2019 Facilities & Event Management SuperBook

2019 PRIME SITE AWARDS 28

Facilities & Event Management 2019

TM

SUPERBOOK

Centerplate's Recipe for Success FROM HOSPITALITY DESIGN TO HIGH-TECH FOOD SERVICE, THE COMPANY CONTINUES TO BROADEN ITS EXPERTISE 23

IN CONVERSATION WITH IAVM'S BRAD MAYNE 18

8 BEST PRACTICES FOR

SOCIAL MEDIA EVENT MARKETING 75

ATLANTIC CITY'S EVOLVING SPORTS BUSINESS 39

MIDWEST SPOTLIGHT 45

For Booking Agents, Promoters, Sports Travel Planners & Venue Managers

MAKING IT BETTER TO BE THERE ÂŽ for

90 150+ Years

Clients

116

million

Guests Annually

15

Super Bowls

23 World Series

3

NBA All-Star Games

The Best Moments Deserve the Best Hospitality Thank you to all of our partners for the opportunity to deliver experiences worth sharing.

SMG & AEG FACILITIES ARE NOW ASM GLOBAL

Imagine what we can do together.

ASM Global is the world’s leading provider of innovative venue services and live experiences. We realize the potential of the world’s greatest convention and exhibition venues to create amazing experiences for guests while delivering the highest value for clients, partners and owners. ASM Global celebrates the local culture, individuality and character of each destination. Join us to turn moments into memories, one experience at a time.

asmglobal.com

Facilities

EDITOR’S NOTE

&Event Management

GIVING CONVENTION CENTERS A SPORTING CHANCE

SUPERBOOK 2019

TM

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

Volume 26 No. 2 Chief Operating Officer David Korn

S

ports tourism, a multibillion-dollar a year business, is rich with opportunities for a variety of venues beyond stadiums, arenas and ballparks. Increasingly, convention centers are making inroads into this market. Evidence comes from last year’s SuperBook, which highlighted three convention centers that are exemplary hosts to sporting events: the Greater Columbus Convention Center, site of the Arnold Sports Festival as well as various cheer, dance, fencing and weightlifting competitions; the Hawaii Convention Center, which bought sports courts in 2016 at a cost of $1.1 million; and the Albany Capital Center, which bought three full-size basketball courts in 2018. This year, Albany’s convention center reports that the courts have already paid for themselves, enabling the facility to fill holes in its meetings schedule with basketball tournaments (see page 10).

This year’s SuperBook follows up on this important trend, which enhances the booking options for the sports event organizers among our readership. Our focus on Atlantic City as a sports destination (page 39) reveals that the city’s Casino Reinvestment Development Authority recently invested in sport courts at the Atlantic City Convention Center, preparing the facility to host basketball, volleyball and futsal. Not only are convention centers investing in the kinds of facilities and equipment that make for state-of-the-art sporting experiences, but they also offer an expertise in catering to conventioneers that easily extends to sports fans and teams. The Phoenix Convention Center, for example, is known for hosting fan festivals for the Super Bowl and the Final Four, as detailed in our feature on the Valley of the Sun (page 42).

For both convention attendees and sports fans, F&B quality, originality and service is a major part of the guest experience. Centerplate is among the premier catering companies with expertise in partnering with both convention centers and sports/entertainment venues. Whichever type of venue hosts your gameday, a tailored, locally inspired F&B experience contributes to both increasing attendance and maximizing the time guests spend onsite. Our cover story offers an inside look at how Centerplate makes that happen.

Associate Publisher Michael Caffin Editorial Director George Seli Contributing Editor Anthony Bilden Creative Direction & Design AR Design Business Operations David Mermelstein © Copyright 2019 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., 55 East 59th Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10022 Telephone: (212) 532-4150 POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Facilities, PO Box 1807, New York, NY 10150.

Printed in U.S.A. Cover ad space is available by contacting a Facilities advertising account executive at (212) 532-4150.

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

CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS

In Brief................................................................................................................. 4 Photoview IAVM VenueConnect 2019................................................................................. 16 Forum Brad Mayne, President and CEO, IAVM............................................................. 18 Matt Homan, General Manager, Dickies Arena.................................................. 20 Perspectives Get Your Event on Social Media, by Kell Houston............................................. 75 Raising Situational Awareness, by John Siehl.................................................... 76

Features

Recipe for Success............................................................................................. 23 2019 Prime Site Awards..................................................................................... 28 Sports Destinations Atlantic City....................................................................................................... 39 Greater Phoenix................................................................................................. 42 Regional Spotlight Midwest............................................................................................................. 45 Venue Profiles.................................................................................................... 52 Advertiser Index................................................................................................ 74 2

ON THE COVER

While it’s the concert or game that elicits the strongest emotions from guests, there is no denying that creative and delicious food and beverage is indispensable to the hospitality experience. Thanks to Centerplate, the fans depicted are enjoying that kind of cuisine at one of the open-air suites within Hard Rock Stadium. The Miami venue is just one of many sports and entertainment facilities that are benefitting from Centerplate’s strategic approach to F&B.

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

IN BRIEF

CONCERT WATCH

CHARLOTTE, NC — Alan Jackson’s Honky Tonk Highway Tour visited the Spectrum Center on Aug. 24.

Photo: Frank McGrath

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Grammy-award winning duo for KING & COUNTRY, comprised of Joel and Luke Smallbone, visited Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Oct. 4, as part of the Burn the Ships world tour.

(Above, l-r): Marty Bechtold, Booking Director, Live Nation Arenas/Bankers Life Fieldhouse; Luke Smallbone; Jacob Reiser, President, Rush Concerts; Joel Smallbone; and Jeff Johnson, Associate Director of Creative Services, Pacers Sports & Entertainment.

Photo: Kent Smith

FAIRBORN, OH — Christian music star Lauren Daigle (right) brought her Look Up Child World Tour to the Wright State University Nutter Center on Aug. 24, performing to a sold-out arena. (For more information on the Nutter Center, see the Midwest Spotlight, page 45.)

SIOUX FALLS, SD — Thomas Rhett is presented with a “Center Point Road” street sign and “Welcome Back” poster at his concert at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center on Sept. 5. Pictured with Rhett are (below, l-r) Blake Gothier, Event Services Manager; Jim Johnson, Assistant General Manager; and Mike Krewson, General Manager.

MOLINE, IL — The TaxSlayer Center welcomed Bryan Adams on Aug. 15. (Above, l-r): Scott Mullen, Executive Director, TaxSlayer Center; Adams; Veronica Castro, Quad City Steamwheelers guest; and Doug Bland, owner of the Quad City Steamwheelers, Indoor Football League team of the TaxSlayer Center. (For more information on the TaxSlayer Center, see the Midwest Spotlight, page 45.)

4

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

IN BRIEF INDUSTRY PULSE

AMES, IA — This summer, VenuWorks introduced a new division, the VenuWorks Agency.

Based out of company headquarters in Ames, IA, and with offices in New York, the VenuWorks Agency is a boutique booking group that develops complete touring strategies for the artists it represents and collaborates with performing arts centers, promoters, civic and municipal stages, festivals and state fairs across the country. VenuWorks founder and CEO Steve Peters, internationally renowned artist and Emmy-nominated producer Michael Londra, and marketing and public television specialist Jean Clancy lead the agency.

Among the headline acts represented by VenuWorks Agency are Irish country star Nathan Carter and Chloë Agnew, an original member of Celtic Woman.

Steve Peters, VenuWorks

BROOKLYN, NY — Joseph Tsai, Vice Chairman and Cofounder of Alibaba Group, acquired full ownership of the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center in September. Tsai is now NBA Governor of the Nets and its affiliates and Chairman of Barclays Center. The 6

want every experience to reflect Kentucky’s extraordinary dedication to world-class food and beverage,” said Andy Lansing, President and CEO

Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center are the newest sports assets of J Tsai Sports, the sports investment and holding vehicle controlled

by Tsai.

CHARLOTTE, NC — Hornets Sports & Entertainment has promoted Donna Julian to Executive Vice President & Spectrum Center General Manager. Currently in her 15th year with the organization, Julian has served as Senior Vice President of Arena & Event Operations since Spectrum Center opened in 2005 and added the position of General Manager in 2008.

Under her leadership, the arena hosts over 150 sporting events, concerts and family entertainment shows annually. Her career highlights include leading arena operational logistics as Charlotte hosted the 2012 Democratic National Convention and the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend. In 2019, Governor Roy Cooper appointed Julian to the North Carolina Emergency Response Commission as a representative of public assembly venues.

LEXINGTON, KY — On Oct. 1, Levy began overseeing concessions and catering at the Lexington Center, which includes Rupp Arena, Lexington Convention Center and Lexington Opera House.

“More than one million guests visit Lexington Center each year, and we

Andy Lansing, Levy

of Levy. “Whether they’re here for a large convention, a show at the Opera House or a Wildcat basketball game, every guest will taste the absolute best of Kentucky.”

LOS ANGELES, CA — Ticketmaster and the University of Missouri have extended their official partnership as the university transitions to fully digital ticketing. The University of Missouri installed Ticketmaster Presence, the nextgeneration digital ticketing and access control platform, earlier this year at Mizzou Arena. This upcoming season, Ticketmaster Presence will be installed at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium, Missouri Theatre and all other athletic venues on campus. SafeTix, Ticketmaster’s latest enhancement to Presence, will be implemented at the University of Missouri in 2020. “Through this renewed partnership and with our expansion into resale ticketing for the University, Mizzou fans will see quicker entry times and a personalized experience, making for easier and more

enjoyable gamedays and live events,” commented Tim Martin, Senior Vice President of College Athletics for Ticketmaster, North America.

LOS ANGELES, CA — In August, UCLA Health and AEG launched a partnership that establishes UCLA Health as a Founding Partner and first Medical Partner of STAPLES Center, and an official partner of L.A. LIVE, the Amgen Tour of California and several AEG Presents music festivals and events. UCLA Health will receive in-arena static signage and digital signage exposure during all LA Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and LA Sparks home games.

UCLA Health will also enjoy premium outdoor signage around STAPLES Center.

As an official partner of L.A. LIVE, UCLA Health will receive innovative digital signage and audiovisual spots on the nine LED boards located at XBOX Plaza.

SINGAPORE and LOS ANGELES, CA — AEG has named industry veteran Matthew Lazarus-Hall Senior Vice President, AEG Presents, Asia Pacific, and is establishing its regional headquarters in Singapore.

Lazarus-Hall will oversee all

Matthew Lazarus-Hall, AEG Presents Continued on page 8

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

IN BRIEF INDUSTRY PULSE Continued from page 6

touring, festivals and sports for AEG Presents across the Pan-Asian region. A 25-year veteran of the live entertainment business, Lazarus-Hall has held numerous high-profile roles, including his consulting business, Uncommon Cord, that runs a number of major events. He has served as CEO of Chugg Entertainment for 12 years and the CEO of Australia’s leading country music festival, CMC Rocks. Prior to Chugg Entertainment, Lazarus-Hall held senior leadership roles at Ticketek, Australia’s largest ticketing agency, overseeing marquee events including the Sydney Olympic Games

and the Rugby World Cup. WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, PA — SMG has named Rick Reno General Manager of the Rapides Parish Coliseum in Alexandria, LA. A Louisiana native with over 40 years in the facility management industry, Reno most recently served as the General Manager for the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN. “Rick is a true professional who will provide senior leadership for the Rapides Parish Coliseum and in the broader Alexandria community,” said Doug Thornton, Executive Vice President, SMG Stadiums and Arenas.

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IN BRIEF

SPORTS MARKET

ALBANY, NY — The Albany Capital Center (ACC) reports that the three full-size basketball courts purchased two years ago and delivered in May 2018 have already paid for themselves. Basketball and volleyball tournaments on

partnered to create the Esports Entry Advisory.

The group offers venue developers, destination marketing organizations, sports commissions, facility managers and other sports/ entertainment industry found the cost of rentals stakeholders tailored market was hindering the number analyses, facility design of basketball events we guidance, technology could bring in,” explains consulting and Doug McClaine, esports event ACC General programming. Bill Manager. “We Rhoda, President, then established, Legends Global based on Planning, said, “The formation of the Esports Entry Advisory will allow us to Doug McClaine develop a full set of services to offer partners, from conceptualization to development, within the esports business.”

The Albany Capital Center’s basketball courts

the courts have filled key weekends that wouldn’t normally be suited for a large conference or convention, such as Memorial Day, Father’s Day and Fourth of July.

The ACC is now hosting a total of five weekends of basketball and one weekend of volleyball. Tournaments include the GymRat CHALLENGE, the single largest Amateur Athletic Union tournament in the Northeast; Zero Gravity basketball tournament; the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament; and the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Boys Volleyball Championships.

“As the opportunities arose to bring in basketball, we 10

the number of potential events we could host, if we had floors in house we could expect a fouryear return. Now that we have owned the floors for a year, our assessment of the number of court events has actually doubled. Our original estimated payback on the floors was cut in half, and if the economic impact of a weekend tournament is factored in, payback decreases even more.”

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ, LOS ANGELES, CA, and NEW YORK, NY — In June, Conventions, Sports and Leisure (the research and planning arm of Legends), and esports industry natives INGAME Esports, Inc. and SIMPLYNEW,

Convention Center of Cleveland hosted Major League Baseball’s PLAY BALL PARK from July 5-9, the largest indoor and outdoor interactive baseball theme park in the world. The fan experience was a part of the weeklong celebration surrounding the 2019 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The indoor portion was hosted in the Convention Center Exhibit Halls, meeting rooms and Grand Ballroom, while the outdoor portion was hosted on the facility’s roof, Cleveland Malls B & C.

HOUSTON, TX — In August, Oak View Group Facilities began overseeing and managing the dayto-day operations and services of all University of Houston Athletics CEDAR RAPIDS, IA — Department facilities, per The Men’s and Women’s a new partnership. “With National Curling our partners at Delaware Championships will be North and Metroclean, held in Cedar Rapids from we are looking forward Feb. 6-13, 2021, after the to working closely with USA Curling Association the University of Houston revealed the city as its host Athletics Department and its city. “Cedar Rapids did leadership team in elevating a superb job of hosting the game-day experience on the USA Curling Arena campus, as well as delivering Nationals in 2015, and the new special event content combined support and skills and programming for the of the curling club, arena region and its residents,” said staff, and tourism department Peter Luukko, Chairman, should make the 2021 Men’s Oak View Group Facilities.

Houston Vice and Women’s President for Nationals another Athletics Chris very successful Pezman added, event,” said “With substantial Rick Patzke, investments in the CEO of USA all our facilities, Curling. The we continue championships to explore new will take place at Dan Fleeter, MSG revenue streams the VenuWorksfor our department.

Oak managed Cedar Rapids Ice View Group will support our Arena. ongoing efforts to host new special events at our premier CLEVELAND, OH — The SMG-managed Huntington Continued on page 12 FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

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IN BRIEF

SPORTS MARKET Continued from page 10

facilities, including TDECU Stadium and Fertitta Center.”

NEW YORK, NY — Dan Fleeter was named head of The Madison Square Garden Company’s esports division this summer.

