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Wynkoop to Boardwalk Hall

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Wynkoopthumb.jpgJimWynkoop

Jim Wynkoop, who had been GM of Chaifetz Arena at St. Louis (Mo.) University, has been named GM of Atlantic City’s historic Boardwalk Hall in New Jersey for Spectra Venue Management.

Wynkoop, a 20-year industry veteran, began his new role March 20. He will work at the direction of the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA), the state’s key economic development agency for Atlantic City, which oversees the arena through Spectra’s contract.

He replaces Fran Rodowicz, whom Spectra promoted to general manager of the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, N.J.

As General Manager of Chaifetz Arena, Wynkoop worked in tandem with the St. Louis Sports Commission to host the 2012 USA Gymnastics P&G Championships and the 2016 Women's P&G Championships and Men's Olympic Trials, which drew more than 25,000 people each year to the venue and featured the Arena on National Television for eight total nights. In addition, through the partnership with the St. Louis Sports Commission, he and his team hosted the NCAA Division 2 Wrestling Championships in 2015, and landed the 2017 and 2018 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships.

He joined the team at Chaifetz Arena in 2010 after serving Spectra as the Director of Facilities at the BankUnited Center on the Campus of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla.  In his more than 14 years with Spectra, he also served in various capacities at the Whittemore Center Arena at University of New Hampshire, and as part of the opening team at University of South Carolina’s Colonial Life Arena.

He began his venue career working at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., serving as the Parking manager, Event Services manager, and Director of Operations.

Wynkoop, a professional member of IAVM for over 20 years, is the current Sector Director for Universities on the IAVM Board, and was previously the Chair of the Universities Programming Committee which he has served on for over eight years.  


Pierre Boulez Hall Opens In Berlin

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Pierre Boulez Hall, Berlin.

The root purpose of the Pierre Boulez Hall — a new chamber music hall in Berlin, Germany — is not just focused on music but also on humanity.

The intimate venue opened its doors this month and will act as an academy as well as a concert hall for many genres of music.

This all came to fruition years ago when the West–Eastern Divan Orchestra was created by Daniel Barenboim and the late American-Palestinian literary scholar Edward W. Said.

Through their talent and drive to make the world a better place, they developed an academic project called the Barenboim-Said Academy (BSA) aimed at bringing Arab and Israeli musicians together through music.

“Maybe these young people will be willing to listen to each other, be open and curious and talk to each other through music,” said Ole Beakhoej, director of the Pierre Boulez Hall, in an interview with Venues Today.

Their hard work, thoughtfulness and dedication helped conceive the idea for a cultural concert hall and academy that holds deep meaning to Europeans and Middle Easterners alike. 

“It was very exciting for us, having worked toward  this for quite some time. It was like giving birth, and the baby was alive and kicking,” Beakhoej said.

The 682-seat European venue hosted its grand opening the first weekend of March, in Berlin, filling the intimate hall with music, celebration and unity.

World-renowned architect Frank Gehry designed the oval-shaped concert hall, adding to a long list of Gehry-designed music venues across the world, including the 750-seat New World Center that opened in Miami in 2011.

“I see certain similarities to our hall,” said New World Center CEO and President Howard Herring. “Audiences are accustomed to so many ways to see and hear music that it’s important to be able to get beyond the traditional shoe-box shape without sacrificing acoustics.”

Los Angeles Philharmonic President and CEO Deborah Borda was in Berlin for the opening and called it a “weekend to remember.”

“It was a gathering of musical and intellectual forces coming together to honor Frank Gehry’s profound vision and also Daniel’s vision,” Borda said. “I just had dinner with Frank last night and we were talking about how special it was.”

Inclusiveness certainly was taken into account when designing spherical Pierre Boulez Hall.

The hall’s design “emerged out of close collaboration” among Barenboim, Gehry and award-winning musician Rasuhisa Toyota.

“Frank, if ever he could help with something, he was happy to do so,” Beakhoej said, adding that Gehry was so dedicated to the project that he opted to work pro bono.

It cost 33.7 million Euros to construct the academy and the concert hall that was created in a former opera storage building called the Magazin, built between 1952-55, so the structure has a historical aspect to Berlin. An atrium separates the academy from the concert hall. 

Years ago, when Barenboim and Said started the project, the mayor of Berlin gave the Magazin to them for rehearsal and academic space, Beakhoej said.

The Magazin was converted into the oval-shaped Pierre Boulez Hall that has flexible seating and a balcony. Seating can be added or subtracted depending on the concert or the mood that venue operators and musicians want with the audience.

“You can really reconfigure it radically,” Beakhoej said.

When the concert hall is configured for a chamber music setting, the first row of oval seating actually is on the stage, adding to the intimacy between the guests and the musicians.

“You’re kind of on stage, so the lighting allows the audience to see musicians and it allows musicians to see the audience. They get to know one another,” Herring said.

The venue also can be converted into an amphitheater-type setting with an audience facing a small stage on one end oval-shaped theater. The hall will host 100 concerts a year that will be set up in different configurations depending on the performance.

Beakhoej runs the venue with a staff of 12, and the tickets are sold mainly online or by telephone, as the concert hall doesn’t have a box office.

In terms of cell phone use during performances, most of the time venue officials will ask guests to turn off mobile devices.

“There is something magical about this place,” Beakhoej said. “The blue light from the screen disturbs that.”

However, Beakhoej feels that there may be times when the audience is asked to turn on their cell phones to participate in the entertainment.

The deep meaning the venue brings to unity is profound to those who created, visit and perform at the Pierre Boulez.

“It speaks to the fact of the difficulties of our human and political condition,” Borda said. “The fact that music is a way to break down walls and promote humanity is profound.”

Verified Fan and Ed Sheeran Tour Success

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Ed Sheeran

Ticketmaster has slowly been rolling out its bot/scalper beating Verified Fan initiative over the past six months. But when tickets for Ed Sheeran’s massive U.S. arena tour went on sale earlier this month, VF got its biggest test to date. (see related story in Venues Today March magazine).

And, to hear Haley McCollister of Messina Touring Group tell it, the results so far are pretty impressive. “We are very happy with our experience with the Verified Fan presale,” she said. “Combating the secondary market has always been really important to Ed and his team. Getting tickets into the hands of his true fans at a fair price (the price we set) has always been a top priority for him.  It's incredibly disheartening to see so many postings on the secondary market for tickets significantly higher than face value.”

Because of the rabid nature of Sheeran’s fanbase, and the sheer volume of tickets that were going on sale for the 60-date tour, both TM and MTG put a premium on making sure bots and scalpers were kept out, with McCollister noting that TM went “above and beyond" to offer support for the onsale. “The biggest advantage the program offers is the ability to prescrub your presale list,” she said. “After spending a lot of time with TM learning about the program, I feel confident we were able to get codes to the real fans.”

Verified Fan uses TM’s technology platform and considerable live event database to help fans get the best chance at tickets beginning when an artist announces a tour. That notice directs fans to a responsive registration page where they identify that they are a real person by providing information such as an email address, phone number or Ticketmaster account before selecting the shows they want to attend.

The pleasant problem McCollister pointed to was that there were so many registrations there just wasn’t enough inventory to accommodate everyone who wanted tickets. Given that shortfall, she said TM suggested MTG go a step further and offer their stock of canceled tickets to the verified fans.

“We have always scrubbed our accounts once sales are completed (for over the limit offenders and known brokers), but in the past, our only real option was to sell the inventory back to the general public — which ultimately could give those same brokers a chance to purchase them again,” she said. “This is the first time we were able to sell any canceled tickets to true fans by offering them to our existing registered Verified Fans. We were even able to exclude those who were able to secure tickets during the presale — giving fans who didn't have tickets yet a better chance at getting them.”

She said MTG canceled more than 50,000 tickets during their scrub, and by the time sales are completed — an additional 11 shows do not go on sale until Friday (March 24) — she estimated that they will have sold over 350,000 tickets to verified fans. 

“I think VF is a great option for artists like Ed,” McCollister said. “True fans shouldn't have to compete against brokers and bots. VF gives fans an opportunity to identify themselves and a chance to purchase tickets.  In our case, we were able to give them the first crack at tickets during the presale process and the first chance to purchase any tickets we canceled.”

Big Apple Circus Auction Down To The Wire

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The cast of "The Grand Tour," which kicked off Big Apple Circus' 38th season, and ran Oct. 21, 2015 through Jan. 10, 2016, at Lincoln Center, New York City.

A former Big Apple Circus clown’s bid to buy the shutdown New York family-show staple remains uncertain as the Big Apple Circus board of directors struggles with awarding the rights to the circus and accepting a winning bid.

A decision was originally expected Feb. 7. After the board of directors failed to reach a conclusion on the 7th, Harold Stampler, Stampler Auctions, which ran the auction of the Big Apple Circus assets, expected a decision Feb 8. When contacted at press time, Stampler said that the board still had not selected the winning bid.

Eight parties bid on the assets of Big Apple Circus according to Stampler, “It’s down to two bids. The board has singled out the two top contenders as the most attractive from the eight bidders but have not awarded the assets to a winner yet.”

