectrum offers a variety of event-related insurance Nonconsecutive Dry Hours Coverage products including rain insurance and event cancellation coverage. Do you have an event that is planned to take four hours to complete, but have Holmes earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Atmospheric Science a much longer period in which to complete it? If so, nonconsecutive dry hours from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a licensed coverage may be the best insurance option. Rather than insure against an insurance producer in 48 states. He can be reached at rholmes@ amount of rain that occurs during your coverage period, this coverage is based spectrumweatherinsurance.com. on the number of hours during which rain occurs. If the number of hours Facilities & event management 2016 Superbook
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Traditional vs. LED Lighting Make an informed choice by casting light on the key factors By David Grindle
N
ot so long ago, a group was formed called SAVE TUNGSTEN. The tungsten light was set to fade into the past. Honestly, it was going to be banned in favor of more efficient LED lighting. While that ban has been delayed, the move to LED lighting in venues is a strong march. Venue lighting requires a major expenditure both to install and maintain. We want long-lasting fixtures that produce bright light that can be controlled. Each client wants something different. One day it is full bright, the next day you are at 25 percent and sending a staff member up to remove individual lamps to make an area even darker. For facilities undergoing renovation or new construction, this can sometimes be an efficient and cost-effective time to make the change from traditional fixtures and systems to LED. There are advantages that you can get in long-term cost savings on bulbs, reduced heat load on the building and lower power consumption. But for each one of those advantages, there are counterarguments that say — to the renovator especially — leave incandescent lighting or halide lighting alone. How do you know which is the better option? Following are some basic questions that a facility executive should be willing to consider:
1
What do my clients need?
Most LED systems offer a far more efficient lighting output than the traditional incandescent. If you have clients constantly asking for more lighting, investing in an LED retrofit may be a good choice. One facility that hosted our conference admitted that they turned their LED system to full only once, and it was so bright they’ve never done it again.
lines run to the instruments. In fact, the lower heat is often better for the preservation of the building.
4
What about my old system? Can I use any part of it?
LEDs do not work on traditional dimmers like incandescent lighting, nor do they require the warmup time that halides or CFLs need. They do have to communicate with the controller, which means that rather than just power, you need power and communication lines. But even that has been avoided through the use of wireless communication, allowing you to use the power of the old system without adding communication lines to the lighting.
If you need the ability
How much control do I need?
LEDs tend to work in groups of lights. While some new, highly efficient systems use one emitter, most have tens or hundreds of lights grouped together. If you need the ability to produce variable lighting levels in a facility, modern LED controls will save you hours and hours of people going up to pull bulbs or turn off fixtures. Most systems are able to control the brightness of individual units more than the on/off options of older systems.
3
In almost every case, yes. In the U.K., most historic theaters have been retrofitted with LED house lighting. There are fixtures that resemble historical lamps and that do not require additional communication
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How do I justify the expense?
That is the biggest question. The most common answer is that savings come over time with amortization and depreciation. But also, like every other technology, the cost of LED systems continues to drop. From full stadium lighting towers to historical preservation fixtures, the LED market continues to increase its cost effectiveness through innovation and competition. There are many manufacturers producing LED lighting that is appropriate, affordable and attractive for theaters, convention centers, arenas and the like. Some venues are doing a retrofit space by space within their facility. The end result has been that they typically find the new systems to be far more cost effective in labor, and that accelerates the cost recoupment of the investment. Cost savings of 60 percent to 90 percent have been documented.
to produce variable lighting levels in a facility, modern LED controls will save you hours and hours of people going up to pull bulbs or turn off fixtures.
2
Can I install an LED system in a historic venue?
5
For every fan of LED lighting, there is a diehard opponent. But, as with all things, you must do the investigation and make the determination for yourself, your facility and your clientele. David Grindle is the Executive Director of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT). The nonprofit serves the entertainment design and technology community with lifelong learning. Grindle has a background in production management with Indiana University Bloomington and The Atlanta Opera.
Facilities & event management 2016 Superbook
Evansville’s Center for Sports & Entertainment
FORD FORD CENTER CENTER
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Victory ViCTORy Theatre ThEaTRE
•• Located Located in in Evansville, Evansville,Indiana Indiana Capacity of •• Capacity of up up to to 1950 1950 seats seats •• Historic BanquetTheatre Hall built in 1921 •• Conference Conference Room Room Second floor •• Second floor mezzanine mezzanine which which can can accommodate accommodate up up to to 180 180 guests guests
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