Fleeter most recently served as Vice President of Corporate Development for the company and was on the Board of Directors of Counter Logic Gaming (CLG), acquired by MSG in 2017. In his new role, Fleeter serves as COO for CLG, working closely with Kristin Bernert, MSG Sports Senior Vice President of Business Operations, and CLG Founder and President George Georgallidis. “Dan’s vision and passion for esports is an instrumental asset to CLG and our partners,” said Bernert. “CLG is in the midst of one of the most exciting times in the organization, between the opening of our Performance Center and the success of all our teams, and with Dan taking on this role, I cannot wait to see what the future holds for CLG.” LAS VEGAS, NV — The Raiders recently partnered with Levy to create the gameday food and beverage experience at the new Allegiant Stadium, opening next year in Paradise, NV. Levy will create and curate the F&B experience across the stadium’s concessions, clubs, bars, suites and premium spaces. “The Raiders are committed 12

to providing the absolute best food and beverage experience to all fans visiting Allegiant Stadium,” said Raiders President Marc Badain. “Levy shares that commitment and will deliver an outstanding hospitality experience for year-round events in the newest world-class entertainment destination in Las Vegas.”

OAK BROOK, IL — The Windy City Curling Center opened this summer in Villa Park, IL. Founding member of the Windy City Curling Club Matt Galas said: “We appreciate the tremendous support from Villa Park and the DuPage Sports Commission [launched earlier this year by the DuPage CVB]. It’s a true reflection of the vision for this new Center, which is ‘It’s more than curling; it’s community.’”

The Windy City Curling Center includes three curling sheets, locker rooms and beverage services.

ORLANDO, FL — The 46th Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Junior National Volleyball Championships, hosted at the Orange County Convention Center, welcomed 45,000 participants and 2,805 teams from around the world from June 16-28.

Drawing more than 110,000 attendees and resulting in

more than $108 million in economic impact, the 12-day event is recognized as the world’s largest volleyball event and competition.

“Thanks to the tremendous relationships we have built throughout Central Florida, including the Orange County Convention Center, Walt Disney World Resort and Visit Orlando, this experience has become one of the best events in the world, at the best vacation destination in the world,” said Dr. Roger J. Goudy, President/CEO of the AAU, which is headquartered in Orlando. The AAU is contracted to return to the Orange County Convention Center through 2020.

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Expected to open in 2021, the 3,500-capacity Fusion Arena is a $50 million, nextgeneration esports and

training facility, broadcast studio and team offices.

“Fusion Arena gives esports fans a best-in-class venue to call home and be proud of. Beyond competitive gaming, it’s a stunning facility that will host a wide array of events,” said Dave Scott, Chairman and CEO, Comcast Spectacor.

PORTLAND, OR — The Oregon Sports Authority rebranded itself as Sports Oregon this summer. “We are excited to reposition the organization both locally and nationally to better reflect Portland and Oregon’s emerging status on the global sports stage,” said Sports Oregon CEO Jim Etzel. “We believe this change will help galvanize community, business and government support of our work to drive economic growth and enhance quality of life

Rendering of Fusion Arena

entertainment venue in the heart of the Philadelphia Sports Complex. Developed

by Comcast Spectacor and The Cordish Companies, Fusion Arena will offer unique seating experiences including two balcony bars, club seats with USB ports, flexible loge boxes and exclusive suites. Additionally, the venue will house a

in Oregon through sport.”

Sports Oregon has reportedly generated over $350 million in economic activity through sports tourism over the past 25 years. New initiatives include pursuit of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four and support of the 2021 World Athletics Championships – Oregon21.

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

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IN BRIEF

upgraded concession stands throughout the Coliseum; and a modernized home locker room. The reduced seating capacity is 77,500.

CONSTRUCTION/RENOVATION

DAYTON, OH — The University of Dayton Arena concluded a three-year, $72 million renovation on Nov. 1. The arena celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with the completion of the project, which replaced all 13,450 seats, upgraded air conditioning and Wi-Fi, added a 360-degree main concourse around the bowl and more.

ERIE, PA — Erie Events’ UPMC Park, home of the Detroit Tigers AA affiliate Erie SeaWolves, and Erie Insurance Arena, home of the OHL’s Erie Otters and NBA G League’s Erie BayHawks, are in the midst of a $16 million renovation.

The project will update the 23-year-old ballpark and better integrate it with the arena, which underwent a $50 million renovation in 2014. The first phase of the renovation involved a full field replacement including sod, drainage and irrigation systems at UPMC Park and a new high-tech scoreboard, both of which were installed over the past year. Beginning in 2020, fans will enter UPMC Park via a new entrance proximate to Erie Insurance Arena, creating one entrance plaza for both downtown properties.

This final phase will also include the addition of an upper-level stadium club overlooking the ballpark that will connect directly to the Erie Insurance Arena club level. The project will also update ballpark concession areas, commissary and 14

restrooms, and expand the children’s fun zone.

Additionally, streetscape and lighting improvements will be completed.

LEXINGTON, KY — Recent upgrades at Rupp Arena, part of a $241 million Lexington Center improvement project, include new chair-back seats and concession options from Levy Restaurants. New clubrooms are set to debut over the next two years.

LOS ANGELES, CA — United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum completed a $315 million renovation in August. Among the many improvements are the following: new seats; new technology infrastructure, including stadium-wide Wi-Fi; the new sevenstory Scholarship Club Tower on the stadium’s south side; nearly 100 new automated ticket scanners at all Coliseum entrances;

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — In August, U.S. Bank Stadium became the first professional sports stadium to achieve LEED Platinum Certification using Arc, a new digital platform for measuring sustainability performance across the built environment.

The stadium earned the designation using the Building Operations and Maintenance (O+M) rating system for existing buildings. Among its sustainability achievements, U.S. Bank Stadium has operated a “zero waste” Super Bowl in 2018 with 91 percent of waste diverted from landfill; used renewable energy credits to power the stadium 100 percent by wind energy; donated 25,000 pounds of food; became the first stadium to receive a Bike Friendly Business certification, supplying over 180 bike racks; and accrued heating/cooling benefits through an ETFE roof structure.

NASHVILLE, TN — Bridgestone Arena unveiled upgrades on Sept. 17 that included a FangVision scoreboard that is three times the size of its predecessor, with 450 percent higher resolution.

New SmashvilleEats brand concession stations and waterless urinals were also installed.

PORTLAND, OR — Moda Center is the first arena to receive LEED O+M (v4.1) Platinum Certification.

“We are very proud to be the first existing professional sports arena to receive LEED Platinum certification,” said Chris McGowan, President and CEO of the Trail Blazers and Rose Quarter.

“Nine years ago, we were the first existing arena to achieve LEED Gold status, and we continue to innovate and develop our sustainable processes and procedures to provide a healthy, sustainable arena for our community. Sustainability is and always will be a crucial part of our culture. We would not have gotten here without our dedicated guests, staff and our partners at Levy Restaurants.”

The recently nenovated United Airlines Field FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

PHOTOVIEW

2019

(L-r): Michael Ross, President & CEO, Visit Pasadena, and Mark Quartarolo, Director of Operations, and Matthew Voreyer, General Manager, Sacramento Convention Center

Scott Johnson (left), Deputy Director, and Mike Perdue, Maintenance/ Production Manager, Greensboro Coliseum Complex

Oscar McGaskey, Jr. (left), Executive Director, Kansas City Convention & Entertainment Centers, and Nick Langella, CEO, Nicholas Langella Consulting Services

Ric Booth, General Manager, Duke Energy Convention Center, and Naz Sabripour, Executive Director, Pasadena Convention Center

Bill Zeinemann, Associate Director, Marketing and Event Services, Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center, and his wife, Sally

Larry Gawronski, Executive Director, Topeka Performing Arts Center, and his wife, Diane

Carter Payne (right) and Alex Dillion, Payne Sparkman, Inc.

Scott Schoenike, Executive Director, Ford Center and Victory Theatre

Charles Starks, President/CEO, Music City Center

16

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

VENUECONNECT

CHICAGO’S MCCORMICK PLACE | JULY 21- 24

Former IAVM/IAAM President Lionel Dubay was honored at the 2019 IAVM Venue Industry Awards luncheon. With Dubay is Lynda Reinhart, Director, Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

(L-r): Adam Whitfield, Ashwiri Chauhan, John S. Frank, David Smentek and Fiona Whittington of Armored Things

Michael Marion, General Manager, Verizon Arena, passes the IAVM Board Chair gavel for 2019-2020 to Tammy Koolbeck, Executive Director, Iowa State Center

Tara Bryan, M.Ed., Director of Stadium Development, Color Art Sports

Brad Mayne, President & CEO, IAVM, with Tiffany Jackson, IAVM Office Manager/Executive Assistant

Jay Burson, Portable Sales Manager, Horner Sports Flooring

James C. Peterson, President, SNA Sports

Eileen Kulish, National Account Manager, MTS Seating

Jim Alderden, President, ClearStream Recycling Systems

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

17

FORUM B R A D MAY N E P R E SIDEN T A N D CEO I A VM A N D IA V M F OU N DA TION

By George Seli

B

rad Mayne, CVE, had been an IAVM member for 30 years when he took on the role of President and CEO in July of 2016. Recently, the organization’s board has extended his original three-year agreement for an additional five years. Continuing in his leadership role is an exciting prospect for this industry veteran, especially since IAVM is undergoing a dynamic period in its history.

In the following interview, Mayne discusses membership development, improvements to VenueConnect’s format, IAVM’s security education initiatives and a new partnership with Venue Solutions Group.

Q

How much has IAVM’s membership grown over the last few years, and what development initiatives are behind the growth?

A

In a three-year period we’ve grown 28 percent. It’s spread across multiple sectors. We’ve been strategic in our development of membership, and one of the things that’s done really well is group membership for the professionals. We had a lot of the venues saying they’d like more of their people to be involved and looking for a discount for multiple people. So the director of membership came up with the program of group membership where you can purchase it for a flat amount and include as many as 20 individuals from your venue.

Q A

The younger membership represents the future of the venue management profession. How is it trending?

A lot of the growth has come not only from the group membership, but we also have a very active young professional committee that’s been doing 18

some business development for us.

The other thing we’ve seen with our venue management school is that the demographics have become much younger. People want to learn earlier in their careers.

Q A

What has been the most significant change to the format of VenueConnect in recent years?

“W

e have multiple live training programs that we’ve put into effect that support our safety and security initiatives. We thought for the most part it would be the arenas and stadiums that would want that training, but we’re getting a lot of requests from convention centers, performing arts centers and other types of venues.”

We restructured the annual conference to where the conferences for each sector [e.g., arenas, performing arts centers] take place at VenueConnect. So we went from around 80 education programs to 130 and above. Each sector has their own sessions they can attend, but what’s great about that is if they find other sessions in other sectors, something that they’re interested in, they can go to another sector meeting as well.

Q A

What are IAVM’s latest educational efforts to support venue security?

We have multiple live training programs that we’ve put into effect that support our safety and security initiatives. So we have situational awareness and active shooter programs.

[Editor’s note: See page 76 for a column on situational awareness training

by VenuWorks’ John Siehl.] [IAVM Director of Education] Mark Herrera, who does that training for us, was on the SWAT team as a police officer and was involved in the training of all the airline pilots in securing their cockpits working for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). We thought for the most part it would be the arenas and stadiums that would want that training, but we’re getting

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

THE #1 NEWS & INFORMATION SOURCE FOR BOOKING AGENTS, PROMOTERS, SPORTS TRAVEL PLANNERS & VENUE MANAGERS

FACILITIESONLINE.COM a lot of requests from convention centers, performing arts centers and other types of venues. In addition, show organizers are hearing about all the security training programs that we have, and we’re getting people from the industry that are not venue managers. But we see that as a real positive: We’re all learning from the same entity in safety and security protocols and offering up the resources to everybody.

Q A

How do you feel that AEG Facilities and SMG’s merging into ASM Global will affect the industry?

I think it will benefit the industry as a whole. Strategically, they’ve made some smart moves, such as [SMG CEO] Wes Westley stepping up to the board [of ASM Global] and [AEG Facilities President and CEO] Bob Newman stepping into the CEO position [of ASM Global]. I think there is going to be some real positives that come from it. You have Spectra in the market, which does an incredible job, VenuWorks and others, so there is still some competition in the marketplace.

And [AEG and SMG] are working on growth in other countries collectively, so they’ll have a bigger footprint now coming together in Australia and New Zealand and Southeast Asia.

Q A

Can IAVM members look forward to any new programs or events in the near future?

Venue Solutions Group for four years put on their own operations summit for the engineers, the people that make the ice, riggers, people that handle HVAC, etc.

For most of our venues, the largest department they have in their venue is the operations department, and we’ve really never had a program for that. So Russ Simmons [Managing Partner of Venue Solutions Group] approached me and said this is something that ought to reside with IAVM, and we’d like to continue to be involved with it. So our first Operations Summit is going to be taking place in September of next year.

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

19

FORUM MAT T H OMA N G E N ERA L MA N A GER D ICKIES A R EN A

By George Seli

Q A

T

he newly built Dickies Arena held its ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 26 and subsequently thanked its suite holders, construction workers and other stakeholders with a private concert on Nov. 2. Among the dignitaries presiding over the festivities was General Manager Matt Homan, who relocated to Fort Worth in 2015 to open what he lauds as “the most beautiful arena in the United States.” “I thought this was a great opportunity,” says Homan, formerly General Manager of the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

“Fort Worth is a great market that really didn’t have any sports and entertainment facilities that could do lots of events in market.” With his connections to Live Nation and AEG, agents at CAA, William Morris and Paradigm, as well as local promoters, Homan is well prepared to realize Fort Worth’s potential as a host for live entertainment beyond country music and rodeos. Nonetheless, the arena’s first announced concert is the legendary country star George Strait. “Who else to be one of the first opening acts for the building?” he maintains.

How have you spent the preopening years?

I had a lot of input on the operational design of the arena and I started building our team; we’ll be at 84-plus fulltime staff. Everything we’re going to do is going to be self-operated, including food and beverage and security. We believe that will create a great customer experience when all those employees are under the same roof.

Q

What are the advantages of keeping the F&B management in-house?

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So many times you can become locked into a “ or t Wor t h i s t he 1 3t h-l ar gest concessionaire, and we thought ci t y i n t he U. S. , and I saw a the best way to do it would be to be an in-house concessionaire. gr eat oppor t uni t y t o r ei nvent Let’s find the right products in t he ent er t ai nm ent m ar ket her e. ” the market that people want, instead of company X dictating to us that we have to sell this hot dog because they sell it in 30 different baseball stadiums in What did you find attractive about the opportunity the country. Based on one of our other philosophies, we’re to lead Dickies Arena? going to open this building with fewer than 12 sponsors total.

Every building talks about less is more with sponsorship, but A couple things drew me to the project. One is the we truly believe in it. So we’re not going to let sponsorship fact that this building was going to be operated by our dictate that we’re going to put a Chick-fil-A in the building, company, Trail Drive Management Corp., which is a 501(c) for example. I think our offerings are going to be different (3) not-for-profit. I thought that was a very unique approach than most arenas. Yes, you’re going to be able to get a hot to the facility, especially a not-for-profit that had little to dog, but also street tacos, carved sandwiches, etc. no debt when they opened the facility, which was amazing.