Bello Nock, a former Big Apple Circus performer, who was once called America’s top clown by Time magazine, led a team that put in a bid to acquire all the assets of Big Apple Circus.

Nock performed with the Big Apple Circus on three tours from 1997 - 2000, and returned for the 2009-2010 tour in a show called “Bello Is Back." He’s headlined circuses in the US, Japan, China, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

unspecified2.jpgHair-raising clown, Bello Nock, center, in Big Apple Circus' 2009-2010 "Bello Is Back" showstopper.

The Nock family has been in the circus for over 200 years, since 1772.

“The circus bridges gaps,” said Nock. “It brings people together in a circle. There are no cultures, no age differences, no language barriers and that’s what makes the circus so special.”

When Nock heard that Big Apple Circus was in trouble, he immediately offered help. “They had their struggles the last couple of years and just couldn’t find their way out of it,” he said. “When my wife Jennifer and I heard that Big Apple Circus was going to close I called Paul Binder (founder and owner of Big Apple Circus) and said, ‘how can I help?’”

There was nothing Nock could do to save Big Apple Circus and that’s when he organized a team that would try to save it. That team didn’t work out so Nock created a second team. “The second team is more knowledgeable and has a lot more heart,” he said.

When asked about the price of his team’s bid, Nock said, “the price tag is priceless.”

Stampler expects Big Apple Circus will be sold in whole and not sold in separate pieces, which means that the winner will acquire Big Apple Circus’ copyrights, trademarks, other intellectual property and circus equipment, big top tent included. The procedure for the auction still needs to be approved by a bankruptcy judge.

The one-ring circus filed for bankruptcy in November. At the time, the circus said in its Chapter 11 filing that it had amassed debts amounting to $8.3 million, against $3.8 million in assets.

The Big Apple Circus was founded in 1977 and became a New York cultural tradition, with holiday-season performances in Damrosch Park behind Lincoln Center and later on tour.

At its height, Big Apple Circus staged more than 300 shows. The circus was known for its special performances for children with autism and visual and hearing impairments. It also offered free and discounted circus tickets for disadvantaged children.

The auction was the first step in resurrecting the family-show institution.

“The name and goodwill Big Apple Circus generated over four decades may be worth more than the physical parts divided up,” said Stampler prior to the auction.

Bidders were required to submit a minimum of $50,000 or 10 percent, whichever was greater. Bids were accepted for parts of the assets, and for the entire circus. All bidders that sent in bids were given consideration, but according to Stampler, bids that expressed a desire and the ability to continue the circus were to be given priority.

“The board was very, very interested in the buyer continuing the vision and mission of Big Apple Circus,” said Stampler. “It’s not the only factor, but it is a factor. Money is not the king in this case.”

Another factor that came into play was that Big Apple Circus is a nonprofit organization.

“Because I’m a person who stands in the ring and has seen the smiles, the inspiration, I can see four generations laugh at the same joke; I can see the magic of what the circus does,” said Nock.

“With Ringling Bros. closing their doors, I think about how we have to keep the circus alive,” he said. “The circus world is very small. Those of us in it have only eaten our dinners by performing in the circus. How far am I willing to go? As far as the people behind me who are cheering me on and willing to buy a ticket.”

Bello said it was not easy and was nerve-racking waiting for the outcome of the auction.
“This is a case of preparation meets opportunity,” he said. “I’ve been prepared for the outcome of this auction my entire life.”

 

 

 

Raiders Brand, Vegas Brand Unite

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Rendering of the $1.9-billion Las Vegas Raiders Stadium. (Courtesy: MANICA Architecture)

And Vegas rejoiced. After over a year of intense speculation, regulatory scrutiny and dashed dreams due to a fourth-quarter financing fumble, the National Football League (NFL) has approved the relocation of the Oakland Raiders to a shiny new $1.9-billion stadium in Las Vegas.

“This is unbelievable news for the city and something we have been working hard on for quite some time,” said Mike Newcomb, executive director, Sam Boyd Stadium, University of Las Vegas (UNLV) and a member of the Las Vegas Stadium Authority Board, which is the oversight organization in charge of the the project. “Being a member of the board is exciting and being able to be on the ground floor of the stadium development and how the facility will be managed is an exciting opportunity for all the board members.”

“This is a huge step forward both for the Raiders and our community,” said Jeremy Aguero, principal analyst and lead staff, Applied Analysis, the firm hired by the Southern Nevada Tourism Committee to study the possibilities of building a new sports stadium in Clark County, Nev., and enticing an NFL team to move to the desert city to play there.

“We have a substantial amount of work still to do in order to see the Raiders actually play in Las Vegas,” he added.

The NFL franchise owners met in Phoenix on Monday morning. After the votes were tallied, the vote stood at 31-1, with the Miami Dolphins being the sole 'no' vote. Dolphins' owner Stephen Ross released a statement on Monday saying, "we as a league owe it to the fans to do everything we can to stay in the communities that have supported us until all options have been exhausted,” explaining his decision to block the Raiders' move.

The Raiders are expected to play the next two seasons in Oakland, and possibly a third, before playing their first game in Las Vegas in 2020.

The effort to lure the NFL to Vegas began when Aguero drafted the first bill, Senate Bill One, that went to the Nevada legislature in October 2016. It called for an increase in the Clark County hotel room tax to fund $750 million in construction and infrastructure that would make up the state’s contribution to the in-the-works stadium.

The rest of the capital will come from the Raiders ($500 million) and Bank of America ($650 million). Las Vegas Sands casino magnate Sheldon Adelson was originally pegged to supply the last piece of the financing but pulled out late last year over concerns about how the eventual revenue would be split.

“At the point that Mr. Adelson stepped away from the deal and left a $650-million void, certainly the deal wasn’t going to be viable,” said Aguero. “Bank of America stepped in and made a deal viable again.”

The combined event revenue in the stadium’s first year of operation is expected to hit $263 million. Including ancillary revenue, such as naming rights, the total is expected to reach $290 million. Net operating income projections for the first year of operation in 2020 is expected to be in the $20-million to $25-million range.

The Raiders’ revenues from the new stadium is expected to be around $130 million and would come from broadcast rights, premium seating and suite sales, concessions, tickets, merchandise and stadium naming rights.

But the value to Las Vegas is much, much higher according to Pat Christenson, Las Vegas Events. “Estimates are $450 to $500 million a year to be added to the Las Vegas economy from the new stadium,” he said. “Public financing is always controversial. The way I look at it, we get a $1.9-billion stadium for $750 million and, with it, we get an NFL team that travels strongly.”

Christenson sees this as a perfect partnership. “The Raiders are the perfect team for Vegas,” he said. “The brand of the Raiders combined with the brand of Vegas make a superstar brand.”

Regional Raiders fans and local Raiders fans are expected to make up the fan base for the games, according to Christenson, and he expects that the people who come to visit “will spend a lot of money on a ticket or they can watch the game in one of the 40 to 50 casinos that will roll out the red carpet and create an experience every weekend for the football games.”

“This deal opens up infinite possibilities to secure events that we just couldn’t get before,” he said. “All the events that are now happening in Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York we can attract now.”

“Many of the events we do get like Monster Jam World Finals; the Vegas Bowl; rugby; soccer and neutral-site college football have been restricted by a 30,000-capacity stadium, which we will now be able to grow. We can now get the Copa América Football Championship; The FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup, as well all the International Friendlies soccer matches; boxing; UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and concerts.”

Christenson also thought that the new stadium could compete for the Final Four; the Pro Bowl; the draft, and, of course, the Super Bowl. “Just imagine a Super Bowl in Las Vegas,” he offered. “This will also help UNLV recruit and upgrade the types of teams they play.”

It is expected that the UNLV football team will play at the new stadium. “Part of the state legislation requires that Sam Boyd Stadium will stop hosting events when the new stadium opens so we are going to concentrate on all our great events we currently host and make them the best we can over the next three years,” said Newcomb.

The Stadium Authority Board has to complete its work by October, according to Senate Bill One, but can extend the deadline six months until April. “As of right now the goal is to have the stadium commence construction either very late this year or in the first quarter if 2018,” said Aguero.

An official location for the stadium has not been picked, but according to Aguero, most of the discussion by the Stadium Authority Board has focused on the so-called ‘Russell 62’ site, which is west of Mandalay Bay and across the I-15. Aguero believes the land is currently owned by “a consortium of banks” and that “ultimately the land has to be purchased by the developer of the stadium and it has to be transferred to the Stadium Authority Board.”

“I like the Russell 62 lot location, it’s a great spot” said Christenson. “It’s the perfect compromise. It’s close to where everything is and has decent access to the main part of the I-15 and the roads that head directly west.”

Aside from the Raiders and UNLV football the stadium is expected to host concerts; special events like the Las Vegas Sevens Rugby Tournament; corporate events and, possibly, a Major League Soccer team. “The Southern Nevada Tours and Infrastructure committee suggests that the stadium will host about 46 events every year,” said Aguero.