So any net revenue the building makes every year is just Can you highlight some of the arena’s state-of-thegoing to be reinvested in the arena, which I thought was an art features? amazing concept as well. And the other part was the whole public/private partnership of how this arena was put together.

I think it’s the architecture that really draws you to the The city put up $225 million and the private sector, led by a facility. The interior finishes are like no other arena group called Event Facilities Fort Worth, donated the rest of I’ve ever seen, whether it’s the leather-wrapped panels, the $540 million as a philanthropic gift to the citizens of Fort detailed wood finishes, etc. One of my favorite features is Worth. I just fell in love with that concept. that our upper bowl is only 4,200 seats total, and from every

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FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

concourse level you walk into the facility, you walk down to your seats; you never have to turn around and walk up to get to your seat. The only tenant in the facility is the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, and they have a very large floor at 250 ft. long by 125 ft. wide, so our floor capacity can be bigger than NHL and NBA buildings. It gives us a lot of different capacities and opportunities. We also have plenty of loading docks and 125,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space attached to the arena that we can use for busses and trucks, or for VIP parties. On the audiovisual side, we have the second-largest rounded arena video board in the U.S., second only to Little Caesars Arena. There is an L-Acoustics sound system in the building too. When George Strait plays here, he will be utilizing our house sound system.

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What is your vision for the entertainment content?

As I reviewed the history of Fort Worth, there wasn’t a whole lot of entertainment here on a regular basis.

Before the arena was in the market, Fort Worth Convention Center hosted many great events and Will Rogers back in the day hosted many great events, including great performers such as Jimi Hendrix. Fort Worth is the 13th-largest city in the U.S., and I saw a great opportunity to reinvent the entertainment market here. I think we all knew country music would do very well here, and it will, but if you look at some of the other events that we have on sale, including the Black Keys and 21 Pilots, both of which will be sold out, there is an appetite here for lots of different types of music. I want to have a full array, whether it be pop, rock, jazz, Latin, R&B or country. I think Fort Worth is really going to support it.

They’re showing a lot of pride in this arena.

Q

How will the dynamics of the Metroplex market change with both American Airlines Center and Dickies Arena available to touring acts?

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

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I believe this market is big enough to support American Airlines Center and Dickies Arena. My vision is that you probably have a lot of tours that may play American Airlines Center in December or January and then come back and play us in February or March. You see it in a lot of other markets, if you look at how many arenas are in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and even Northern California. Our market is just as large as some of those markets. And there are a lot of events where people from Fort Worth aren’t going to drive to Dallas, which can be an hour away. I think over time we’ll show promoters and agents and acts you’re not robbing Peter to pay Paul by playing Fort Worth and Dallas; it is a different market. We will compete with American Airlines Center a little bit but at the same time we complement each other.

FACILITY FAST FACTS Seating capacities: Center-stage concert, 14,000; basketball, 13,000; end-stage concert, 12,500; hockey and family shows, 12,200 Suites: 40 Clubs: 2 Locker/dressing rooms: Two team locker rooms; four auxiliary locker rooms; four performers rooms (can be combined into two locker rooms); two officials locker rooms Hospitality spaces: Media Lounge accommodates 100 for a seated meal or 120 when set up for work; features a dedicated kitchen. Hospitality & Green Room can accommodate 65-80.

Additional spaces: 90,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space; 209,000-sq.-ft. plaza located on the east side of the arena Total parking spaces: 6,365 throughout Dickies Arena and adjacent Will Rogers Memorial Center campus

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FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOKT

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS The Nine, a luxury open-air suite experience at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, serviced by Centerplate

TOP-QUALITY FOOD IS JUST ONE INGREDIENT IN CENTERPLATE’S HOLISTIC APPROACH TO HOSPITALITY

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By George Seli

n the experience economy, sports and entertainment venues are expecting more than great cuisine from their F&B partner. From implementing the latest ordering platforms to designing engaging hospitality spaces to representing the venue’s community, there are many ways an F&B company can enhance the guest experience beyond the quality of the food itself. Founded in 1929, Centerplate remains focused on creating a tailored guest experience at each of the 300-plus venues it serves across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

“The experience economy certainly has informed this generation of venue owners,” says Diana Evans, Centerplate’s Senior Vice President, Marketing. “The entire experience used to be maximized for sightlines, sitting in one spot and looking at one focal point. But today, we need to make sure you get something from being there live that you can’t get from watching the event on your gigantic, high-definition TV in your living room with surround sound.”

CUSTOMIZATION IS KEY

While outstanding F&B service can provide that added value, Centerplate recognizes that an experience customized to guest FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

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e spend a l ot of t i m e and r esear ch m aki ng sur e our l ocal [ cul i nar y] t eam s ar e em power ed t o cr eat e t hi ngs t hat r esonat e wi t h t hei r guest s. ”

—Diana Evans, Senior Vice President, Marketing

demographics makes attendance even more compelling. “We build what you’d call a ‘choose your own adventure,’” says Evans.

That is to say, various kinds of experiences are designed based on guests’ agenda, whether a family outing, a girls’ or guys’ night out, client entertainment, etc. Upscale, adult-oriented groups can enjoy items like hand-carved prime rib in club or suite settings. “But increasingly, you’re seeing that kind of experience field-side,” says Evans. “We create little boxes where 23

we have a dedicated attendant so you can still have an elevated seeing that the newer generation is likely to embrace vegetarian, experience.” In contrast, variety in F&B and price points is plant-forward ingredients. There is even a Vegan Night at the important when catering to families.

Seattle Mariners [T-Mobile Park, serviced by Centerplate], so A great example of Centerplate’s culinary customization is times really have changed.” the Jet Dog served at Bell MTS Place in Through its partnership with T-Mobile Winnipeg, Manitoba. “It’s a brat that you Park, Centerplate became a frontrunner can scale up from peppers, kraut, etc., all in the second trend, the showcasing the way to pierogis and Sriracha slaw, and of local flavors and restaurateurs at people even get into competition over ballparks. About 20 years ago, the their toppings,” says Evans. At the same company began emphasizing fresh, time, Centerplate caters to “traditionalists” Pacific Northwest ingredients in its by offering regular hot dogs, nachos, dishes at T-Mobile Park, an initiative that pretzels, domestic beer and other familiar was very well received and instilled a items throughout the venue “so that they sense of pride among local fans. Similarly, never have to search,” she says. “But for at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Three versions of the customizable Jet Dog, people who are looking for something Orleans, LA, Centerplate serves up offered at Bell MTS Place different and unique, we’ll create a little Creole food that is high in both quality neighborhood or destination that’s craft-beer focused, and we’ll and creativity (e.g., alligator burgers, deep-fried soft shell crab po also layer in the Sriracha-spiced poutine, items that are there boys and crabmeat beignets). “So if you just fly in for the game for exploration.” She notes that like the Millennials, Generation and don’t go anywhere else in the city, you still get an authentic Z (those born between 1995 and 2015) is looking for highly flavor of New Orleans,” says Evans. Yet another example along personalized experiences, and so customizable items should be these lines is Centerplate’s work at the KFC Yum! Center in available at any venue that wants to cater to those generations.

Louisville, KY, where the company outfitted the Jim Beam bar to resemble the Jim Beam House in nearby Bardstown, and introduced a beer garden featuring local firm Falls City Beer’s products. “ a n y g u e s ts a n d Centerplate is adept at making the connections within the local F&B market that ultimately support these experiences. a tte n de e s a r e a c t u a l l y “We like to go on a culinary tour, if you will, and meet with g oin g to th e v e n u es f o r t h e the chefs and restaurateurs to understand if our goals and philosophies align, and if there is an opportunity for a cu l in a ry e x pe rie n c e n o w .” partnership,” Callo explains. Oftentimes, Centerplate actively —Carmen Callo, seeks small businesses, minority-owned businesses and Corporate Executive Chef women-owned businesses to partner with. “We feel very strongly about representing the communities that allow us to work there,” Evans notes. And while appointing an executive It’s safe to say that guests in general want F&B that goes chef who hails from the local area can certainly help to deliver beyond the standard game-day concessions, as the “foodie” indigenous offerings, the chef’s ability and passion are the movement has influenced all generations. “Many guests and main qualifications. “Essentially, we’re looking for the chef and attendees are actually going to the venues for the culinary the culinarian that shares that passion, so we might transplant experience now,” observes Carmen Callo, Centerplate’s somebody to another region. They get to be immersed in that Corporate Executive Chef. “They’re much more knowledgeable region and meet with the chefs and network and collaborate and have a wide variety of restaurants at their fingertips every with them,” Callo says. day. They’re dining out more and more, and they want that same Running alongside the local trend, which celebrates the food level of experience when they come into the venue.” of the venue’s environment, is the global trend. Often inspired by the TV shows of various globetrotting culinary explorers, KEEPING PACE WITH F&B TRENDS more people are trying exotic dishes and ingredients. “People Centerplate’s offerings reflect three major F&B trends: plantdon’t eat the way they ate 20 years ago,” observes Eric Wooden, based foods, authentic local cuisine and global cuisine. As to the Senior Vice President of Centerplate’s Hospitality Solutions first, Evans notes that the “proliferation of plant-forward menus Group. “My children all eat sushi and oysters and Indian food; has been making its way into the stadiums, and so we’ve started their palate is expansive and they can speak to that food as bringing in the Impossible Burger [Impossible Foods’ plantwell. Those are the customers that we’re catering to.” A prime based burger] into some of our operations and putting it on the example is Centerplate’s work at BC Place in Vancouver, British grill alongside everything.” While plant-based and vegan items Columbia, where Executive Chef William Tse brings a very are nothing new, the promotion of these items has escalated Pacific Northwest sensibility along with an expertise in Asian along with the demand. “Twenty years ago you would offer fusion cuisine. Local celebrity chef Vikram Vij is also on staff. something like that, but you wouldn’t label it ‘vegan’ because “What ends up happening when these two mad scientists get that was the kiss of death in marketing,” she explains. “But we’re together is amazing,” says Evans. “We do curry bowls that would

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e tr y to fin d a r e a s i n b u i l d i n g s t h a t a r e u n de ru til i z e d a n d s o met i mes eve n fo r g o tte n , a n d w e b u i l d t h e m i n t o de s tin a tio n a re a s t h a t a v a s t ma j o r i t y of pe o pl e w a n t to f i n d t h ei r w a y t o .”

—Eric Wooden, Senior Vice President, Hospitality Solutions Group

only exist in the Pacific Northwest and poutine that has Asian flavors. It is fantastic and gives you something to look forward to when you step into that building.”

CREATING INVITING AMBIANCES

The design of the building’s F&B spaces can also be a highlight of the guest experience. Wooden, who leads the company’s facility design service, describes Centerplate’s approach to venue enhancement: “We try to find areas in buildings that are underutilized and sometimes even forgotten, and we build them into destination areas that a vast majority of people want to find their way to,” he explains. Centerplate’s Las Vegas Convention Center renovation is a case in point. “There were two very uninviting food courts that you just kind of wanted to get in and out of. And our idea was to turn them into these places where you could work, eat, mingle, have a conversation, do business and build memories about the event you’re at.” Design highlights include individual tables, communal seating and high tables for standup dining, to offer guests maximum flexibility in how they wish to gather.

Examples of the Hospitality Solutions Group’s work can also be found at the KFC Yum! Center; Newark, NJ’s Prudential Center, where Centerplate designed and built out all food service related spaces; and T-Mobile Park, which is now an even more successful dining and entertainment destination thanks to Centerplate’s multiyear renovation work. The company transformed a dimly lit, cramped and underutilized outfield concourse into a lounge with specialty concessions and event space, in consultation with the Mariners and James Beard Award-winning local chef Ethan Stowell. The second phase of the project replaced a poorly attended seating area in the outfield with a new restaurant, “Edgar’s Cantina,” named for Mariners’ Hall-of-Famer Edgar Martinez. Serving Northwest-Mex fare, the establishment was named one of Seattle’s Top Ten new restaurants when it opened. Most recently, Centerplate overhauled T-Mobile Park’s Club level, adding a specialty cocktail bar and fresh, local seafood stand. The end result of the project is a huge jump in the popularity of the renovated sections, with per-capita sales increasing by 190 percent. “At some point during the game, more than 70 percent of the people find their way down to that area,” says Wooden. “It was so popular that it allowed the team to sell the menu rights to that area. So it was a new revenue stream for the team.”

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

FOOD SERVICE TECHNOLOGY

Wooden’s team is also on the cutting edge when it comes to behind-the-scenes spaces. For example, they procure the latest equipment for client kitchens.

But in the arena space, a modern, well-equipped kitchen is a fairly new development. “When I started, you’d be hard pressed to find a kitchen in a lot of arenas,” Wooden notes. “If they had a space they called a kitchen, it was two convection ovens, an eight-burner range and maybe a flattop grill. Now these are full-service production kitchens with serious culinary talent utilizing them. When you hire top culinary talent, they expect to have all the tools in the kitchen to be successful, from pressurized braising pans to infrared ovens.”

Technology is also assisting Centerplate’s sustainability efforts in the kitchen. “We’re instituting a program called WasteWatch powered by Leanpath,” says Callo. “It’s a way for our chefs and our teams to reduce food waste by weighing and tracking any product that is discarded, giving us the data and the tools to reduce that waste.” In May, Centerplate parent company Sodexo announced it would deploy the food waste prevention program at 3,000 sites worldwide within a year, aiming to cut its food waste in half by 2025.

On the futuristic side of food service technology, Centerplate is introducing robots that make and serve everything from pizza to ice cream to cocktails. The pizza-making robot is the result of a partnership with food production technology company Picnic and recently went through beta testing at T-Mobile Park.

The automated system produces customizable pizzas consistently and sequentially, at a rate of up to 180 18-in. or 300 12-in. pizzas per hour.

Such robots not only supplement an oftenunderstaffed food service industry, but they will also help Centerplate cater to Millennials and Express ordering concessions Generation Z, who tend at the Hollywood Bowl to want customized cuisine. For those guests in particular, “we have to hit that highvolume, high-speed capacity and still allow for customization and on-demand ordering,” Evans explains.

FLEXIBLE ORDERING FOR GUESTS

Ordering apps have made life easier for event-goers, and Centerplate offers that kind of tool as one means for guests to order their F&B items. But there is such a thing as “app fatigue,” and Evans has found that people are downloading apps less frequently these days. So the company also offers the option of web-based ordering. “Each seat is labeled with a sticker that has a QR code, and if you want to do in-seat ordering you scan the code on your seat, it launches the menu and you can transact there without ever having to register or download an app,” she explains.

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Pork belly banh mi sliders, served at the Las Vegas Convention Center

Paying is also becoming more flexible, with cashless transactions coming to the fore. “At this point we are very fluent in all different types of payment, including mobile wallet services such as Apple Pay,” says Evans. “It used to be that one of the longest lines was for the ATM, but now we’re putting credit card readers on beer hawkers. It takes the pressure off of standing in line, and there is a segment of the population that has a little line anxiety.” Convenient ordering and paying options translate to more purchases, she maintains. Yet another convenience Centerplate has instituted is the use of the CLEAR

system for concessions payments and age validation. In 2018, T-Mobile Park became the first Major League Baseball stadium to offer the service, which allows fans to pay and get their age checked by merely a finger tap, via biometric technology.