The legislation calls for the Stadium Authority Board to enter into an operating agreement with a ‘stadium events company’ to run the facility. “That could be the Raiders or a partner with the Raiders,” said Aguero. “Then the Raiders, or their partner, could hire a large operating company like SMG or AEG to run the building.”

The Stadium Authority Board will meet in April to begin deliberations around the important documents such as the development agreement, the lease agreement and the joint-use agreement between UNLV and the stadium events company.

Congratulations 2017 Excellence in Operations & Engineering Award recipients!

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Congratulations to the 2017 Excellence in Operations & Engineering Award recipients!

Congratulations to these two professionals who have gone above and beyond in solving problems, creating solutions, instituting a new program, innovating with a new idea or leading in a highly creative way to benefit your venue in these areas.

The winners were selected by the VOS Board of Advisors, the Venue Solutions Group team and the Venues Today team. The winners, one operations and one engineering professional, will be highlighted in the April issue of Venues Today magazine.

The inaugural award winners will be honored at the Venue Operations Summit in Nashville, Tenn., April 30-May 2, 2017.  Learn more at venueoperationssummit.com.

Matt Balk - VOS Excellence in Operations Award winner
Operations Manager
Tacoma Venues & Events at the City of Tacoma, WA


Matt joined Tacoma Venues & Events (formerly Public Assembly Facilities) just over 3 years ago. He arrived to an operations team decimated by recent layoffs, a city budget $60m in the red, and a clear mandate for change. Matt did not shy away from the challenge.

Matt worked creatively with the local utility and leveraged very limited funds to complete several key capital projects, including the installation of energy and cost-saving LED lighting in the Convention Center Exhibition Hall, wireless lighting controls and improvements in sound and rigging. He has nurtured a 33-year-old stadium and successfully secured funding for over $21 million in key improvements for the Tacoma Dome. In spite of its age and considerable deferred maintenance issues at the Dome, through the diligence of Matt and his operations team, customer and client satisfaction remains high. Simple, cost-effective aesthetic changes (all completed with in-house labor) allowed Matt and team to transform the back of house entrance and hallway area and ensure a more positive experience for production staff, artists, coaches and athletes. Matt facilitated the installation of a massive DAS/WIFI infrastructure upgrade in both the Dome and the Convention Center and coordinated the selection, installation, and operations of walk-through metal detectors at all Dome entrances. At the 13-year-old Convention Center, clients constantly marvel at the pristine condition of the venue and the exceptional service provided by maintenance workers and custodians.

If the definition of a true leader is someone who offers hope and vision, Matt fits the bill. His consistent approach, passion for fairness and excellence and zero tolerance for complacency has created nothing short of a 180-degree shift in the operations department. In his first year, the number of grievances filed plummeted by 95%, and since then he has been able to deliver terms favorable to both the labor unit and the city in several rounds of contract negotiations. Matt revitalized the safety committee and directed resources to address safety issues in a timely fashion. Matt infused new energy into his workforce. He patiently and thoughtfully placed staff in areas where they could be most successful. Through clear communication and respect for his experienced team, now joined by carefully selected new team members, Matt initiated an obvious positive culture shift in a relatively short period of time. Everyone is happier to come to work and contribute to the ongoing improvements and review of existing processes.


Jan Szabat - VOS Excellence in Engineering Award winner
Director of Engineering Services
Shaw Conference Centre (Edmonton, Alberta Canada)


For the past 30 years, Jan Szabat has played an instrumental role in overseeing the maintenance of one of Edmonton’s most iconic assets. Leading the engineering operations for a 33-year-old facility is not easy, but through Jan’s leadership the Shaw Conference Centre has maintained its position as a premier meetings and events destination in Canada.

Throughout the last year, Jan has overseen numerous major projects in the facility. These include flood mitigation and major bathroom renovations to the $12.5-million replacement and modernization of six escalators. Moreover, he has overseen the development of sustainable permaculture on the grounds, including the creation of an Indigenous Medicine Wheel Garden on the rooftop of our Riverview Room.

And that’s not all. With the entire atrium roof of the 150,000-square-foot facility covered in glass, Jan has also developed plans to phase in the replacement of the glass next year, a multi-million-dollar project that could have a major impact on operations. He also has had his plans approved to replace all the carpet on our stairs, and will oversee the modernization of the large canopy outside the main entrance to our facility.  This is all in addition to his day-to-day responsibilities of making sure the building is running efficiently so we can best serve our guests.

Jan’s commitment to sustainability has played a major role in allowing the Shaw Conference Centre to receive BOMA Best certification, and be the first conference venue in Canada to receive Green Key Level 5 certification. He has also helped lead efforts for the facility to become APEX/ASTM certified, which we are currently being evaluated for.

The above is only a small snapshot of what Jan has done over the past year. His dedication and leadership over the past 30 years at Edmonton’s convention centre is unapparelled within our industry. I strongly believe he deserves this industry recognition.

************************************************************************************************************************

Contact an account executive to reserve a congratulatory ad!


Rich DiGiacomo, Northeast, Western U.S., & International
310.429.3678  rich@venuestoday.com

Jim McNeil, Texas, Southeastern & Midwest U.S.
207.699.3343  jim@venuestoday.com

Garth to Bookend 2018 Houston Rodeo

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Discovery and agriculture are key to even the mammoth Houston Rodeo & Livestock Show.

This year’s Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo saw record attendance, with 2.611-million visitors, an increase of six percent from 2016 and bypassing 2013’s all-time record of 2.506 attendees. The event kicked off with a three-day barbecue on March 2 and the 20 show days ran till March 26.

“We had a fantastic year, shattering our 2016 show, which not only had an extra day, but included a George Strait concert,” said Joel Cowley, the show’s president and CEO.

Next year’s show dates are Feb. 27-March 18, with Garth Brooks performing at the opening and closing of the event, big news that was announced during the 2017 event by the number one fair in North America.

“One big change [in 2018] will be the stadium’s new performance stage, which will be larger and situated closer to the audience,” said Cowley.

Rodeo ticket sales in 2017, which totaled 1.370 million, also were up 1.8 percent over 2016’s 1.345 million, falling just shy of the 2015 record, which was 1.377 million.

chainsmokers300.jpgThe Chainsmokers turned NRG Stadium into the 'world's largest nightclub.'

There were a total of 20 concerts associated with each rodeo performance. The top seller for 2017, with attendance at 75,557, was Go Tejano Day, which featured Mexico’s Grupo Siggno and Banda El Recodo. Luke Bryan ranked 17th  in terms of record attendance, with a crowd of 75,033. Also, Willie Nelson’s performance was a sellout.

“This year’s concert lineup was our most diverse ever, with 13 nights of country that included Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley and Florida Georgia Line, to performers like Blink 182, Alicia Keys, ZZ Top and Demi Lovato,” said Cowley. “The Chainsmokers turned the place into the world’s largest nightclub. We weren’t sure if EDM would work, but they got the crowd up and dancing.”

On-site ticket sales from the carnival, Ray Cammack Shows, which included the three days of the barbecue and 20 show days, were up 9.3 percent. Cowley attributes this to the weather.

The show’s contract food vendors reported sales growth of 6.5 percent compared with 2016, proportionate to the attendance increase.

“Not only did we put on the best product ever, but we had one of the best weather years we’ve had in a while,” he said. “There were only three days where weather was a factor at all, and that shows in the carnival sales.”

Laveen, Ariz.-based Ray Cammack Shows’ vendors reported a 2.4-percent sales increase. Its newest attraction was the La Grande XL Ferris wheel, which was unveiled for the first time at the show and includes 500,000 LED lights.

RCSwheel300.jpgLa Grande XL Ferris Wheel on Ray Cammack Shows debuted in Houston.

“This year’s carnival had a whole different look, with new game concepts, LED lights and a custom-made canvas,” said Charlene Leavitt, COO of Ray Cammack Shows. “In addition to the new XL Ferris Wheel, we had two other new rides—the Endeavor and Puppy Roll. We rode the most people at one event than ever before, with 2.5 million on the midway, and broke records with food, games and rides.” A total of 86 semis full of toys were won at this year’s show.

The most popular food items were turkey legs and anything fried. A new offering was Nitro Popcorn, which causes vapor to come out of the nose.

Another new addition was the mare and foal presentation during the rodeo performance, which highlighted animal athletes, including a 20-year-old mare, her daughter, granddaughter and great granddaughter foal that was born three days into the show.

“We had a social media contest to name the foal, which 2,365 people participated in,” said Cowley. “The winning name was Houston’s Honey.”

As in the past, the event also offered contests that didn’t involve animals, including a robotics competition that included Lego robots performing agricultural tasks; floriculture; wild life habitats; and food challenges.

In addition, Cowley said this year’s show benefited from extra capital investments that focused on improving the attendee experience, such as additional benches. Ray Cammack Shows provided additional picnic tables on the midway.

Portable restroom trailers replaced traditional portapotties beginning last year and returned for this year’s show.

“This is a $500,000 capital improvement we added last year, and it really makes a difference,” said Cowley. “These are air conditioned with running water and soap, and easier to keep clean and service, so we feel this investment has paid off.”