The positioning of points of sale also factors into the customer experience, and Wooden’s team is versed in the strategy of their deployment, which has evolved over the years.

“In the old days, it was always one point of sale per 200 guests and then it was one per 175. And for a long time architects would take that number and as long as they had that many points of sale on the concourse or in the building, they felt like their work was done,” he relates. “But really, not all points of sale are created equal, so you really need to look at the customer journey all the way from outside the building through to their seat to make sure that you don’t have a bunch of points of sale on the side of the building that it takes until halftime before people get to. We also think about every aspect of the customer’s journey before they even get to the building: where are the nearby restaurants they could possibly eat at, what are they serving, and how can we enhance that customer experience.”

This approach to points of sale reflects Centerplate’s overall focus on customizing to the customer, including both the venue and its guests. There is no “one size fits all” solution to the design of points of sale, F&B spaces, menus and other hospitality components. In this way, Centerplate ensures its onsite product achieves maximum engagement and convenience for the guests of the particular venue, truly “making it better to be there.”

CULINARY TEAM MEMBERS STEP UP TO THE PLATE A company is only as good as its people, yet it’s not enough simply to build a workforce of experienced professionals. Getting the most out of those individuals, in terms of their skills, talents and creativity, is also critical to the company’s performance.

With that in mind, Centerplate lets employees at both national and local levels of the organization implement their own ideas without excessive bureaucracy. On the culinary side, those levels include three senior chefs of operations, the 12 regional chefs they oversee, and the individual venues’ executive chefs and their staffs.

“We have a really bottom-up approach to our organization which empowers the local team to make decisions about menus and suppliers, pricings and promotions,” explains Diana Evans, Senior Vice President, Marketing. “So rather than go top-down and force everybody to adhere to a certain procurement deal, for example, what we do is spend a lot of time and research making sure our local teams are empowered to create things that resonate with their guests.”

A robust training program also ensures team members are maximally prepared to contribute to Centerplate’s client service. “We have a chef dedicated to training and development, and we’re improving our onboarding processes,” notes Carmen Callo, Corporate Executive Chef. “We are also starting a program with Lobster Ink that’s going to deliver training to our entry-level prep cooks as well as our executive chefs.

It’s an online Culinary Foundations course that’s tied into the Culinary Institute of America training.”

Centerplate’s team at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park Centerplate’s newly appointed Director of Culinary Innovation, Alex Reyes, has gathers for Culinarians Day established a knowledge bank for the team by creating a digital cookbook devoted to meals that conform to special diets, such as gluten-free and paleo. “It’s designed to be a tool to help our chefs share their best practices and menu items,” Callo explains. “It goes hand in hand with our training and allows us to tap into our chefs’ talents across the network. Some of our chefs are more experienced than others, so we want to make sure we [convey] to our lessexperienced chefs successful dishes and different ways to present, so that they’re constantly innovating.”

The culinary department is also well integrated with other internal teams. “We work with our in-house design firm, Hospitality Solutions Group, to design the concepts and the kitchen layouts,” Callo says. “And then we work with our data analytics team and our marketing team to get into the community, develop partnerships and have a way to actually deliver a high-quality product that’s backed by a passionate culinary team.” —G.S. 26

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

2019 PRIME SITE AWARD WINNERS

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ongratulations to this year’s Prime Site Award winners. This list of stellar live entertainment venues across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico is the result of reader nominations, demonstrating that these facilities are top of mind with booking agents and promoters. While the draw that our award winners represent for touring acts is perhaps their main appeal, voters took numerous other criteria into consideration, ranging from promotional support and event staff proficiency to physical aspects such as seating versatility, AV and staging quality, and back-of-house amenities.

We would also like to highlight two Prime Site Award winners that are making significant strides in the area of sustainability. U.S. Bank Stadium and Moda Center both recently achieved LEED Platinum Certification (see page 14 for details).

While green design and practices do not, in general, make these venues more viable for performances and sporting events, they symbolize environmental values 28

that are becoming more widespread in the industry.

Future contenders for Prime Site Awards are featured in this issue. Dickies Arena, a 14,000-capacity newcomer in the Fort Worth, TX market, is a state-of-the-art facility sure to please fans, promoters and touring acts (see page 20).

And 2021 will see the debut of the 3,500-capacity Fusion Arena, currently being developed in the Philadelphia Sports Complex (page 12). Also of note is the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts. The $85 million facility is scheduled to open in March at the Prime Site Award-winning Greensboro Coliseum Complex (page 60).

Venues such as these make for a bright future in the live entertainment industry, offering attractive new routing options for many touring acts. So while we celebrate this year’s winners, we also look forward to showcasing the Prime Site Award winners of tomorrow. Our readers are encouraged to vote for the 2020 Prime Site Awards via the ballot in this issue (page 67).

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

Ottawa • Canada For booking information: 613-599-0112 • julianl@ottawasenators.com

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

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2019 PRIME SITE AWARD WINNERS NORTHEAST

Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, PA DCU Center Arena, Worcester, MA Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence, RI Erie Insurance Arena, Erie, PA Madison Square Garden, New York, NY Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes Barre, PA PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA Prudential Center, Newark, NJ Santander Arena, Reading, PA SNHU Arena, Manchester, NH Times Union Center, Albany, NY Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA

Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY

MID-ATLANTIC

John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, VA Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore, MD Verizon Center, Washington, DC Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes Barre, PA 30

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

Climb our Vertical Ladder of Event Facilities

BB&T FIELD • 36,000 Seat Capacity

Greensboro Coliseum Complex • 4,000 to 22,000 Seat Capacity

• 3,000 to 14,000 Seat Capacity

LOGO ORIENTATION

The Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts logo has two acceptable formats as listed below - horizontal and vertical. Best judgment must be used to determine which version is appropriate based on space and application.

HORIZONTAL LOGO

VERTICAL LOGO

TANGER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Logo Usage Manual

• 5,000 to 7,000 Seat Capacity

2

Special Events Center

For booking information contact:

• 4,800 Seat Capacity

Scott Johnson

Phone: 336.373.7449 Email: Scott.Johnson@greensboro-nc.gov

Gerry Duncan

Phone: 336.373.7459

Email: Gerry.Duncan@greensboro-nc.gov FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

• 3,000 Seat Capacity (Opening Fall 2019)

Web: GreensboroColiseum.com & LJVM.com

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2019 PRIME SITE AWARD WINNERS SOUTHEAST

AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami, FL Amway Center, Orlando, FL Bancorpsouth Center, Tupelo, MS BB&T Center, Sunrise, FL Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN Cabarrus Arena & Events Center, Concord, NC CenturyLink Center, Bossier City, LA First National Bank Arena, Jonesboro, AR Florence Center, Florence, SC Greensboro Coliseum Complex, Greensboro, NC Infinite Energy Center, Duluth, GA KFC YUM! Center, Louisville, KY

Legacy Arena at the BJCC, Birmingham, AL Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, SC RP Funding Center, Lakeland, FL Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL The Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa, FL

The Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa, FL

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FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

2019 PRIME SITE AWARD WINNERS

Broadmoor World Arena, Colorado Springs, CO

MIDWEST

Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, IN Arie Crown Theater, Chicago, IL Bridge View Center, Ottumwa, IA Ford Center, Evansville, IN Hartman Arena, Wichita, KS Huntington Center, Toledo, OH Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, KS Iowa State Center, Ames, IA Morris Performing Arts Center, South Bend, IN Nutter Center at Wright State University, Dayton, OH Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, IL Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, NE Rushmore Civic Center Plaza Arena, Rapid City, SD Sanford Center, Bemidji, MN Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO Stephens Auditorium, Ames, IA 34

Swiftel Center, Brookings, SD Target Center, Minneapolis, MN TaxSlayer Center, Moline, IL Topeka Performing Arts Center, Topeka, KS United Wireless Arena, Dodge City, KS U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN U.S. Cellular Center, Cedar Rapids, IA Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI Wintrust Arena, Chicago, IL

Fair Park, Dallas, TX FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

2019 PRIME SITE AWARD WINNERS WEST

American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, TX ASU Gammage, Tempe, AZ AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX Bob Hope Theater, Stockton, CA BOK Center, Tulsa, OK Broadmoor World Arena, Colorado Springs, CO Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, CA Fair Park, Dallas, TX Frank Erwin Center, Austin, TX Gila River Arena, Glendale, AZ Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA Grand Canyon University Arena, Phoenix, AZ

Lloyd Noble Center, Norman, OK Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV McAllen Performing Arts Center, McAllen, TX Moda Center, Portland, OR NRG Stadium, Houston, TX Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, NV Sames Auto Arena, Laredo, TX Save Mart Center, Fresno, CA Spokane Arena, Spokane, WA STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, CA Stockton Arena, Stockton, CA Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, AZ T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV United Supermarkets Arena, Lubbock, TX

Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, NV

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FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

Four Venues | 600+ Shows

San Jose Civic 2850 Seats

Center for the Performing arts 2608 Seats

Montgomery Theater 468 Seats Newly Renovated

California Theatre 1120 Seats

Civic/ Montgomery Courtyard

New Courtyard. Available for VIP experiences and private events.

Team San Jose

Downtown San Jose, California

John Ciulla

General Manager Director of Entertainment 408.792.4195 jciulla@sanjose.org

SanJoseTheaters.org

2019 PRIME SITE AWARD WINNERS CANADA

Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba Canadian Tire Centre, Kanata, Ontario General Motors Centre, Oshawa, Ontario Meridian Centre, St. Catharines, Ontario Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario

PUERTO RICO Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA

Coliseo de Puerto Rico, Hato Rey, PR

HighLUX LED 35,000 LUMENS

BEFORE HIGHLUX

* Controls and Lighting for : Arenas Stadiums Convention Centers Gymnasiums Multi Purpose Rooms

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FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

SPORTS DESTINATION

ATLANTIC CITY

The 2019 NJSIAA (New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association) Wrestling Championships at Boardwalk Hall

MEET AC HELPS SECURE UNPRECEDENTED LEVELS OF SPORTS BUSINESS

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By George Seli

n recent years, Atlantic City has become more focused on making its mark in sports tourism, a multibilliondollar-a-year industry. The initiative began with the launch of the Atlantic City Sports Commission, a subsidiary of Meet AC, in January of 2015. Today, Atlantic City is home to sports as diverse as arena football, basketball, indoor auto racing and marathons, and the proliferation of these events in the city is largely due to the efforts of the Commission. “We wanted to capture some of the existing as well as the new sporting events that were emerging nationally,” says Jim Wood, former President and CEO of Meet AC. “When we first started the sports commission, we were booking on average around 8,000 sports-related hotel room nights a year. We have significantly grown that over the past five years and expect to end 2019 with over 60,000 sports-related hotel room nights booked.”

With over 17,000 hotel rooms, Atlantic City has the lodging infrastructure to accommodate thousands of sports fans as well as the teams themselves, which “typically request to all be housed together in the same hotel property, so we make every accommodation to fulfill those types of requests,” Wood says. The broad choice in properties is also an advantage for incoming teams. In the case of marathons

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and triathlons, “oftentimes the host city doesn’t have as many hotel rooms as Atlantic City has to offer, so the hotels have leverage over the athlete,” observes Stephen Del Monte, Founder and CEO of DelMoSports, Inc., which specializes in producing world-class sporting events in Philadelphia and the southern Jersey shore. In addition, “the beauty of Atlantic City is that you’re not pigeonholed into having to book a three-night minimum,” he points out.

Stephen Del Monte, DelmoSports, Inc.

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Ironman 70.3, September 13, 2019

A RISE IN ENDURANCE SPORTS

Del Monte has worked with the Atlantic City Sports Commission since its inception. The company has been instrumental in bringing the Ironman 70.3 to the city and more recently the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon, which begins in May of 2020 under a five-year agreement. The Ironman has been held in the city for four years and drew close to 3,000 athletes and 5,000 spectators in September. The Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon is expected to exceed 10,000 runners. As such, these events represent a significant economic benefit to the city. “The Ironman’s economic impact is $2.3 million, while the Rock & Roll Half Marathon is estimated to bring in more than $16,600 each year,” Wood notes. DelMoSports also produces Red Bull Surf + Rescue, the premier lifeguarding competition on the East Coast, and the Atlantic City Triathlon. This August’s installment of the Triathlon “was up 40 percent from the year before, close to 1,700 athletes, which is fantastic,” says Del Monte.

Atlantic City’s history as a site for endurance sports began in 1958 with the Atlantic City Marathon, the third-oldest continuing marathon in the United States. But DelMoSports saw an opportunity to bring a greater variety of endurance sports to town. That required getting the stakeholders of those events to trust that Atlantic City could service a great many athletes and put on a top-tier event, Del Monte explains.

SPORTS VENUES

A major selling point is the quality of the local venues that can host sporting events. “The Boardwalk is wildly 40

important, along with Boardwalk Hall and Bader Field.

These are all just stellar locations that produce world-class events,” he says. The 142-acre Bader Field is home to annual festivals, tournaments and races. Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, host to arena football, hockey, car racing and other sports, features the 14,770-capacity main arena and the 3,200-capacity Adrian Phillips Ballroom. Recently, Boardwalk Hall made special accommodations for esports. “We have modified the Adrian Phillips Ballroom in Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall to accommodate our latest venture, and that is esports,” Wood says. “This past June, Atlantic City hosted the EsportsTravel Summit, which brought a variety of show operators looking at destinations for their future tournaments. The CRDA [Casino Reinvestment Development Authority] has made a considerable investment in determining the potential of esports in Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. We are still in the evaluation phase.”

The CRDA has also recently invested in Sport Courts at the Atlantic City Convention Center (ACCC). “Basketball, volleyball and indoor soccer [events], just to name a few, have taken advantage of our new sport courts,” Wood says.

Featuring a total of 92,736 sq. ft. of court and a high-impact polypropylene surface, the Sport Courts break down to approximately 18 basketball courts, 22 volleyball courts and 12 futsal courts. Host to events such as Zero Gravity Volleyball and Hoop Group Jam Fest, the ACCC also houses 18 Gared Sports Portable Volleyball Systems and 36 Gared Sports Hoopmaster Portable Basketball Backstops.

Other major sports venues include the 5,500-seat FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

“

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h e t o u r n a m en t d i r ec t o r s l o v e A t l ant i c Ci t y b e c a u s e w e a r e a w eeken d o r a s u mm er d es t i n a t i o n . T h a t f a ct h el p s t h em s el l o u t t h e i r t o u r n a men t s v e r y q u i c k l y .”

Sandcastle Stadium, —Jim Wood, home to collegiate Former President and baseball games; and CEO, Meet AC Stockton University, which offers three full-size soccer fields, one softball field, one hockey rink and four tennis courts.

DESTINATION APPEAL

Atlantic City has always been a magnet for a variety of tourists, including gamers, beachgoers and concertgoers. For sports tourists, the city’s many entertainment assets create an added value. “We’ve received very positive feedback because of all the value added Atlantic City offers, from our nightlife offerings and because we are open 24/7,” Wood says. “The tournament directors love Atlantic City because we are a weekend or a summer destination. That fact helps them sell out their tournaments very quickly. And the tournament participants can shop at Tanger Outlets The Walk, which is located just outside the Atlantic City

Convention Center, or dine at a variety of restaurants nearby.

They enjoy the Boardwalk and the beach. The outdoor racing and competition events love the fact they can run on the Boardwalk and/or compete right on our beautiful sandy beaches.”

THE FUTURE OF ATLANTIC CITY SPORTS

While Atlantic City is doing formidable sports business these days, there is always room for growth. “We envision that in just a few more years we have to potential to be booking over 100,000 sports room nights annually,” says Wood.

“One of the reasons why is that in 2021 we will be hosting for the second time the SportsTravel TEAMS Conference & Expo in the Atlantic City Convention Center. Hundreds of sports organizers will be in town during that conference, and they will be able to see first-hand all that Atlantic City has to offer for their various events.” The Atlantic City Sports Commission team will be expanding in order to handle the greater influx of sports groups. “Over the past five years we’ve been able to operate very efficiently and have utilized our existing Meet AC staff for services, marketing communications and other miscellaneous administrative support,” he explains. “We are now at the point where we are looking to grow our Atlantic City Sports Commission team.”

Del Monte, whose company currently produces 23 events in the city, also sees “tremendous potential” for bringing in new sporting events with “Atlantic City continuously being willing to have an open mind about what is possible.” Despite the strides that the city has made in the sports market, the destination still tends to evoke gaming and live shows, not sports. “We’re helping to change that perception,” Del Monte assures.

National Xball League Atlantic City Open paintball tournament at Bader Field, 2017 FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

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SPORTS DESTINATION

GREATER PHOENIX Talking Stick Resort Arena

THE VALLEY OF THE SUN IS A HOTBED OF SPORTS TOURISM

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By Ann Shepphird

he Greater Phoenix area’s prowess in hosting big sports events has become well known. In recent years, the Valley of the Sun has welcomed the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four, the College Football Championships and the Super Bowl (revisiting the area in 2023). The area also hosts large-scale annual events such as the Waste Management Phoenix Open (aka the “Greatest Show on Grass”). The biggest local sports event is one the Valley of the Sun has hosted since 1947: the Cactus League. Featuring 15 Major League Baseball teams holding games over a period of six weeks in 10 stadiums throughout the Valley of the Sun, the Cactus League attracts more than 1.9 million people and generates an estimated $644.2 million in economic impact.

What might not be as well known are all the little extras the area provides for sports events and sports-related meetings of all sizes. From world-class museums and galleries to speakeasies and innovative restaurant concepts, the Greater Phoenix area offers a variety of unique venues for incoming groups.

DOWNTOWN PHOENIX

There are two Cactus League facilities located within the 42

Phoenix city limits — Camelback Ranch-Glendale and Maryvale. But it’s the downtown area that’s a real hub for sports activities, with Chase Field (regular season home to the Arizona Diamondbacks), Talking Stick Resort Arena (home to the city’s NBA and WNBA teams, in addition to the Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers) and the Phoenix Convention Center all within walking distance of one another. Featuring 900,000 sq. ft. of meeting and exhibition space, the convention center not only hosts the fan festivals for large events like the Super Bowl and the Final Four, but can also accommodate tournaments for sports like basketball, volleyball, gymnastics and dance.

“Downtown Phoenix continues to be the epicenter of fan activity, with a state-of-the-art convention center, expanding hotel capacity, and an ever-growing list of dining and entertainment options, all within walking distance,” says Lorne Edwards, Senior Vice President of Sales and Services for Visit Phoenix.

The center is located across the street from the 1,000-room Sheraton Grand Phoenix, which features 110,000 sq. ft. of meeting and event space. Last year, the hotel was purchased from the city by Marriott International, which plans to extensively renovate the property to show off its new strategy FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

SCOTTSDALE

Scottsdale is home to two Cactus League stadiums: Scottsdale Stadium and Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Located within walking distance of Scottsdale Stadium, the Hotel Valley Ho features meeting space for groups of up to 500 and is planning a complete revamp of its restaurant this summer.

The city is also home to the Waste Management Phoenix Open, which attracts more than 650,000 people each winter

Salt River Fields, Scottsdale FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

and “has gained global notoriety as a not-to-be-missed stop on the PGA tour,” says Edwards. The Phoenix Open is held on the TPC Stadium Course, one of two 18-hole golf courses at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, which offers 316,000 sq. ft. of meeting and event space. In recent years, the Fairmont has added 102 new guestrooms, a new pool and the Fairmont Gold Meeting Center for smaller groups.

Also in Scottsdale, The Phoenician recently completed a three-year renovation project — the most extensive since the resort opened in 1988. It included a redesign of the golf course, guestrooms and public areas, and a brand-new, threestory spa that features a rooftop pool and 24 treatment rooms.

The 643-room hotel offers 160,000 sq. ft. of indoor-outdoor meeting and event space.

TEMPE

Temple Diablo Stadium is the oldest of the Cactus League’s spring training facilities. Tempe is also home to the main campus of Arizona State University, which features the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center and Sun Devil Fitness Center, offering 135,000 sq. ft. of indoor space that can host sports such as badminton, gymnastics, soccer, volleyball, racquetball, weightlifting and basketball, in addition to outdoor soccer fields and tennis courts. ASU’s Sun Devil Stadium is undergoing a $300 million renovation designed to transform the venue into a year-round events center and entertainment district.

COURTESY SUN DEVIL ATHLETICS

for the Sheraton brand. Nearby, the 693-room Hyatt Regency Phoenix — which has more than 50,000 sq. ft. of meeting space — is also undergoing a major renovation project.

Also located downtown is the 517-room Renaissance Phoenix, which features more than 51,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. The hotel has its own speakeasy, Melinda’s Alley, which (as its name suggests) is accessed through an alley with a red light indicating when it’s open.

The downtown area is increasingly filled with these types of unique homegrown venues from cocktail bars (Bitter & Twisted) to underground speakeasies (Valley Bar) to concert spaces (Crescent Ballroom) to multiuse facilities like the Duce, which includes a boxing ring among its entertainment offerings.

In the Roosevelt Row Arts District, the boutique hotel FOUND:RE Phoenix features art-filled meeting space for groups of up to 200. Creative gathering spaces include the Churchill, Sazerac, MonOrchid, The Dressing Room, a new brewpub called Wilderness and a soon-to-be-opened femaleowned one called Greenwood Brewing.

Not far from Roosevelt Row, the Phoenix Art Museum can accommodate everything from a small meeting to a large reception for up to 600 people amid its 18,000-piece art collection. Nearby, the Heard Museum, which was founded in 1929 and is dedicated to the advancement of American Indian art, can accommodate up to 1,000 participants.

Attendees looking for a unique way to get from site to site might consider using pedicabs. Arizona Pedal Cab — the oldest established pedicab company in the state — provides customized tours and an extensive knowledge of the area.

Mona Plummer Aquatic Center, Tempe

Temple Diablo Stadium, spring training home of the Los Angeles Angels 43

Offsite arts venues available for groups include the ASU Gammage theater, the Tempe Center for the Arts and (for the culinary arts) Culinary Dropout Tempe. Breweries with private space include Pedal Haus Brewery and Four Peaks Brewing Company, which provides space at its 8th Street Location and at its Wilson Street Tasting Room. For something a little different, Tempe’s new Lumberjaxes axe-throwing facility can be rented for groups of up to 100.

Recently renovated hotels with meeting space include the 353-room Phoenix Marriott Resort Tempe at The Buttes and the 303-room Tempe Mission Palms. A new Canopy by Hilton hotel is expected to open in mid 2020.

venues for groups: The Farmhouse, the Big Red Barn and the Meadow.

In a twist on the brewpub concept, Mesa is home to Cider Corps, Arizona’s first cidery, which features a variety of ciders brewed onsite and space for groups in the downtown area.

GLENDALE AND PEORIA

The Super Bowl, the College Football Championships and the Final Four — not to mention the home games for the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals — are all played at State Farm Stadium (formerly the University of Phoenix Stadium) in Glendale.

Located across from the stadium in the Westgate shopping

Sloan Park in Mesa, the spring training home of the Chicago Cubs

MESA

In Mesa, the Chicago Cubs play at Sloan Park while the Oakland A’s play at Hohokam Stadium, which recently completed a multimillion-dollar renovation. But the city also welcomes a variety of other sports, according to Suzanne Keller, Visit Mesa’s Director of Sports. “We have hosted a wide range of sporting events here in Mesa over the years,” says Keller. “Our fields are full pretty much year round with soccer, baseball, golf, flag football and lacrosse events.”

Keller also pointed to a rise in new sporting events, including a Tough Mudder obstacle race course. “We are seeing incredible growth in untraditional sports, which gives destinations like Mesa the chance to bring events that utilize more of our unique space and hotels,” she says.

The main meeting facility is the Mesa Convention Center, which features 20,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. Also available for group events is the Mesa Arts Center and, just east of Mesa in Queen Creek, Schnepf Farms, which provides three 44

and entertainment district, the Renaissance Glendale Hotel & Spa features more than 115,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.

The city also boasts the Gila River Arena, which is home to the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, and Camelback RanchGlendale, which is the Cactus League home for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox. In Peoria, they’ve built a unique meeting space right into the park where Cactus League games are held for the Seattle Mariners and the San Diego Padres. The Colonnade at Peoria Sports Complex features 3,300 sq. ft. of space with views onto the field at Peoria Stadium along with state-of-the-art AV technology and full-service catering. Across from the field, the P83 entertainment district offers restaurants, shopping and a new virtual shooting range in an upscale lounge called Modern Round.

Overall, the Valley of the Sun’s portfolio of sports venues, covention centers, resorts and entertainment and cultural assets promise a rich hospitality experience, on gameday and beyond.

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT

MIDWEST Bonnie Raitt performs at Farm Aid 2019, held at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre, Troy, WI

From first-tier markets to small farming towns, the concert industry is helping to drive the Heartland economy

By Anthony Bilden

T

he Midwestern states comprise what is sometimes described as America’s “Small Heartland,” the nucleus of a “Large Heartland” that also includes Colorado, Nevada, West Virginia and other surrounding states. While the geography of the Heartland is a bit fuzzy, the region’s cultural associations are fairly clear: small towns and rural farms populated by honest, hard-working, family-oriented people.

The concert industry began formally supporting the family farmer back in 1985 with the inaugural Farm Aid, organized by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young. To this day, the festival has proven to be compelling for fans, which is good news for the farms that receive support. This September, about 37,000 people gathered at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, WI, to witness highlights such as Bonnie Raitt performing a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughn, Mellencamp playing classics such as “Jack and Diane,” Tanya Tucker’s first Farm Aid appearance since ’85, and Nelson and Young together on stage to close the show. It was also the fifth consecutive Farm Aid to feature

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

HOMEGROWN Concessions, sustainably produced family farm food delivered in partnership with Legends Hospitality.

Prior to Farm Aid 2019, Legends VP of Hospitality Bill Wilson commented, “Our entire culinary team has embraced the staples of the Midwest — specifically Wisconsin — and we’re excited to showcase the food and beverage to all fans.”

Thankfully, Farm Aid is not the only live entertainment entity to embrace the Midwest and the American farm. Luke Bryan’s Farm Tour, introduced in 2009, is routed through actual farms and recently included sold-out shows at Statz Bros. Farm in Marshall, WI, and Miller Family Farms in Pleasantville, OH. As part of the tour, Bryan awards college scholarships to students from farming families who are attending colleges or universities near their homes. In addition, the tour’s sponsor, Bayer, is running a campaign where the life sciences company donates a meal from Feeding America each time someone uses the hashtag #HeresToTheFarmer on his or her social media channel.

Concurrently, Bryan is taking his Sunset Repeat Tour 2019 to arenas and stadiums, including a recent stop at 45

one of the Midwest’s premier arenas, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, in Fort Wayne, IN. As Indiana’s second most-populous city, Fort Wayne is not exactly a “small town.” Indeed, the Midwest is home to many major metropolises with thriving arenas; we profile several of them in this Regional Spotlight, including newer facilities such as Evansville’s Ford Center and Chicago’s Wintrust Arena. Touring acts prize these markets for the draw they represent. But it’s heartwarming to see that many influential musicians also recognize Heartland’s small towns as stewards to one of America’s most crucial industries.

ALLEN COUNTY WAR MEMORIAL COLISEUM Fort Wayne, IN • memorialcoliseum.com

The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum is conveniently routable from major Midwest cities such as Indianapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Columbus and Cincinnati. It is home to the Komets (ECHL) and the Mad Ants (NBA G-League), and hosts various sporting events including indoor motorcycle racing and NCAA basketball. Among the major concerts taking place at the Coliseum Arena are Chris Young, Nov. 21, 2019; Five Finger Death Punch, Dec. 9, 2019; and Lauren Daigle, June 19, 2020.

SOUND/LIGHTING: Ephesus LED Arena Lighting System; Daktronics four-sided, center-hung scoreboard with LED upper ring; four LED corner boards and LED ribbons on sides, corners and ends.

BACKSTAGE AREAS: Nine dressing rooms ranging in size from 108 sq. ft. to 760 sq. ft., locker room, media room, 1,900-sq.-ft. Century Club, 8.100-sq.-ft. Appleseed Room. Two loading docks.

FOOD & BEVERAGE: Aramark is the F&B provider.

Eighteen permanent concession stands; one onsite restaurant/bar open for concerts and some sporting events.

AUDIENCE AMENITIES: Premium seating concourse includes 25 luxury suites and 318 club seats, and features private entrance from lobby and concourse bars.

PARKING: 5,000 onsite spaces MARKETING/PROMOTIONS: Full-service event marketing and media relations department that can provide comprehensive marketing plans and media buying, as well as promotion and trade negotiation. Marketing channels include Coliseum website (60,000+ unique visitors per month on average), multiple social media platforms, newsletter, outdoor marquee and arena scoreboard, closed-circuit TV, and buying and negotiation services for TV, radio and local newspapers.

MARKET/DEMOGRAPHICS: Fort Wayne, the second-largest city in Indiana, is located in the far northeast corner of the state and regularly draws audiences from northwest Ohio and southern Michigan. Fort Wayne is also the 104th largest TV market in the country.

FORD CENTER

Evansville, IN • fordcenter.com

The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum’s Arena & Expo Center

CAPACITIES: Full house for concerts, 12,500; half house for concerts, 6,000; theater, 4,000; hockey, 10,495; basketball maximum, 11,000; basketball small, 5,000. Upper deck as well as north and south ends of lower bowl can be curtained.

Paul McCartney performs at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, June 2019 46

A relatively new arena in the Midwest market, the Ford Center opened in November 2011 and has hosted a variety of performers and events including Bob Seger, Hadi Shrine Circus, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Monster Jam and WWE Supershow.

New event calendar highlights include Old Dominion, Nov. 21, 2019; Miranda Lambert, Jan. 25, 2020; Brantley Gilbert, Feb. 21, 2020; and Lauren Daigle, March 13, 2020. On the sports side, the VenuWorks-managed arena is home of the NCAA Division I University of Evansville Aces men’s basketball and the SPHL Evansville Thunderbolts.