For the first time, Wi-Fi was utilized to allow rodeo attendees to send photos of themselves on the grounds that were displayed on dedicated filler screens in NRG Stadium’s overhead console.

Social media was tapped to engage rodeo fans in picking the People’s Choice Champion Steer from the 32,000 livestock entrees, which differed from the 2017 Grand Champion Steer chosen by judges.

“What sets us apart is our more than 33,000 volunteers and 137 committees that handle everything from ticket scanning to providing assistance to attendees and safety,” said Cowley. “These are normally jobs we’d pay people to do, but volunteers give freely of their time. You can pay people to do a job, but you can’t pay them to care.”

This year’s top show sponsors included NRG, Ford, Miller Lite, Coca-Cola and Mattress Firm. Baylor College of Medicine provided a chuckwagon which was new, and General Mills sponsored the petting zoo.

Admission to this year’s fair was $10 for ground access for adults and $5 for children 3-12. The show offered Value Wednesday, where children 12 and under and seniors had free admission and adults were $12. On Wednesdays, stadium upper level tickets were reduced from $18 to $10. Parking on the grounds, which is operated by the county, cost $20.

Hot Tickets for April 5, 2017

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Justin Bieber, wearing his lucky Tupac Shakur shirt, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia.

Justin Bieber took over our Hot Tickets chart this week with four international shows grossing over $21 million with 205,000 fans in attendance. The 22-year-old, Canadian-born singer kicked off his “Purpose” world tour on March 9, 2016, at KeyArena at Seattle (Wash.) Center and will wrap up on Sept. 6, 2017, at Rogers Center, Toronto. As an addition to his world tour, Beiber will be performing in stadiums across North America in the summer of 2017 starting on July 29, where Beliebers will be able to catch him at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas. During this leg of his tour, Bieber will be donating $1 from every ticket sold to Pencils of Promise, a charity that is close to his heart.

The Backstreet Boys have taken over the Las Vegas Strip and landed on our Hot Tickets chart twice this week with their new “Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life” residency at The Axis at Planet Hollywood. The Caesars Entertainment and Live Nation-promoted residency ranked with a combined six shows, grossed over $3.6 million and entertained over 28,000 fans proving the best-selling boy band of all time is still among pop’s most influential performers. The 10-week residency continues on April 12-15.

HOT TICKETS is a weekly summary of the top acts and ticket sales as reported to VT PULSE. Following are the top 20 concerts and events, the top 5 in each seating capacity category, which took place between March 7-April 4.

15,001 or More Seats

10,001-15,000 Seats

5,001-10,000 Seats

5,000 or Fewer Seats

1) Eric Clapton
Gross Sales: $7,454,614; Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York; Attendance: 30,826; Ticket Range: $494-$69; Promoter: Live Nation; Dates: March 19-20; No. of Shows: 2

2) Justin Bieber
Gross Sales: $6,224,570; Venue: ANZ Stadium, Sydney; Attendance: 65,836; Ticket Range: $124.41-$51.79; Promoter: AEG Presents, Concerts West, Frontier Touring; Dates: March 15; No. of Shows: 1

3) Justin Bieber
Gross Sales: $5,835,713; Venue: Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, Australia; Attendance: 54,821; Ticket Range: $121.36-$51.01; Promoter: AEG Presents, Concerts West; Dates: March 10; No. of Shows: 1

4) Justin Bieber
Gross Sales: $4,904,658; Venue: Estadio Nacional Julio Martinez Pradanos, Santiago, Chile; Attendance: 43,000; Ticket Range: $339.37-$54.30; Promoter: AEG Presents, Concerts West, DG Medios; Dates: March 23; No. of Shows: 1

5) Justin Bieber
Gross Sales: $4,180,156; Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Milton, Australia; Attendance: 41,000; Ticket Range: $125.65-$51.01; Promoter: AEG Presents, Concerts West, Frontier Touring ; Dates: March 13; No. of Shows: 1

1) Ed Sheeran
Gross Sales: $1,155,960; Venue: Hallenstadion, Zurich; Attendance: 14,000; Ticket Range: $90-$70; Promoter: All Blues; Dates: March 19; No. of Shows: 1

2) Dixie Chicks
Gross Sales: $1,065,999; Venue: Brisbane (Australia) Entertainment Centre; Attendance: 9,252; Ticket Range: $151.30-$75.61; Promoter: Chugg Entertainment, Rob Potts Entertainment Edge; Dates: March 25; No. of Shows: 1

3) Drake
Gross Sales: $1,038,400; Venue: Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin; Attendance: 13,747; Ticket Range: $91.42-$64.53; Promoter: Live Nation Germany; Dates: March 9; No. of Shows: 1

4) Red Hot Chili Peppers
Gross Sales: $1,029,938; Venue: Valley View Casino Center, San Diego; Attendance: 10,396; Ticket Range: $103-$53; Promoter: Frank Productions, AEG Presents; Dates: March 21; No. of Shows: 1

5) Florida Georgia Line
Gross Sales: $697,897; Venue: Atlantic City (N.J.) Boardwalk Hall; Attendance: 11,515; Ticket Range: $75-$29.75; Promoter: Live Nation; Dates: March 17; No. of Shows: 1

1) Bruno Mars
Gross Sales: $2,158,850; Venue: Park Theater at Monte Carlo, Las Vegas; Attendance: 10,466; Ticket Range: $500-$99.50; Promoter: Live Nation, MGM Resorts; Dates: March 11-12; No. of Shows: 2

2) Britney Spears
Gross Sales: $1,890,756; Venue: The Axis at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas; Attendance: 12,590; Ticket Range: $495-$54; Promoter: Caesars Entertainment; Dates: March 22-25; No. of Shows: 3

3) Backstreet Boys
Gross Sales: $1,872,052; Venue: The Axis at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas; Attendance: 14,506; Ticket Range: $294-$34; Promoter: Caesars Entertainment, Live Nation; Dates: March 15-18; No. of Shows: 3

4) Backstreet Boys
Gross Sales: $1,760,650; Venue: The Axis at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas; Attendance: 13,847; Ticket Range: $294-$34; Promoter: Caesars Entertainment, Live Nation; Dates: March 8-11; No. of Shows: 3

5) West Coast Conference
Gross Sales: $1,361,944; Venue: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas; Attendance: 65,123; Ticket Range: $650-$135; Promoter: West Coast Conference; Dates: March 2-7; No. of Shows: 10

1) Matilda
Gross Sales: $1,327,719; Venue: Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis; Attendance: 18,939; Ticket Range: $141-$21; Promoter: Hennepin Theatre Trust, Broadway Across America; Dates: March 28-April 2; No. of Shows: 8

2) The Bodyguard
Gross Sales: $1,259,071; Venue: Fox Theatre, Atlanta; Attendance: 20,184; Ticket Range: $125-$30; Promoter: Broadway Across America; Dates: March 28-April 2; No. of Shows: 8

3) The Bodyguard
Gross Sales: $1,068,896; Venue: Durham (N.C.) Performing Arts Center; Attendance: 19,798; Ticket Range: $166-$32; Promoter: PFM, Nederlander Presentations (New York); Dates: March 14-19; No. of Shows: 8

4) Annie
Gross Sales: $1,006,681; Venue: Fox Theatre, Atlanta; Attendance: 15,419; Ticket Range: $125-$30; Promoter: Broadway Across America; Dates: March 17-19; No. of Shows: 5

5) Jersey Boys
Gross Sales: $723,751; Venue: Des Moines (Iowa) Civic Center; Attendance: 11,514; Ticket Range: $99.50-$31.50; Promoter: In-house; Dates: March 14-19; No. of Shows: 8

The Weekly Hot Tickets chart is compiled by Monique Potter. To submit reports, e-mail HotTickets@venuestoday.com or fax to (714) 378-0040.

 


Dallas Final Four A Compelling Win

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From the excitement of the game to the support from fans, to the operations expertise of American Airlines Center (Dallas0 staff, the 2017 Women’s Final Four was the kind of success that’s making Dave Brown, GM, very optimistic.

With the National Collegiate Athletic Association scheduled to announce championships site selections for 2018-2022 based upon bids received from across the country, Tuesday, April 18, American Airlines Center feels its case is stronger with its first Women’s Final Four complete.

“Everything came together,” Brown said. “The games were compelling and exciting.”

Ken Kuhl, venue assistant GM, said the 2017 Women’s Final Four held at the American Airlines Center drew 38,431 fans for an average of 19,216 per session.  It was the 12th highest attendance count in the history of the 36-year old NCAA championship event.

The April 2 national championship game between the University of South Carolina and Mississippi State University was played before a sellout crowd of 19,229 fans, the first sellout since the 2014 Women’s Final Four in Nashville, Tenn..

04-05-17_Championship_wings_vs_dogs_648x418.jpg
Even without alcohol sales, per caps for food and beverage, provided by Levy Restaurants, were strong. Per caps were $15.91 the first day and $11.40 the second day, for an average of $13.63, according to Brown.