CAPACITIES: Concerts, 10,500 total (9,066 permanent seats and 1,700 floor chairs); half house, 3,500-5,700 (in-house lower and upper bowl curtaining system); basketball, 9,800; hockey, 9,100 STAGING: StageRight brand ME-3750 rolling with bridgeable supports; maximum stage size 68 ft. by 48 ft.

SOUND/LIGHTING: Public address sound system with four main center clusters and 25 balcony fills on timed delays; eight additional speakers mounted at the bottom of the scoreboard, plus six speakers that are used as a hockey fill.

1,000 watt, Musco metal halide sports fixtures with shutters mounted on the catwalks (160 total).

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

Jaslon Aldean in stage at the Ford Center, May 2019

BACKSTAGE AREAS: One 14 ft.-by-11 ft. star room and one 11 ft.-by-18 ft. star room, three locker rooms, 19 ft.-by-19 ft. green room, 19 ft.-by-36 ft. multipurpose room AUDIENCE AMENITIES: Sixteen 20-person suites, one 40-person suite, two eight-person mini-suites, two 10-person mini-suites, 95 main concourse loge seats. Built-in concourse bars are being added to offer more products at more locations.

Ford Center

MARKETING/PROMOTIONS: Eblasts with Ticketmaster Engage, in-house ribbon boards, 92 TVs to display upcoming shows, four-sided Jumbo Tron MARKET/DEMOGRAPHICS: With a metropolitan area population of 314,000, Evansville is the third-largest city in Indiana based on official 2017 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The city serves as the economic and social center for the region that includes southwest Indiana, southeast Illinois and northwest Kentucky. The overall median age is 37.2 years, 36 years for males and 38.2 years for females.

HARTMAN ARENA

Park City, KS • hartmanarena.com

Hartman Arena celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year.

Since opening, the arena has brought numerous prominent performers to Park City, including Alan Jackson, Slipknot, Alice Cooper, New Kids On The Block and Earth Wind FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

& Fire/Chicago. More recent concert highlights include Brett Michaels, Nov. 11, 2019; Cody Johnson and Friends, Jan. 10, 2020; and NF, May 10, 2020. Hartman Arena is also a sports venue and will host NAIA Men’s Wrestling on March 6, 2020.

CAPACITIES: Sports, 5,000; concerts, 1,200-6,500 STAGING: Staging Concepts, 60 ft. by 48 ft. Height ranges from 3 ft. to 4 ft. 6 in.

SOUND: EAW AX396 Speaker with EAW AX122 SUB powered by QSC CX Series Amps.

BACKSTAGE AREAS: Four large dressing/locker rooms, three smaller dressing/locker rooms, catering and tour office area FOOD & BEVERAGE: Four concession stands, one corner bar (Tap Room), one VIP lounge (Till Vodka Lounge), plus numerous portable bar Hartman Arena locations depending upon event configuration AUDIENCE AMENITIES: 20 loge boxes (six-seaters and four-seaters), including private entrance and access to VIP Lounge PARKING: 2,200 free parking spaces (1,600 paved, 600 gravel) MARKETING/ PROMOTIONS: In-house marketing department; in-house promotion, copromotion and rental available.

MARKET/ DEMOGRAPHICS: Located eight miles north of downtown Wichita, which has a metropolitan Cody Johnson performs at Hartman Arena, population of January 2019 600,000.

TAXSLAYER CENTER

Moline, IL • taxslayercenter.com

Situated on the banks of the Mississippi River on the border of east-central Iowa and northwestern Illinois, the TaxSlayer Center has hosted many of the top artists and touring acts in the country, including Paul McCartney, The Eagles, Pearl Jam, The Dave Matthews Band, Elton John, Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Monster Jam, Disney on Ice and many more. In addition, the TaxSlayer Center is home to the Quad City Storm (SPHL) and Quad City Steamwheelers (IFL), and hosts the Women’s Missouri Valley Conference Basketball Tournament.

47

TaxSlayer Center

A $500,000 backstage dressing room renovation project was completed this fall, installing new restrooms, flooring, walls, ceilings and multicolor LED lighting. The renovation also created a video arcade for performers and crew.

CAPACITIES: The TaxSlayer Center consists of the 12,000-seat arena (center stage, 12,000; end stage, 11,500; basketball, 10,700; and hockey and indoor football, 9,500) and the 20,000-sq.-ft. conference center, which also offers 11,000 sq. ft. of lobby space. The Theater at the TaxSlayer Center can be configured into a number of different capacities ranging from 500 to 6,000 seats depending on the needs of the performer.

LIGHTING: Eight Xenon SuperTrouper spotlights. The arena also has a new LED overhead lighting that has strobe and instant on/off capability.

BACKSTAGE AREAS: Two dressing rooms, one star room, four team rooms, one training room, one small room, three production offices, a VIP promoter office and an arcade with video and table games FOOD & BEVERAGE: Six concession stands plus Budweiser VIP Lounge for Premium Seat holders. Full service in-house catering is provided by Levy Concessions, with concession stands offering local favorites. Levy also caters the 21 suites in the facility.

AUDIENCE AMENITIES: The complex has a newly installed Wi-Fi system and has recently added an additional ladies restroom on the concourse as well as the construction of a new craft beer bar and rooftop patio.

PARKING: 937 onsite spaces, 300-space parking ramp across the street and an additional 1,000 spaces nearby MARKETING/PROMOTIONS: The TaxSlayer Center will promote and co-promote events and offers a full-service marketing department.

MARKET/DEMOGRAPHICS: Centrally located between Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Minneapolis and Omaha, the TaxSlayer Center is easily routable from Interstate 80 and 74. The metro market is nearly 500,000 strong with over 1.5 million people living within an hour’s drive of the Quad Cities.

VAN ANDEL ARENA

Grand Rapids, MI • vanandelarena.com

Managed by ASM Global, Van Andel Arena has hosted the best in live entertainment since opening in 1996. The list includes Paul McCartney, Elton John, The Who, The 48

Halestorm at the TaxSlayer Center, September 2019

Eagles, Metallica, Bob Seger, Neil Diamond, P!NK, Justin Timberlake, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kenny Chesney, Disney On Ice, Cirque du Soleil, Blue Man Group and many more. Home to the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins, Van Andel Arena has also welcomed major sporting events such as the NCAA Hockey Regional Championships and the AFL Arena Bowl XV game. Upcoming highlights include the WWE Live Supershow, Nov. 23, 2019; Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Dec. 1, 2019; Jeff Dunham, Dec. 30, 2019; and Luke Combs, Feb. 15, 2020.

The arena is completing a renovation of the backstage dressing rooms and locker room area in early 2020, providing a variety of rooms to accommodate each tour’s space requirements.

CAPACITIES: End stage and in the round, 12,000+; hockey and basketball, 11,000+

Van Andel Arena

STAGING: Standard size: 60 ft. wide by 40 ft. deep by 6 ft. high, with two 12 ft. wide-by-24 ft. deep-by-6 ft. high sound wings BACKSTAGE AREAS: There will be 14 rooms at the completion of the backstage renovation project in early 2020. (The Grand Rapids Griffins hockey team locker room FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

PHOTO: JIM HILL

may not be available for use during the hockey season.)

FOOD & BEVERAGE: Nine permanent stands, two food portables, multiple bars and canned beer portables, The Intermission Restaurant & Bar AUDIENCE AMENITIES: Free public Wi-Fi, ATMs, nursing mothers’ accommodations, family restrooms, rentable hospitality areas, Guest Services booth MARKETING/PROMOTIONS: Van Andel Arena has a full-service marketing department providing media buying, promotions, graphic design, social media, e-mail blasts, public relations and much more.

MARKET/DEMOGRAPHICS: Grand Rapids is the fastest-growing city in Michigan with an active community of avid eventgoers.

Wintrust Arena

two JRX212 floor monitors, Yamaha QL1 digital mixing console. Arena lighting with “instant on” capacity, eight STRONG spotlights, six spotlight bays with clear com on catwalk, eight Chauvet Rogue R1. Broadcast-quality production control room configured for 1080i59.

BACKSTAGE AREAS: Two star green rooms, two team locker rooms, two production offices, three media/catering rooms with full AV capabilities FOOD & BEVERAGE: SAVOR is the exclusive concessions provider. Six concession stands, four bars and 12 portables maximum.

PARKING: 2,000 spaces located across the street and over 5,700 total spaces on campus. Space to accommodate four commercial buses located off the loading dock.

MARKETING/PROMOTIONS: Social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; weekly newsletter; email blasts; third-party promotional opportunities MARKET/DEMOGRAPHICS: Wintrust Arena serves six million people spanning every demographic.

WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY NUTTER CENTER Fairborn, OH • nuttercenter.com Sold-out concert at Van Andel Arena

WINTRUST ARENA

Chicago, IL • wintrustarena.com

Opened in October 2017, the architecturally distinctive Wintrust Arena features a first-class NCAA basketball court that is the home court for DePaul University men’s and women’s basketball teams, and serves as the home to the WNBA Chicago Sky. A multipurpose venue in the heart of McCormick Square, Wintrust Arena also hosts concerts and various entertainment events such as the Comedy Laugh Fest, scheduled for Dec. 28.

CAPACITIES: Basketball, 9,800-10,000; boxing, 10,700; 180 degrees, 6,900-7,100; 220 degrees, 8,300-8,600; 360 degrees, 10,00010,200 STAGING: 40 ft. by 60 ft. with two 12 ft.by-16 ft. sound wings (87 4 ft.-by-8 ft. sections, adjustable 48 in.-78 in.)

SOUND/LIGHTING: Six line array hangs of 10 JBL Vertec 4887A, six accompanying hangs of four JBL 2x18 ASB6128 subwoofers, FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

Dayton’s premier sports and entertainment venue since 1990, Wright State University Nutter Center is home to the NCAA Division 1 Wright State University men’s and women’s basketball programs and the women’s volleyball program. The Nutter Center also welcomes approximately 12 national touring concerts and performances each year.

Upcoming events include Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Nov. 30, 2019; Harlem Globetrotters, Dec. 31, 2019; and

Wright State University Nutter Center 49

Jeff Dunham, March 19, 2020. The Nutter Center has also hosted two major political events: Barack Obama’s “Keeping America’s Promise” rally on Feb. 25, 2008, and John McCain’s announcement of Sarah Palin as his running mate in the presidential race on Aug. 29, 2008.

CAPACITIES: In the round, 11,000; end stage, 11,200; half house, 2,000-7,500; basketball, 9,500. Seventy-foot curtain and truss system can be adjusted to fit nearly any capacity.

STAGING: 60 ft.-by-40 ft.

Alan Jackson, Nutter Center, 2018 StageRight stage with 32 in.designed to accommodate groups by-8 ft. decks and 12 ft.-by-24 ft. of up to 400 people for theatre-style wings. Height adjustable from presentations and 250 for banquets or 48 in. to 84 in. receptions.

AUDIOVISUAL: House Brantley Gilbert, Nutter Center, 2018 PARKING: Capacity for 20 trucks sound: center-hung community and/or buses backstage, floor-level; system. Eight Lycian 1290 4,000 total public parking spaces.

XLT, 2K spotlights. Full rigging grid available. Eight-screen, MARKETING/PROMOTIONS: Full-service marketing center-hung video display with two video rings. Digital department; 15 percent ad agency discount is passed on to signage system including 31, 46 in. flat-screen TVs and a promoters. three-sided full color LED outdoor marquee.

MARKET/DEMOGRAPHICS: Located near the BACKSTAGE AREAS: Eight dressing rooms located stage Crossroads of America where I-75 (north-south) meets I-70 left, floor level. Production room also available. (east-west), the Nutter Center lites within a one-day drive of FOOD & BEVERAGE: Chartwells is the exclusive food 60 percent of the U.S. population. The Greater Miami Valley service company. Custom catering menus are available.

Area (eight counties) is home to approximately 1.8 million Concessions include eight permanent stands and a floor people. The Nutter Center also offers access to more than portable with limited menu.

14,000 Wright State University college students.

AUDIENCE AMENITIES: The Berry Room is flexibly URGENT! FREE SUBSCRIPTION RENEWAL

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I. Facilities ❑ 1AR Arena/Stadium ❑ 1CC Convention/Expo Center ❑ 1CI Civic Center ❑ 1HO Hotel/Conference Center ❑ 1PA Performing Arts Center ❑ 1FG Fairground ❑ 1AM Amphitheatre ❑ 1EH Exhibit Hall ❑ 1TH Theatre ❑ 1MP Multi-Purpose ❑ 1OT Other (please specify) ____________________

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II. Entertainment Management ❑ 2A Concert Tour Promoter ❑ 2B Booking Agent ❑ 2C Business/Personal Manager ❑ 2D Talent Buyer ❑ 2E Special Event Planner ❑ 2F Sports Agent ❑ 2G Other (please specify) ____________________

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FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

We’ve got it all ARENA • EXPO CENTER • CONFERENCE CENTER

DETROIT

CHICAGO FORT WAYNE COLUMBUS

FOR BOOKING INFORMATION Randy L. Brown, CVE • (260) 482-9502 rbrown@memorialcoliseum.com

CINCINNATI

ST. LOUIS

ARIZONA

V EN U E

P R O F IL E S

SUN DEVIL STADIUM

T

he vision for the ASU 365 Community Union was born out of the realization of a unique problem facing universities, cities and nations across the world: spending big money on stadiums, arenas and other athletic facilities that are ultimately utilized only a few days a year. The ASU 365 Community Union transforms the traditional stadium model into a year-round events center and entertainment district, creating a path for a sustainable stadium/arena environment.

Strategically located in the heart of the Valley of the Sun, the ASU 365 Community Union will be a diverse cultural hub where people can converge on campus to enjoy exciting and expansive programming designed for the entire community, with food service as diverse as ASU’s student population and activities that will enthrall audiences of all ages and backgrounds. ASU is building and managing this massive and iconic Community Union that will continue to distinguish ASU as a visionary university. Converting a football stadium with a 2 percent utilization rate into a Community Union serving the entire metropolitan area has never been done before.

Arizona State University is turning to an experienced leader of high-profile events to spearhead the effort to transform Sun Devil Stadium into a cultural hub available for use year-round. As the stadium renovation project continues, President Michael Crow has named Colleen JenningsRoggensack, ASU Vice President for Cultural Affairs and Executive Director of ASU Gammage, to lead the new Sun Devil Stadium into the future.

The 365 Community Union will be a dynamic cultural entertainment hub that operates 365 days a year and acts as a model for venues around the world. The 365 Community Union will feature exciting world-class programming, concerts, film festivals, dining and cultural events. The 365 Community Union will also act as the home for Sun Devil Athletics, Pat Tillman Veterans Center, Public Service Academy, Global Sport Institute, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication newsroom and academic classrooms. The ASU 365 Community Union will be the “it” place for cardio and concerts, festivals and farmer’s markets. It will be a place for your morning jog and morning joe; for movies and meals; and a place to showcase the leaders on the field and the leaders of tomorrow. ASU’s goal is to bring the community together in a way that has never been done before.

For more information, call (480) 727-2772 or visit asu365communityunion.com.