Levy provided several souvenir and specialty items which were visually tempting in concourse displays. “We wanted to make it a special memory,” Brown said.

Golden 1 Center Stresses Community Support

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Sacramento Kings ambassadors greet the one-millionth guest to attend an event at Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, Calif.

In just under six months, Golden 1 Center has hosted more than one million visitors, a benchmark Juan Rodriguez, SVP and general manager, has never seen happen so quickly at any other venue.

“It’s not just the Kings. Everything that’s coming in here — Joel Osteen on Friday or Eric Church last Thursday with Louis [Messina] or Arenacross this weekend, we’re selling out shows many people wouldn’t think would be supported in a city like Sacramento. Sacramento has been so undervalued for so long,” Rodriguez declared.

He attributes a lot of it to community support, which has been growing steadily since the arena opened Oct. 4, 2016. “This is the first time in 30 years people get to sit on a cushioned seat in an arena in Sacramento. Even in 1985, when Sleep Train Arena opened, it wasn’t really a state-of-the-art building back then. This is a different time for Sacramento,” Rodriguez said.

“I think Golden 1 Center has finally accomplished comfort,” said Ned Collett, Oak View Group Arena Alliance, of one reason the venue has been so successful.

There will be no resting on laurels at Golden 1 Center. With the Sacramento Kings National Basketball Association season wrapping up, Rodriguez is looking toward more community events and a broader open-door policy to keep the momentum going.

“Now we’re looking at creating our own events and giving back to the community that has supported this endeavor,” Rodriguez said, citing festivals and community events as in the works.

“Even roaming through the building, opening on off days to try the concessions stands on a Saturday afternoon is a possibility. Sacramento is a very outdoor community; they love being outside. With our big doors, you have that indoor/outdoor feel. The doors are open for tonight’s game and you feel like you’re not inside an arena; it’s like you’re outside.”

As soon as the weather turned nice, they tested Food Truck Fridays on the Plaza a couple of times, with doors open for guests to come in and enjoy the arena. In December, they hosted a holiday movie night for season ticketholders.

Public tours, which have been requested by the community, will commence this summer, Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez harkened to pre-Golden 1 Center days when the downtown plaza on which it was built saw close to 10-million people walking through the area every year. When the retail around Golden 1 Center opens later this year, the connection between the downtown plaza and Old Sacramento will be re-established, and so will the traffic, he hopes.

“But I can’t tell you how many people are sitting out on the plaza reading books on a Tuesday afternoon under the trees on the benches even now,” Rodriguez said. “People are enjoying video boards, living walls and our attractions outside. Golden 1 Center is becoming this communal campfire location in the middle of downtown Sacramento. You experience the energy around you. That was Vivek’s (Ranadive, Kings owner) vision from day one, to create a communal area where people come together and enjoy life experiences.”

Even in promoting the one-millionth guest, the Kings have emphasized the venue’s impact on the community.

Per the press release: Yesterday (March 29), the Sacramento Kings celebrated the one-millionth guest to pass through Golden 1 Center’s doors. The most technologically advanced and sustainable arena in the world has profoundly impacted the Sacramento region. In the six months the facility has been open, Golden 1 Center has become the city’s new home for world-class entertainment with 18 concerts, 26 family shows, 20 sporting events like WWE, UFC, PBR, the First and Second Round of March Madness and championship high school basketball, as well as 40 Sacramento Kings games and many more private and community-based events.

The arena’s innovative farm-to-court food program delivered over 62,000 slices of pizza, 35,000 nachos, and 40,000 burgers with ingredients sourced from producers within 150 miles of the arena. [Legends is concessionaire.]

With the fastest internet connection in sports, Golden 1 Center’s networks have processed 931 terabytes of data in six months – the equivalent of 18,625 Blu-Ray discs.

And as the greenest arena in the world, the 3,000+ photovoltaic panels on the roof have generated over 280,000 kWh of power for the arena. The remainder of the building’s energy is generated at a solar farm 40 miles away. That’s enough kWh for a typical electric vehicle to drive over 800,000 miles – nearly 300 cross-country trips.

The one-millionth guest was met at the door by the Sacramento Kings dancers, the social media team and the digital team, said James Rasmussen, director of arena programming. Footage was screened on the scoreboard with special graphics congratulating the one-millionth guest.

“Throughout the night, we presented the one-millionth guest and his family with gifts and season-tickets for next year,” Rasmussen said. “Sales have been incredible for Kings' games and concerts, but we didn’t anticipate selling out as many shows as we have. The market is supporting the building.” Rasmussen said that market stretches to the Oregon and Nevada borders, especially for the big concerts.

Rodriguez also celebrated the size of the market and the fact that Golden 1 Center has hosted a very diverse and universally successful number of events. “I don’t think this is a honeymoon,” Rodriguez said. “People are surprised at how supportive and committed this community is to making this a success. Since Paul McCartney opened it on Oct. 4, it’s been night after night of pure excitement. I feel that passionate about what this building has meant to this community.”

Golden 1 Center will finish its first fiscal year in June with close to 185 events. “Hopefully by the first true calendar year, we’ll be way over 200 events, not counting meetings and corporate events,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve just been really, really lucky.”

Going forward, the mantra is to keep improving, never become complacent. Rodriguez is even looking forward to the opening in 2019  of Chase Center in San Francisco, new home to the Golden State Warriors, because that will give the market multiple opportunities to see big shows. “I see it as two separate markets, an enhancement to promoters and routers who can have two great stops and great crowds in Northern California. Fans will see favorite artists twice, maybe three times or four times.”

“I joke with people that you haven’t seen anything yet,” Rodriguez said. “Sacramento is the next great American city.”

N.C. HB2 Reboot Satisfies NCAA

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HB2 repeal in North Carolina

Tuesday, April 4, the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) officially ended its ban on holding NCAA events in North Carolina. The prohibition was put in place after the passage of HB2 in March 2016, a bill that removed anti-discrimination protections for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and required transgender people to use bathrooms in public facilities that matched the gender on their birth certificates.

In a statement, NCAA officials said they “reluctantly” ended the ban because the HB2 replacement bill, called HB142, “minimally achieved a situation where we believe NCAA championships may be conducted in a nondiscriminatory environment.” Whether North Carolina will secure any of the games for 2019-2022 seasons will be announced by NCAA officials on April 18.

HB142 does away with the restrictive bathroom provisions of HB2 and leaves regulation of bathrooms up to the state legislature. It also puts constraints on North Carolina cities from enacting their own LGBT antidiscrimination statutes until 2020.

Some are hopeful the new bill will ease the tension in the state and that events and conventions will return to the state, while activists on both sides of the debate have deemed the "compromise bill" insufficient.

“This issue has definitely impacted Charlotte’s visitor economy over the last year,” said Tom Murray, CEO, Charlotte (N.C.) Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA). “We’re grateful to see that the NCAA has renewed its faith in North Carolina and the Charlotte region once again. The NCAA events are far more important to our region than just the significant economic impact they inject into our community. We’re energized that we’ll be able to both partner with the NCAA and compete to host these events in the coming years.”

With the NCAA back on board, many in North Carolina are hoping for a domino effect that will entice many other organizations and artists that refused to come to the state to return.

It is unknown yet whether NCAA’s decision to play in North Carolina again will affect the eight other states that are currently debating their own “bathroom bills,” but many of the sponsors and supporters of those bills are taking comfort in the resolution of the North Carolina ban.

Texas Republican State Senator Lois Kolkhorst and the author of Senate Bill 6, a bill similar to HB2, was thrilled with the NCAA’s decision on Tuesday. “I applaud the NCAA for now agreeing that there is nothing discriminatory about the Texas Privacy Act or our honest efforts to address the serious issue of privacy and safety in our public facilities and school showers, locker rooms and restrooms.”

Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina and South Dakota are the other states that currently have “bathroom bill” legislation pending.

Many venues in North Carolina are enthusiastic about the repeal, but cautious. “It’s a good start and I’m optimistic,” said Jeff Bentley, director, Broyhill Civic Center, Lenoir, N.C. “But we’re in a waiting circle. The new law needs to go through the rounds to see how it will shake out.”

“We lost business,” said Rebecca Bolton, GM, Durham (N.C.) Convention Center. “We’d like to think people will understand it’s a new day and we want them to come back.”

Chaos quickly followed the passing of HB2 with major artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Cyndi Lauper, Boston, and Ringo Starr refusing to play the state, as well as sporting event cancelations from the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the National Basketball Association, which withdrew its All-Star Game.

"We will contact all of the concert promoters we work with on a regular basis to ensure that all of the musical artists they represent, including Bruce Springsteen and Boston, who canceled previously scheduled concerts in Greensboro, N.C., due to HB2 are also aware of the repeal,” said Scott Johnson, deputy director, Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum Complex, in a statement to Venues Today.

When contacted, a spokesman for Springsteen said that Springsteen “has said everything about the law he plans to say” while Steven Van Zant, a member Springsteen's E Street band, tweeted after the repeal and replacement, "It ain't over until the LGBT community and the ACLU say it's over."

Others in the state agree that the HB142 replacement does not change the equation.

“I think HB142 was an attempt to do something about the disaster of HB2, but in my opinion it was not nearly enough,” said North Carolina State Representative Cecil Brockman. “Each entity that pulled out jobs or events will have to analyze the bill for itself, but I do not think it was a clear solution to the issue of discrimination. I think any organization, company, or person who claims to care about equality needs to continue to stand strong for those values.”

Equally unhappy are North Carolina conservatives who see the “compromise bill” as a step backward. "This whole issue has been political from the beginning and I guess it's going to end that way," said Rep. Michael Speciale, R-Craven. "We sold ourselves. The people sitting up there in the galleries are no longer the people that we represent and are no longer the people who we work for. The people on the basketball courts are who we work for."

In total, direct spending losses for cancellations related to HB2 are $83.9 million, according to Laura White, director of communications, CRVA.

“The state lost $77.1 million in direct spending from sports and $6.8 million in convention center revenue,” said White. “We also lost over 63,000 hotel bookings and countless other amounts from dining, shopping and other tourist activity.”

George Habel, VP/Sports Group Capitol Broadcasting Co., said, “We lost the ACC baseball tournament. That was an event that would have drawn 60,000-70,000 people and we lost $2-3 million dollars over the week because of the cancelation. We also lost momentum on hosting that event permanently going forward because we were in the middle of a four-year contract.”

“We are relieved and grateful that our Governor and legislative leaders powered through their deadlock over this and we hope it’s viewed as a resolution by the NCAA and ACC,” he said, “Hopefully we’ll be back in business next spring.”

“Everyone is not jumping for joy because it was a compromise and there are people on both sides of the issue that are not happy today,” said Habel.

One of the unhappy is North Carolina State Representative Deb Butler. “We lost $3.6 billion in revenue, which is enormous considering the entire state budget is only $23 billion. HB142 does nothing to protect the LGBT community and doesn’t address the bigger picture of nondiscrimination. Some felt it was a good first step; I respectfully disagree.”

North Carolina’s southern neighbor, South Carolina, was the beneficiary of some of the business that fled North Carolina is the wake of HB2’s passage including men’s/women’s ACC tournaments, conventions and concerts.

Despite the NCAA decision, Duane Parrish, director, South Carolina Department of Parks and Tourism, is not confident that HB142 addresses all of the issues that HB2 brought to his neighbor state. “Both sides seem unhappy with what they did and it’s a possibility that North Carolina will continue to lose business,” he said. “Sports, concerts and conventions all equate to economic impact. It seems like there is still the risk that things will be perceived as still not fair and equal.”
 

Reds Lock Up Fan Food

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Food lockers at Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati.

(Editor's note: This story originally appeared in SportTechie.com)

Starting July 10, visitors to Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, home of the Cincinnati Reds, will be able to experience a new food and beverage pickup service.

Thanks to a partnership between food service provider Delaware North and Apex Supply Chain Technologies, fans will be able to pick up their food and beverage orders in a locker-style compartment. It will be the first use of the Apex technology for a professional sports league venue in the United States.

Don Dierig, Delaware North General Manager for the Great American Ball Park, said he was first introduced to the technology at a Delaware North Technology Summit last year.

“I thought it was one of the more unique and innovative things that I’d seen in food service,” Dierig said. “I thought it would be great if we could be part of it.

“We went out and toured the (Apex) property, heard what the lockers could do for us and then went in their innovation lab to see how it would be applied to our ballpark.”

After placing an order through MLB’s Ballpark app, a secure pickup code is sent to the fan once it is ready at a locker location. Fans then scan their code and the door is automatically opened so the food and beverage can be retrieved.

The locker-style compartments for the initial pilot phase at the Great American Ball Park will start at a size of 13” wide by 14” tall by 16” deep, which fits four beers, two popcorns and two hotdogs.

As Dierig explained, there is the potential for multiple-size lockers depending on customers’ purchases during the piloting. Initially, the lockers will be placed at two separate locations throughout the stadium and will be set at an ambient temperature, but they’ll have the capability of being set to hot or cold temperatures.

Dierig said that during the trial phase, Delaware North and Apex will also figure out the ideal threshold of time available for fans to pick up their food and beverages before it has to be recooked and replaced.

“Apex has a very turnkey solution where we felt that the customers could order their food through an app, and then we had a way for them to pick it up and send alerts back to them as opposed to waiting in line or having a line dedicated to pick up,” Dierig said of the advantages of having the locker-style system.

Levy, Bon Appetit Picked by Warriors

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Hot Dog Bill's hot dog-style burger, to be available in 2019 at Chase Center, San Francisco.

San Francisco’s Golden State Warriors announced a first-of-its-kind hospitality partnership between Palo Alto’s Bon Appétit Management Co. and Chicago-based Levy to manage food and beverage initiatives at Chase Center, San Francisco, set to open at the start of 2019-20 NBA season.

The details of the agreement have not been disclosed, although Stephen Collins, Golden State Warriors’ CEO, described it as similar to a management fee deal as opposed to a commission deal, with incentives in terms of milestones and metrics.

“We wanted a holistic, integrated program that spoke to the Bay Area,” said Collins. “We told everyone this is not a typical model; we’re not looking to take money off the table or commission a deal, but rather proposing a business where all interests are aligned and the Warriors have ultimate control.”

The Warriors organization was initially skeptical that it would find a company to deliver on the project’s expectations as it pertained to local, sustainable, Bay Area experiences, and made sure those vying for the opportunity were aware that it reserved the right to turn down all proposals to be self-operating. This resulted in many companies dropping out of consideration. The organization would not reveal the other companies who submitted proposals for the project.

“The owners from day one wanted a unique, local and relevant food and beverage experience, and it became clear that this partnership was a way to deliver and exceed expectations,” said Jeff Wineman, Levy’s executive vice president, development.

Bakesale-Betty-Crispy-Chicken-Sandwich.jpgBakesale Betty's Crispy Chicken Sandwich.

Levy plans to leverage its E15 analytics subsidiary to formulate plans related to additional foodservice programming and pricing at Chase Center.

“This will be functional to help accurately identify what food and beverages we should serve, what to charge, etc.,” said Wineman. “We don’t have all the answers yet, as we’re still gathering information.”

As part of the partnership, five local, well-known Bay Area food businesses have been chosen as food providers. These include Oakland’s Bakesale Betty; San Francisco’s Tacolicious; Sam’s Chowder House of Half Moon Bay; Hot Dog Bill’s Burger Dog, previously available only to members at San Francisco’s Olympic Club Golf Course and, in a homage to the Warriors’ history and late NBA Hall-of-Famer Nate Thurmond, Chase Center will revive his acclaimed Big Nate’s BBQ.

“Levy is very talented in terms of analytics and technology in arenas, and we thought it would be terrific to collaborate together with our food experience, sourcing and iconic concepts that we’ve done in venues,” said Fedele Bauccio, CEO of Bon Appétit. “We will execute for them in a way that is ever-changing and creates experiences that haven’t been done before, primarily utilizing the best concepts in the Bay Area.”

The Warriors also worked with Atlanta-based Food Service Matters and its founder and principal Mike Plutino, formerly with Levy, on the design component.

“He shepherded us through the process and seized the vision early on,” said Collins. In addition to sourcing from more than 200 Farm to Fork small-farm Bon Appétit partners located within 150 miles of San Francisco, the Warriors, Bon Appétit and Levy are building programs to support locally-owned businesses in the Bay Area. As part of the food program, the team has launched “Taste Makers at Chase Center,” a program that directly benefits Bay Area businesses through networking and educational programs.

Bon Appétit’s clients include corporations, universities and museums around the country, while Levy’s venues include Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.; United Center, Chicago; Moda Center, Portland, Ore., and the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium opening this summer in Atlanta.

“I give Bon Appétit and Levy lots of credit for listening to what we said, working together to form partnerships to address exactly what we’re looking for and delivering the San Francisco component with the sustainability factor,” said Collins. “They gave us the best of both worlds.”
 

Fanalytics Drive Ticket Sales

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Arri Landsman-Roos, Jacksonville Jaguars; Evan Weinstein, Steez Promo; Mike Leopando, Milwaukee Bucks; Kyle Burkhardt, Los Angeles Kings, and Mark Meyerson, Vendini, discuss data during XLIVE, Paley Center for Media, Los Angeles, April 4. (VT Photo)

REPORTING FROM BEVERLY HILLS — XLIVE held their annual data & analytics summit, April 4-5, at Paley Center for Media, Los Angeles, and the consensus among the speakers, panelists and attendees was that the advent of mobile technology has produced a wealth of data that gives the marketers their best tools yet for ticket sales and fan retention.

“The biggest metrics for us is how recently the fan interacted with us and the genre they were exploring,” said Mike Leopando, director, business analytics, Milwaukee Bucks. “With these two components we know exactly who to target, when to target them and what genres to push at them.”

“We used to have one lead score for every product,” said Kyle Burkhardt, business intelligence, Los Angeles Kings. “But the industry is moving toward having a different score for different products. Creating different scores allows us to push single ticket holders into mini-packages and flex plan holders into season ticket buyers.”