500 East Veterans Way, Tempe, AZ 85287 • (480) 965-2381 • thesundevils.com 52

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

Phoenix Metro’s

SUN DEVIL STADIUM - 53,000+ SEATS

Best Location

For events big and small,

ASU has a venue

that’s just right for your needs!

The nation’s largest and most innovative university is ready to host your major event!

ASU GAMMAGE - 2,800 SEATS +

ASU Gammage outdoor and Wells Fargo Arena photos: Tim Trumble

WELLS FARGO ARENA - 10,000+ SEATS

Sun Devil Stadium | 480-965-8639 | asu365communityunion.com ASU Gammage | 480-965-1749 | asugammage.com

NORTH CAROLINA

CABARRUS ARENA & EVENTS CENTER

The 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.

4751 HIGHWAY 49 NORTH CONCORD, NC 28025 (704) 920-3976 CABARRUSARENA.COM For booking information call:

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 form the Charlotte Motor Speedway and Concord Mills, the most visited tourist attraction in the state of North Carolina.

Debbie Shields (704) 920-3988 dshields@cabarrusarena.com Kenny Robinson (704) 920-3986 klrobinson@cabarrusarena.com

Just a few laid-back miles from Charlotte and worlds away from the hassle of the city.

54

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

Timeless 15 years persistently creating extraordinary moments you will never forget.

All, to prove that time does not exist: memories do.

Book your event with us now!

Eduardo Cajina-DĂ­az General Manager at 787.777.0800 x 2301 or ecajina@smgpr.com www.coliseodepuertorico.com

RHODE ISLAND

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, RI School of Design and Providence College, just to name a few. The students at these local colleges and universities add to the diverse population of the city.

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

New England’s Premier Entertainment Arena CONCERTS - SPORTING EVENTS - FAMILY SHOWS - AND MORE!!

Contacts: Cheryl Cohen, Director of Booking (p) 401.331.0700 ext.7123 (e) ccohen@dunkindonutscenter.com 56

Debra Polselli, Booking

(p) 401.331.0700 ext.7112

(e) dpolselli@dunkindonutscenter.com

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

First National Bank Arena

First National Bank Arena is easily routable from the following major cities: St. Louis, Nashville, Birmingham and Jackson. First National Bank Arena has hosted events that range from concerts to sporting events, academic events, rodeos, trade shows and many more. We enjoy being able to serve our city and our university!

Come visit us in Northeast Arkansas!

FNBArena.com 217 Olympic Drive, Jonesboro, AR 72401 | Booking: 870-972-3870 | Box Office: 870-972-2781 Photo Credit: James Bickham

SOUTH CAROLINA

THE FLORENCE CENTER

At the CENTER of what’s happening...

T

he Florence Center is the largest convention, entertainment and exhibition facility in northeast South Carolina.

The venue offers over 75,000 sq. ft. of multipurpose space, including a 10,000-seat arena, a 14,500-sq.-ft. ballroom, a junior ballroom, meeting rooms and an oversized pre-function area. The Center can accommodate events of various types and sizes.

The Florence Center’s arena hosts a wide variety of concerts and live entertainment shows each year.

Entertainers ranging from Willie Nelson, Mary J. Blige and Casting Crowns, to Boyz II Men, Florida Georgia Line, Tyler Perry and Luke Bryan have performed at the venue, as well as shows like Disney on Ice, Monster Jam, rodeos, festivals and Cirque du Soleil. The Center also hosts several annual self-produced events, including the Greater Pee Dee State Fair, the Pee Dee Outdoor Classic and the Carolina Food Truck Rodeo (Spring and Fall Editions).

Located in the beautiful hospitality district of Florence and conveniently positioned at the intersection of I-95 and I-20, the ASM Global-managed Florence Center is in a prime location. The venue sits midway between New York and Miami with convenient access and is the perfect destination for any and every size gathering. It offers nearly 2,000 adjacent hotel rooms within walking distance, many neighboring chain restaurants and local cuisines, and sits across from the region’s premier shopping plazas.

The Florence Center’s in-house services include adaptable layouts, concessions and merchandise, guest services, ADA accessible and hearing-impaired technology, suites and premium seating, onsite complimentary parking spaces, fiber optic Internet service, high-speed Wi-Fi, technical support, an outdoor courtyard, professional event and meeting planning assistance, marketing enhancements, and renowned in-house catering by SAVOR…Food & Beverage Services, who will tailor cuisine to specific needs, satisfying every taste.

The Florence Center’s seasoned professionals are onsite and ready to assist. With the staff’s decades of experience in setting up, operating and organizing events, you’re sure to be in good hands. Whatever type of event you are planning, the facility’s professional team will elevate your event into an experience to remember.

The Florence Center is the hub for live entertainment, attractions, exhibitions, social gatherings and events for Florence and surrounding area. With a lineup filled with concerts, tradeshows, expos, conventions, sporting events, carnivals, comedy acts and other live performances, there’s something for everyone. It’s at the center of what’s happening — and at the center of your success. Learn more about the Florence Center and see all it has to offer at www.florencecenter.com.

Features Services: SAVOR…Food & Beverage Services, adaptable layouts, professional event planning assistance, onsite complimentary parking spaces, convenient location in hospitality district at the intersection I-95 and I-20 Our Mission: Deliver a unique experience that meets the diverse needs of our clients and generates economic impact for our community Our Vision: A world-class destination for local, regional, national and international events Our Values: Excellence, Teamwork, Safe Environment, Customer Service, Diversity

3300 West Radio Drive, Florence, SC 29501 • (843) 679-9417 •florencecenter.com 58

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

Built in 1921, Victory Theatre has been on The National Register of Historic Places since 1982.

Victory Theatre is located in Evansville, In and seats approximately 1,900.

For more information and booking inquiries visit: www.victorytheatre.com

NORTH CAROLINA

GREENSBORO COLISEUM COMPLEX

T

he Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts, a new state-of-the-art performance venue, will open in March 2020 in Greensboro, NC. The $85 million facility is designed to host local, national and major touring events including concerts, touring Broadway productions, a speaker series, orchestral performances, comedy shows and family entertainment. The brand-new venue will be centrally located in Greensboro’s growing downtown area, adjacent to the new $10 million LeBauer Park, the Greensboro Historical Museum, Central Library, Cultural Arts Center and Center City Park, creating a unique arts district for the entire community.

The Tanger Center will be home to a NederlanderPFM presents Broadway Series that features an amazing inaugural season lineup that includes blockbusters Wicked, Disney’s The Lion King and Dear Evan Hansen. The inaugural season will open with Beautiful – The Carole King Musical in May 2020 and also include the critically acclaimed Come From Away and brand-new production of Mean Girls. The venue will host more than 150 performances annually and is an anchor for downtown revitalization with new hotels, restaurants, apartments and condominiums. It will be an open house to outside promoters for concerts.

Construction will feature Phillips Hall, a limestone and glass lobby of 8,000 sq. ft., ample backstage support and storage space for touring Broadway shows and concerts, and over 325 onsite parking spaces. The Tanger Center includes three seating areas — orchestra, grand tier and loge — creating a total of 3,000 seats, making it one of the largest theaters between Atlanta, GA, and Washington, DC. The new Tanger Center is just one option for promoters looking to bring their event to the Piedmont Triad area (Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point), the 46thlargest television market in the United States.

The market has a complete ladder of venues for hosting unique events. Larger seating capacities are available at several other venues at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, including the 167,000-sq.-ft. Special Events Center that houses three exhibition halls, a 5,000-seat mini-arena and eight meeting rooms. Located on the southern end

of the Greensboro Coliseum Complex campus, White Oak Amphitheatre hosts a diverse selection of concerts, community events, fairs and arts and crafts and festivals.

The outdoor venue features a seating capacity of more than 7,000 with 2,000 reserved seats and general admission lawn seating for more than 5,000 patrons.

The 22,000-seat Greensboro Coliseum has a long and distinguished history of hosting ACC and NCAA basketball championships as well as concerts by some of the top names in the recording industry, including Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, Eric Church, Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Looking ahead to the first quarter of 2020, the Greensboro Coliseum will host an unprecedented run of prestigious championship sporting events beginning with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January and continuing through March with the ACC Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tournaments, followed by NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament first/second round action.

The Greensboro Coliseum Complex’s newest venue is Piedmont Hall, which hosted its first event in September 2019. The brand new $4 million warehouse renovation venue includes backstage support space and production to host a variety of public and private live performance events. The 20,000-sq.-ft. indoor venue is a multipurpose event space with an open floor plan and multiple levels that will host a variety of events in various configurations.

The staff at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex also manages bookings at Winston Salem’s Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial (LJVM) Coliseum and BB&T Field.

Considered one of the most beautiful stadiums of its size in the nation, BB&T Field is home to the Wake Forest University Demon Deacon football team. BB&T Field seats 35,000 for concerts, having recently hosted capacity crowds for Guns N’ Roses and Billy Joel. LJVM Coliseum’s flexible design offers a variety of seating (3,000 to 14,000) and stage options to efficiently accommodate many types of performances. Recent improvements include new video boards, ribbon displays, LED lighting and concession upgrades.

1921 Gate City Boulevard, Greensboro, NC 27403 • (336) 373-7400 • greensborocoliseum.com 60

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

Birmingham appeals to

ALL WALKS OF AFTER-MEETING LIFE.

Whether your post-meeting activity is playing a round of golf on a Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, taking to the hills of Ruffner Mountain, or catching the rhythm at any one of our music venues, you’ll find that what happens after the meeting is every bit as kicking as what happens during it. inbirmingham.com/FD1

BIRMINGHAM-JEFFERSON CONVENTION COMPLEX

350,000

SQ FT OF MEETING & EXHIBITION SPACE

|

800 - 458 - 8085

18,000 SEAT ARENA

GREATER BIRMINGHAM CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

4,000

SEATS IN TWO THEATERS

18,000 Seats With CrossWalk To Hotel

3,000 Seat Concert Hall

276 Seat Forum Theater

220,000 Sq. Ft Exhibit Space

1048 Hotel Rooms

2 Elegant Ballrooms

90 Meeting Rooms

ALABAMA’S FOREMOST CONVENTION & MEETING DESTINATION. The BJCC is located in the heart of downtown Birmingham, just 10 minutes away from the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. The complex includes two luxury hotels and eight restaurants and bars in the adjacent Uptown Entertainment District which includes global entertainment leader, Topgolf . The BJCC features covered, convenient parking and climate controlled crosswalks to the hotels.

bjcc.org | #BJCC |

. .

877 THE BJCC

Mention this ad to receive 10% off

of your next meeting when booking before 12/31/19. Some restrictions apply.

NEVADA

T-MOBILE ARENA

I

n the center of the Entertainment Capital of the World, T-Mobile Arena shines as the pillar of breathtaking events, creating astonishing moments for artists and fans alike through every guitar riff, knockout and goal. Drawing sell-out headliners such as Guns N’ Roses, Rolling Stones and U2, and hosting major UFC, NBA and college basketball, and boxing events, T-Mobile Arena’s lineup continues to impress.

The NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights raised the bar once again at T-Mobile Arena, breaking records in professional performance and attendance. Unbelievable energy and unwavering passion filled the arena game after game, spreading camaraderie throughout the city, all heralding the Vegas Golden Knights, and T-Mobile Arena, as the epicenter of greatness.

VIP Experiences For those wanting an elevated experience or hosting clients or business meetings, T-Mobile Arena sets the stage beautifully with luxurious suites and terrace tables offering private and semi-private seating, inseat service and total comfort. In addition, T-Mobile Arena offers the most impressive pre-event experiences perched high above the arena in one of three exclusive lounges.

For more information, e-mail premium@ tmobilearena.com.

Features • Hosts 100-150 events annually • Concert capacities: 20,000 (center stage) 8,000 (end stage) UFC®/Boxing – 20,000 Basketball – 18,000 Hockey – 17,500 • World-class, Las Vegas-style design with unrivaled Premium Seating products including 54 suites and over two dozen private loge boxes • Toshiba Plaza – two-acre outdoor space available for pre- and post-event functions • Sustainable design: Designed for U.S. Green Building Council LEED Gold Certification PARK THEATER AT PARK MGM 3770 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89109 • (702) 692-5308 • Parktheaterlv.com Nestled in the dynamic neighborhood between The Park, T-Mobile Arena and Park MGM, Park Theater continues to change the landscape of small-venue entertainment. State-of-the-art technology allows artists to craft larger-than-life experiences in an intimate space, building a pure and sincere connection with fans.

World-renowned performers are drawn to the magic of Park Theater and hold extended

engagements that inspire fans night after night. Bruno Mars, Cher and Stevie Wonder have all called Park Theater home, and most recently, Lady Gaga has announced her ENIGMA show with select jazz and piano performances as well.

Features • Capacity scalable from 2,600 to 3,500 5,300 (seated) 6,300 (GA) • 14,000 sq. ft. of flat-floor event space with flexible configurations • Five outdoor terraces • Seven bars including reception areas • One private reception area (meet & greet room); 560 sq. ft.

• Retractable orchestra seating • Banquet configurations with full catering available for up to 1,100 guests Technology • 240 ft.-by-50 ft. immersive, high-definition projection surface surrounds the 135 ft.by-40 ft. proscenium opening • On-stage 80 ft.-by-40 ft. proscenium opening • On-stage 80 ft.-by-40 ft. LED wall with 4k resolution – the largest and highest resolution LED wall in a theatrical venue • Two 24 ft.-by-12.5 ft. I-MAG projection screens with 4k resolution

3780 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89158 • (702) 692-1600 • t-mobilearena.com FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

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A Rich History Of Legendary Performances Spanning Nearly A Century.

Our landmark theatre has attracted prominent acts since 1922, including: Houdini, Frank Sinatra, Hank Williams, Aerosmith, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Wonder, The Eagles, Marvin Gaye, Harry Connick Jr., Steve Martin & Martin Short and many, many more.

2,564 Seat Historic Venue Great Rates & Marketing Support Centrally Located, 90 miles From Chicago: 10 minutes from I-80/90 Toll Road & University of Notre Dame

BOOK YOUR SHOW

574.235.5901 South Bend, IN | MorrisCenter.org

2020 PRIME SITE AWARD BALLOT Name of Prime Site Award Nominee(s): __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________

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) PLEASE CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA WHEN VOTING: ● LOCATION/MARKET ● FLEXIBILITY

EATING ●S CONFIGURATIONS ● TICKETING

IGHTING, SOUND, ●L STAGING

● FOOD & BEVERAGE

● I NTERACTION WITH VENUE STAFF RESSING ROOMS, ●D BACKSTAGE ● ACCESS/EGRESS ROMOTION/ ●P MARKETING

__________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Name, Title:_______________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Organization:______________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Phone:____________________________________________________________________ Email:_____________________________________________________________________ Describe the Event __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Name of Prime Site Award Nominee(s): __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Name, Title:_______________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Organization:______________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Phone:____________________________________________________________________ Email:_____________________________________________________________________ Describe the Event __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ May we contact you? Yes____ No____ Please Fill Out Form & Mail Your Vote To:

Facilities Media Group

PO Box 1807, New York, NY 10150 or email ballots@facilitiesonline.com

SUNNY DAYS, STAR-FILLED TAMPA NIGHTS

JAC

KSO

NVIL

LE

200

mi

Morsani Hall has been ranked in the TOP 5 in the world

by Pollstar, Billboard and Venues Today.

TAMPA

Morsani Hall: 2,600 Seats

STRAZ CENTER

DO

100

mi

LAN

OR

I

M

IA

M 0

28 i

m

Ferguson Hall: 1,000 seats

Jaeb Theater: 300 seats

THE STRAZ THE CENTER OF IT ALL

DOWNTOWN TAMPA FLORIDA

STRAZCENTER.ORG • 813.222.1272 • Patrick.Leahy@strazcenter.org

NEW YORK

TIMES UNION CENTER

T

imes Union Center opened in 1990 and is home to the Division I Men’s College Basketball Siena Saints and the Arena Football League 2019 Champions, the Albany Empire. The arena has hosted such prestigious artists as the Rolling Stones, U2, Kenny Chesney, Paul McCartney and Bruno Mars.

The state-of-the-art curtaining system allows capacities to be adjusted between 6,000 and 17,000 seats. The center just completed $30 million in renovations to the front exterior, front atrium, concourse, suites, restrooms and parking garage entrance. Renovations included new 70-ft.

LED screens on the outside of the facility, an enclosed and temperature-controlled atrium, new escalators and stairs, and live landscaping. Upgrades to the interior include renovations to all suites, bathrooms and concession stands.

Backstage areas include three team-sized 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. The arena 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 225,000 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, who opened the building in 1990, to Garth Brooks in three sold-out shows in 2017. In between, the arena has seen the likes of Metallica, Justin Timberlake, Carrie Underwood and many more. In addition to the best in music, the Times Union Center has seen a number of sports milestones, including Boston College winning their first ever NCAA Men’s Frozen Four in 2001, Cael Sanderson completing his career undefeated at the 2002 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Syracuse University winning their first-ever NCAA Men’s Basketball East Regional in 2003, and the UCONN Women winning their 25th Basketball East Regional in 2019.

Together with the Albany Capital Center and 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 70

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

FAC I L I T I E S & E V E N T M A N AG E M E N T

LUMINARY

Arena Executive of the Year Name:_______________________________________________________________ Company:___________________________________________________________

E N T E R TA I N M E N T V E N U E E X E C U T I V E

Theater Executive of the Year

2020 LUMINARY Entertainment Venue Executives BALLOT Please Fill Out Form & Mail Your Vote To:

Facilities & Event Management LUMINARY Awards PO Box 1807, New York, NY 10150 or email ballots@facilitiesonline.com

Name:_______________________________________________________________ Company:___________________________________________________________

Booking Agent of the Year Name:_______________________________________________________________ Company:___________________________________________________________

Promoter of the Year Name:_______________________________________________________________ Company:___________________________________________________________

Talent Buyer of the Year Name:_______________________________________________________________ Company:___________________________________________________________

FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

71

ILLINOIS

TAXSLAYER CENTER

C

entrally located between Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Minneapolis and Omaha, the TaxSlayer Center is easily routable from Interstate 80 and 74. The metro market is nearly 500,000 strong with over 1.5 million people living within an hour’s drive of the Quad Cities.

The TaxSlayer Center has welcomed many of the top artists and touring acts in the country. A partial list includes Paul McCartney, the Eagles, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Elton John, Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Metallica, Jason Aldean, Cher, Luke Combs, The Zac Brown Band, Frank Sinatra, Michael Bublé, Van Halen, KISS, Monster Jam and Disney on Ice. In addition the TaxSlayer Center is home to the Quad City Storm (SPHL), Quad City Steamwheelers (IFL) and hosts the Women’s Missouri Valley Conference Basketball Tournament.

The TaxSlayer Center consists of two flexible components: the 12,000-seat arena (which seats 12,000 center stage, 11,500 end stage, 10,700 for basketball and 9,500 for hockey and indoor football) and the 20,000-sq.-ft. conference center, which also offers 11,000 sq. ft. of lobby space. The Theater at the TaxSlayer Center can be configured into a number of different capacities ranging from 500 to 6,000 seats depending on the needs of the performer.

The complex has a newly installed Wi-Fi system and has recently added an additional ladies restroom on the concourse as well as a new craft beer bar and rooftop patio.

A $500,000 backstage dressing room renovation project includes new restrooms, flooring, walls, ceilings and multicolor LED lighting. The renovation also includes an arcade for performers and crew while backstage.

All power at the TaxSlayer Center is 100 feet from downstage center (on an end-stage configuration). Power is 190 feet away on a center-stage setup. Lighting includes eight Xenon SuperTrouper spotlights. Utilities, including water, waste, electric and telephone capabilities, run in 30 ft.-by-30 ft. grids. Ceiling heights vary from 67.5 feet in the arena, to 15 feet in the conference center and 40 feet in the lobby. The Theater at the TaxSlayer Center has a curtaining system that when assembled is roughly 55 feet high spanning 280 feet in width. The arena also has a new LED overhead lighting that

has strobe and instant on/off capability.

Guests have six concession stands at their disposal, plus the Budweiser VIP Lounge for Premium Seat holders. Full service in-house catering is prepared by Levy Concessions with concession stands offering local favorites. Levy also caters the 21 suites in the facility, in addition to providing food and beverage for conference center clients, hockey and indoor football premium seating and hospitality areas.

Promoters can benefit from the TaxSlayer Center’s fullservice marketing department that can assist and coordinate advertising and promotions, thus maximizing ticket sales.

1201 River Drive, Moline, IL 61265 • (309) 764-2001; Fax (309) 764-2192 • taxslayercenter.com 72

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TopekaPerformingArts.org - CLICK “RENTAL, TECH, INFO” CONTACT BLAIR ADAMS badams@topekaperformingarts.org 785-234-2787 x102

ADVERTISER INDEX Allen County War Memorial Coliseum........................51 ASM Global......................................................................1 ASU Gammage..............................................................53 Bell MTS Place...............................................................13 Birmingham CVB...........................................................62 Bryce Jordan Center......................................................15 Cabarrus Arena..............................................................54 Canadian Tire Centre....................................................29 Centerplate................................................................... C2 Coliseo de Puerto Rico.................................................55 Color Art Sports............................................................ C3 Dickies Arena................................................................ C4 Dunkin’ Donuts Center.................................................56 Erie Events........................................................................7 First National Bank Arena.............................................57 Florence Center.............................................................11 Ford Center......................................................................9 Frank Erwin Center........................................................19 Greensboro Coliseum...................................................31 Hartman Arena...............................................................33

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Iowa State Center..........................................................61 Legacy Arena.................................................................63 McAllen Performing Arts Center..................................64 MGM Resorts International.............................................3 Morris Performing Arts Center.....................................66 MTS Seating.....................................................................8 Payne Sparkman Manufacturing, Inc...........................38 RP Funding Center........................................................68 San Jose Theaters.........................................................37 Spectrum Center...........................................................35 Straz Center for the Performing Arts...........................69 TaxSlayer Center............................................................72 Times Union Center......................................................71 Topeka Performing Arts Center....................................73 United Supermarkets Arena...........................................8 VenuWorks.......................................................................5 Victory Theatre...............................................................59 Wintrust Arena/Arie Crown Theater............................27

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GET YOUR EVENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA But do it strategically with these eight best practices

By Kell Houston

I

n today’s world of event marketing, gathering insights about your target audience and sharing information on social media channels is indispensable.

You should be considering which platforms your audience is primarily utilizing. Examples include Google My Business, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit and LinkedIn, among many others.

But occasional social media posts about your event are usually not enough to make a significant impact. The competitive nature of marketing in this area makes it imperative to create streams of content in order to engage your customer. Bear in mind that you are vying with the landslide of information people are getting from their friends, family and brands/personalities they follow online every day.

Here are eight other practices that will help you succeed in promoting your event through social media: Create a social media strategy for each event. Set clear expectations regarding the customer you are targeting, what platforms would be best and the budget you want to work with. You always want a goal and a plan to reach that goal.

This is the first step.

Your talent buyer, whether inside or outsourced, is key to presenting artist options that fit your plan. Outside talent buyers are linked to multiple regions and typically have very good relationships and opportunities that a standalone buyer does not have. Once you have an artist selected, the next step is to connect with his or her management and get integrated into their own social media platforms. Your buyer will help direct this step and set up the connection.

Look for opportunities to share information on social media channels at each step of your booking process. Each step is an opportunity to interact with your customer. Always document the process with photos, videos, live streaming events and interviews.

From the very beginning, work social media mentions into your offer sheet to the artist. Today’s artists are very active on social media. You need to become part of their posts, and they will want to become engaged with yours. Older artists are less involved with social media, but they are receptive to your promotional needs. Just make sure everything you post on an artist is approved by his or her team.

The days of “free” are gone in social media. Social media costs money, but it is a lot less expensive than the old way

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FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

we had of marketing and advertising events. Set your budget to include Google Ads, Facebook and Instagram Ads Manager, Pandora Ads, YouTube, Podcasts and all other areas of opportunity. Consider cutting back on your radio, TV and print budgets so you can build more social media, online and mobile ads. Note, however, that in tertiary and some smaller secondary markets, the traditional forms of marketing and advertising are still very strong.

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ork social media mentions into your offer sheet to the artist. … You need to become part of their posts, and they will want to become engaged with yours.

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Ticketing today is much more integrated into your advertising and marketing campaigns. Today, ticketing companies are your marketing partners, so make sure you find the right partner. Your ticketing process should be easily accessible from mobile devices and social media.

You need to be bold and unique. Capturing the attention of your customer today is the primary challenge in today’s social media marketing world. Your customer is bombarded with ads and marketing ploys 24/7. How do you stand out?

Short teasers with strong visual content always grab people’s attention. The use of event hashtags also works well.

Another point to keep in mind is to know your customer.

If your event targets younger people, say under 30, social media is a much stronger mode of marketing and advertising.

The older customers still do rely on the traditional promotional media.

I would like to thank Justin Shank, with Shank Marketing Services, for his expertise and input into this article. Social media is here to stay. Understanding this powerful marketing tool is key to your success.

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Kell Houston is the owner of HOUSTON PRODUCTIONS, a full-service entertainment company with offices in Las Vegas, Minneapolis and Seattle. Since 1982, he has bought talent for the following markets: casinos, fairs, festivals, corporations, colleges and universities, and public and private special events. Houston is the winner of IEBA’s Casino Buyer of the Year Award, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018.

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RAISING SITUATIONAL AWARENESS It’s key to mitigating risk at live events

By John Siehl

I

n an article I wrote for F&EM about three years ago,* I highlighted a trend toward “complacency and apathy” when it comes to safety and security efforts in the sports and entertainment industry. “Not going to happen to me.” “Not going to happen here.” “What’s the worst that can happen?”

I know, in the old days, I too said all of those things. I now find that we, as an industry, are much more aware of and in touch with the reality of catastrophic happenings in venues and public gathering situations.

After a number of national tragedies, shootings and other purposeful acts of violence, I am seeing that the industry has taken steps to mitigate the opportunity for violent acts. Yes, it is still true that the bad guy need only be in the right place at the right time to instill fear and physical harm, while we, as the professionals, must be ready and “on our game” 100 percent of the time. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to offer suggestions and training to combat these breaches into our professional lives. In recent publications on securing soft targets and crowded places,** DHS offers several practices that can help reduce the opportunity for the person looking to wreak havoc on a public entity. Collectively, the practices form a training method known as Situational Awareness.

With this training, the general population of staff and patrons can become more aware of their environment, helping to mitigate the risk. The awareness can be facilitated with signage, announcements and guidance by trained staff. For example, knowing that you are in a confined space with few defined exits or paths to safety helps create the forethought to visualize the escape route. Ask yourself, “Is there a way out if the bad guy is here?” “Where would I go?” “Do I see an obstacle in the way of my escape?” With these questions in mind, we, the event or venue managers, should review our individual situations to ensure that we have not created roadblocks to safety.

We must be diligent in the workplace as well. Encourage your staff to: 1 Be aware of drastic changes in attitude toward others; 2 Take note of any escalations in behavior and report them to the supervisor; and 3 Provide any information that may facilitate intervention and mitigate potential risks.

With regard to (1) and (2), staff should watch for warning 76

signs that may include: increasingly erratic, unsafe or aggressive behaviors; hostile behavior based on claims of injustice or perceived wrongdoing; drug and alcohol abuse; claims of marginalization or distancing from friends and colleagues; changes in performance at work; sudden and dramatic changes in home life or in personality; financial difficulties; pending civil or criminal litigation; observable grievances; and statements of retribution. This diligence can help ensure the safety of those around you and your staff members.

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he bad guy need only be in the right place at the right time to instill fear and physical harm, while we, as the professionals, must be ready and “on our game” 100 percent of the time Once identified, risk factors call for preventative action.

This can be as simple as covering an exposed extension cord or as complex as recognizing suspicious behavior and alerting the authorities or removing the threat oneself, depending on the situation. Spending money is not always the answer; many times we have the information about risks and hazards right in front of us, and our charge is to evaluate and train the staff in order to reduce the risk of a crisis. It is our duty to train and plan in this way once we accept the responsibility to care for our patrons and staff. Let’s continue to buck the trend of complacency/apathy and move toward awareness, consideration, diligence and action, accepting our duty of care.

John Siehl, CVE is Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at VenuWorks. Siehl entered the public assembly industry in 1965 at Hara Arena in Dayton, OH. In 1990, he joined the staff at the Ervin J. Nutter Center as the General Manager, retiring from the Nutter Center in 2010 as Executive Director, after 20 years on the campus of Wright State University. Siehl is a Past Chair of IAVM, where he is currently on the Certification Board. Siehl has been an active participant in the Academy for Venue Safety & Security (AVSS) since its inception, first as a student and subsequently joining the faculty. He also has been on the Board of Regents and faculty of the Venue Management School at Oglebay, WV for many years. * 2016-2017 F&EM Booking Guide, page 51 ** dhs.gov/securing-soft-targets-and-crowded-places FACILITIES & EVENT MANAGEMENT 2019 SUPERBOOK

FEATURED PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM The people at Color Art Sports help team leadership across the country create winning experiences for their fans. They have a track record of streamlining the complex furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) process for large venues and stadium construction projects and are pros at taking care of the details that turn stadium visions, into realities. Over and over again they have delivered projects on-time and on-budget. Bringing more than 15 years of renown project management, procurement and installation expertise... these

are sports industry professionals you should definitely get to know.

Color Art Sports │ 1325 N. Warson Rd., St. Louis, MO 63132 │ 314 744 3922 │ color-art.com

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with Color Art Sports from the first time we sat down, to the end of our project. The KNOWLEDGE and ORGANIZATION of our on-site PM was outstanding. They, with such ease, took care of all the little FF&E items so our OWNERS’ REP DIDN’T HAVE TO WORRY. MU Athletics appreciates all the work and dedication they put into our project to make it such a success.

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NOW OPEN IN FORT WORTH, TEXAS For booking information, please contact Matt Homan: 817.402.9050 | MHoman@DickiesArena.com | DickiesArena.com