Arri Landsman-Roos, director, business analytics, Jacksonville Jaguars, discussed how the data he was getting from AEG was helping turn amphitheater goers into Jaguar fans. “We looked at the data and it suggested that pregame concerts might be  a way to get people who didn’t consider a Jaguars game into the Jaguar stadium. A lot those fans craved the ‘experience,' not just a particular music event, and we’re trying to tap into that segment.”

Burkhardt found that having data that tells him who came to a Kings hockey game and also went to a Los Angeles Galaxy soccer game helps him micro-target fans. “It’s all about the data points telling us more and more about each fan, individually,” he said.

The avalanche and breadth of data available today is staggering and knowing when and how to widen the data collected is as vital as the data itself. “We all struggle with how to keep the data from going stale,” said Leopando. “If you have data from several years ago, trying to market to that person today is nearly impossible. Update your markers at least every six months and flow the new information through your data warehouses as often as possible.”

Data is being used as a way the sales people approach the market. “Trying to get people while they are still engaged or likely to buy is the best way to make a sale and the data we collect is the best way to know when that customer is ripe,” said Burkhardt.

Email appears to be out-of-date, replaced by mobile engagement. “I am beginning to think email is not the best way to reach customers anymore,” said Evan Weinstein, partner, Steez Promo. “We’re now in a social media driven system. I’m seeing emails opened by only 35 percent of the recipients.”

“It’s less about emails being antiquated and more about these broad emails not working,” said Burkhardt. “You can do so much better with segmentation and targeting a particular buyer at a particular time.”

Weinstein suggested responding and replying to every single social media post. “Our interaction is up 300 percent since we started doing that,” he said. “We’ve become pushers of content across social media platforms. We need to give them value so they come back and give me value. By going on Instagram or running a contest I can give them value.”

THE 360 VIEW

Multiple touchpoints and multiple platforms make it difficult to get a 360 degree view of the customer, said Mark Meyerson, VP & GM, Vendini. “Food and beverage data and other segments that the buyer touches are all part of the puzzle. Putting all the data together in one place can be challenging.”

“Optimizing per caps needs the data from all the touchpoints,” said Burkhardt. “So we’ve centralized the data at one source and have it pushed out to the individual departments. Using the centralized data approach, the executives can see the buy-in and they can use the data and adapt from it and it also gets them to reinvest in the data.”

Landsman-Ross thinks the 360 data concept is overrated. “I want as much data as I can get,” he said. “But 55 percent of our revenue is from tickets; 40 percent from sponsorships and only five percent comes from food & beverage. The investment required to know what a fan buys at the concession stand is not as helpful as focused data explaining why a fan suddenly stopped buying tickets.”

Weinstein said data mining can produce data models that can identify someone who is 80 percent like the model and then be marketed to. “Finding fans who are similar to other fans based on data helps us pinpoint who to promote to and how.”

SECONDARY AND TERTIARY MARKETS

Burkhardt said most of their single-game tickets are sold through StubHub. “We have very few tickets available for single-game sale on primary,” he said. “So we have a deal with StubHub that allows us to identify that buyer who is going to multiple games and then we can get them into our pipeline. If we can get them to buy a mini-plan, we can then get them into a 11-game package, or a half-season package.”

“It an interesting relationship between all the secondary ticketers and there’s a lot of promise in getting those fans into the funnel,” said Meyerson.

By reducing the number of secondary ticket platforms the Bucks work with, Leopando is able to get solid weekly reports. “It can be tough to get the data from a long list of secondary ticket sellers and we went down to only three which made getting the data a lot easier,” he said.


 

Kurtz Takes TicketsWest Helm

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Dusty Kurtz is the new president of TicketsWest following the retirement of founder Jack Lucas, who stepped down March 26 after 30 years running the company. Lucas isn't leaving though. He will continue to run West Coast Entertainment and "he's just down the hall," Kurtz said.

“As the new president I’m very comfortable with our core values and the thing that’s most important to me is that we never compromise that,” said Kurtz. “I really wanted to work with a group that prioritized relationships and that’s what Jack has established here. The quality of our clients and the quality of our staff comes first.”

Kurtz said he plans few changes but is going to look at new product offerings and innovative ways to be more effective. “With our industry changing as rapidly as it has in the last few years there’s an opportunity to look at what we put in front of our clients and to gain more efficiencies,” he said. “We’re going to spend a lot of time talking about that.”

Kurtz joined TicketsWest in 2006 as a project manager in the Denver office. He was promoted in 2008 to regional manager and in April 2011 he became the TicketsWest vice president and moved to the head office in Spokane, Wash. Prior to his positions with TicketsWest, Kurtz worked at Montana State University, Bozeman, and Brick Breeden Field House under Duane Morris.

“The promotion to president is a good thing,” said Kurtz. “Jack has put the company in a great position. We have great partners like Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement and I’m very fortunate to have gotten that call 11 years ago.”

Lucas will continue to serve as president of West Coast Entertainment, a concert and Broadway promotion company serving the Pacific Northwest.


Nominate for 2017 Women of Influence by April 21, 2017!

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We need your nominations! Venues Today magazine is preparing for the ninth annual Venues Today Women of Influence Awards! The chosen women will have made a difference in the sports, entertainment, fair and meetings industries.

Submit nominations to nominations@venuestoday.com.
Please include her name, title, affiliation, location and a brief description of accomplishments (200 words max in the body of the email, NO SEPARATE ATTACHMENTS PLEASE).

SUBMIT NOMINATIONS BY: Friday, April 21, 2017

The 2017 winners will be selected by a vote of Venues Today subscribers, staff and advisors. Once nominees are announced, subscribers can sign in to our website and cast votes.

Winners will be announced on our website and in VT Pulse.

Thank you to our 2017 sponsors:

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Congratulations to our previous Women of Influence winners: (from 2007-2016)

Sandie Aaron
Jan Addison
Jo-Ann Armstrong
Kim Bedier
Christy Castillo Butcher
Lynn Carlotto
Liza Cartmell
Wesley Cullen
Peggy Daidakis
Donna Dowless
Sandra Dunn
Adina Erwin
Nicole Feld
Maureen Ginty
Sydney Greenblatt
Ali Harnell
Barbara Hubbard
Susette Hunter
Jane Kleinberger
Tammy Koolbeck
Vanessa Kromer
Shura Lindgren-Garnett
Kerry Painter
Cyndee Pennington
Carol Pollock
Sally Roach
Susan Rosenbluth
Claire Rothman
Leslee Stewart
Kim Stone
Michele L. Swan
Cheryl Swanson
Patti-Anne Tarlton
Brenda Tinnen
Karen Totaro
Carol Wallace
Robyn Williams

Fans Experience Player's POV Through VR

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Opening day at Chase Field, Phoenix, Ariz., was captured by R&R Partners to send to VR headsets in the stadium so fans could experience the game from the players' point of view.

SportTechie digs into the VR trend in sports with a look at initiatives in Seattle and Phoenix.

(Editor's note: These stories appeared previously on SportTechie.com)

Flash back to December when Pixvana, a Seattle software startup, announced a partnership with the Seattle Sounders FC to bring fans the club’s first virtual reality experience. The company provided just a glimpse then of what was to come.

The Sounders last month proceeded to release their virtual reality experience before their home opener against the New York Red Bulls. The VR experience captured the excitement of Sounders' matchday, in addition to the team’s historic turnaround and postseason run that eventually led to its first league title in 2016.

The VR experience is available to fans all season before every Sounders' home match as part of The NINETY’s matchday activities using an HTC Vive VR headset via Pixvana’s SPIN Player.

The experience incorporated footage from five games and also featured never-before-captured, behind-the-scenes moments from in the stands and on the field — as well as from the stage of the club’s MLS Cup Champions March and Rally at Seattle Center.

“Virtual reality has opened up an entirely new way to experience sports and we’re thrilled to be able to share this unique view of the historic 2016 season,” Sounders' chief operating officer Bart Wiley said in a statement. “We have enjoyed working with Pixvana and Intentional Futures in the continuing pursuit of providing our fans with some of the most memorable matchday experiences in the league.”

Pixvana created this experience by taking photos that were stitched together to make a 360-degree view and editing them to make it a video.

“We’re proud to work with the Sounders and Intentional Futures to deliver the most immersive and most high resolution soccer content that’s been captured to date,” Aaron Rhodes, Executive Producer at Pixvana, said in a statement. “A compilation of five games, including the historic MLS Cup win, this VR experience gives viewers incredible access to both the fan experience and the on-field action. Thanks to Intentional Futures, we were also able to incorporate awesome graphics into the footage to create a fun Jumbotron effect throughout.”

Arizona Diamondback fans will now be able to experience baseball from their favorite players’ points of view as well.

The Diamondbacks announced they are partnering with Cox Communications and R&R Partners to bring fans the Cox Connects VR Bullpen area to the main concourse of Chase Field.

The VR experience will allow fans to see through the eyes of pitchers, see what it looks like from the player’s perspective to field a ground ball and catch a fly ball. It will also give people behind-the-scenes looks at the life of a Major League Baseball player.

Cox Connects uses HTC VIVE to showcase content. Fans that are not looking through the headset will be able to see the VR experience on television displays.

This isn’t R&R Partners' first project with bringing sports fans virtual reality experiences. The agency also worked with The Penguins to give fans an exclusive look at the Stanley Cup.

Hot Tickets for April 12, 2017

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Journey and Asia kicked off a 2017 co-headlining tour in March, and their Spokane (Wash.) Veterans Memorial Arena show made our Hot Tickets chart this week. With ticket prices ranging from $30-$95, the CMoore Live-promoted event grossed over $600,000 with 8,100 fans rocking out to some of the bands’ most iconic hits. Journey and Asia are currently taking a break from their tour, but will be picking back up in Las Vegas at the Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino where they will begin a residency that is scheduled to take up most of May. There have also been a slew of new dates added to the tour, which will keep the bands sharing a stage through summer.

The 52nd Academy of Country Music Awards hit many of the right notes as the show took #1 this week, grossing nearly $6 million at its new home at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas. Over 11,000 country music fans saw ticket prices ranging from $350-$750 for the sold-out event, where Dierks Bentley and Luke Bryan returned to the stage to host. The ratings showed almost 11-million viewers tuning in to watch country music’s biggest event of the year.

HOT TICKETS is a weekly summary of the top acts and ticket sales as reported to VT PULSE. Following are the top 20 concerts and events, the top 5 in each seating capacity category, which took place between March 14-April 11.

15,001 or More Seats

10,001-15,000 Seats

5,001-10,000 Seats

5,000 or Fewer Seats

1) 52nd Academy of Country Music Awards
Gross Sales: $5,948,538; Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas; Attendance: 11,363; Ticket Range: $750-$350; Promoter: Academy of Country Music; Dates: April 2; No. of Shows: 1

2) Justin Bieber
Gross Sales: $3,591,943; Venue: Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand; Attendance: 35,420; Ticket Range: $118.58-$48.29; Promoter: AEG Presents, Concerts West, Frontier Touring ; Dates: March 18; No. of Shows: 1

3) KCON 2017
Gross Sales: $1,556,510; Venue: Arena Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City; Attendance: 21,573; Ticket Range: $240.44-$53.43; Promoter: CJ Entertainment; Dates: March 17-18; No. of Shows: 2

4) Dixie Chicks
Gross Sales: $1,235,317; Venue: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney; Attendance: 12,383; Ticket Range: $151.30-$75.61; Promoter: Chugg Entertainment, Rob Potts Entertainment Edge; Dates: March 29; No. of Shows: 1

5) Sing Me Back Home: The Music of Merle Haggard
Gross Sales: $1,229,399; Venue: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.; Attendance: 15,574; Ticket Range: $299.50-$25; Promoter: Outback Concerts; Dates: April 6; No. of Shows: 1

1) Dixie Chicks
Gross Sales: $833,765; Venue: Perth (Australia) Arena; Attendance: 7,536; Ticket Range: $149.98-$74.95; Promoter: Chugg Entertainment; Dates: April 5; No. of Shows: 1

2) Santana , Doobie Brothers
Gross Sales: $758,688; Venue: Perth (Australia) Arena; Attendance: 7,638; Ticket Range: $123.80-$82.53; Promoter: Chugg Entertainment; Dates: April 7; No. of Shows: 1

3) Eric Church
Gross Sales: $650,701; Venue: Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kan.; Attendance: 13,105; Ticket Range: $89-$22; Promoter: Messina Touring Group, AEG Presents; Dates: April 7; No. of Shows: 1

4) Blake Shelton
Gross Sales: $632,235; Venue: Ford Center, Evansville, Ind.; Attendance: 9,366; Ticket Range: $82.50-$32.50; Promoter: Messina Touring Group; Dates: March 16; No. of Shows: 1

5) Journey, Asia
Gross Sales: $620,262; Venue: Spokane (Wash.) Veterans Memorial Arena; Attendance: 8,071; Ticket Range: $95-$29.50; Promoter: CMoore Live; Dates: March 16; No. of Shows: 1

1) Cirque du Soleil - OVO
Gross Sales: $1,352,563; Venue: H-E-B Center at Cedar Park (Texas); Attendance: 19,658; Ticket Range: $120-$37; Promoter: Cirque du Soleil; Dates: March 15-19; No. of Shows: 7

2) Elton John
Gross Sales: $1,112,819; Venue: The Broadmoor World Arena at Colorado Springs; Attendance: 9,081; Ticket Range: $159.50-$49.50; Promoter: Goldenvoice; Dates: March 16; No. of Shows: 1

3) Elton John
Gross Sales: $984,951; Venue: Tucson (Ariz.) Arena; Attendance: 8,199; Ticket Range: $159.50-$49.50; Promoter: Goldenvoice; Dates: March 21; No. of Shows: 1

4) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in Concert
Gross Sales: $711,598; Venue: Radio City Music Hall, New York; Attendance: 9,685; Ticket Range: $83.50-$43.50; Promoter: Live Nation, MSG Live; Dates: March 31-April 1; No. of Shows: 2

5) Franco De Vita
Gross Sales: $634,718; Venue: Radio City Music Hall, New York; Attendance: 5,600; Ticket Range: $179-$49; Promoter: Loud And Alive; Dates: March 25; No. of Shows: 1

1) Cher
Gross Sales: $2,885,444; Venue: The Theater at MGM National Harbor, Oxon Hill, Md.; Attendance: 15,826; Ticket Range: $360-$120; Promoter: AEG Presents, MRES; Dates: March 17-26; No. of Shows: 6

2) The Bodyguard
Gross Sales: $1,259,071; Venue: Fox Theatre, Atlanta; Attendance: 20,184; Ticket Range: $125-$30; Promoter: Broadway Across America; Dates: March 28-April 2; No. of Shows: 8

3) Jersey Boys
Gross Sales: $1,085,922; Venue: Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami; Attendance: 13,397; Ticket Range: $165-$29; Promoter: In Concert Ltd, Broadway Across America; Dates: April 4-9; No. of Shows: 8

4) Jerry Seinfeld
Gross Sales: $735,494; Venue: Fox Theatre, Atlanta; Attendance: 9,176; Ticket Range: $171.50-$46.50; Promoter: JS Touring; Dates: April 7; No. of Shows: 2

5) Joe Bonamassa
Gross Sales: $532,238; Venue: Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis; Attendance: 4,190; Ticket Range: $575-$89; Promoter: J & R Adventures; Dates: March 17-18; No. of Shows: 2

The Weekly Hot Tickets chart is compiled by Monique Potter. To submit reports, e-mail HotTickets@venuestoday.com or fax to (714) 378-0040.

 

Orlando Bowl Gets Familiar Sponsor

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Camping World, Orlando, Fla., ready for football.

The annual NCAA college football bowl game played in Orlando’s Camping World Stadium will now have a fitting sponsor: Camping World.

Camping World has signed a multiyear agreement with Florida Citrus Sports to present the Camping World Bowl in Orlando, the game most recently known as the Russell Athletic Bowl, that features teams from the Atlantic Coast and Big 12 conferences in late December of each year.

Camping World has already taken over as the naming rights sponsor for the host venue, the City of Orlando’s 1936-built stadium, most commonly known as the Citrus Bowl. Following a $207-million renovation that wrapped up in 2014, Camping World signed on for the venue’s naming rights in April 2016.

It hosted a first-ever Camping World Kickoff game, with the inaugural event in 2016, pitting Florida State against Ole Miss in front of a sellout crowd.

“We’re excited to extend our successful partnership with Florida Citrus Sports and the collegiate partners who participate in this great game each year,” said Marcus Lemonis, chairman and CEO of Camping World and Good Sam Enterprises. “The core platform we have in Orlando with the stadium naming rights and Camping World Kickoff game makes this expansion a natural fit. Florida is a key market for us and that, coupled with the nationwide exposure of this post-season bowl game, makes it an ideal opportunity.”

As part of the deal, Camping World expects to receive national exposure through television, radio and online media recognition during the television broadcast and outdoor and print advertising throughout Central Florida. Camping World will also be featured on signage and event collateral throughout bowl week and within the stadium. The two parties declined to divulge the length or value of the agreement. Russell Athletic lasted five years as the naming rights sponsor for the bowl game.

“Florida Citrus Sports is thrilled for the opportunity to deepen our relationship with Camping World, who has proven to be an incredible partner to our organization and to Orlando,” said Steve Hogan, CEO of FCSports, in a statement. “We’re also humbled that they chose to partner with us again and believe that to be a testament to the value that our community, our stadium and our events provide.”

This year’s Camping World Bowl will serve as the 28th edition of the game, the 17th in Orlando. It currently hosts the top non-New Year’s Six selection from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the second non-New Year’s Six selection from the Big 12 Conference. In 2016, Miami defeated West Virginia in front of over 48,600 fans in the 65,000-seat venue. Just over 40,000 fans attended the 2015 version of the game.

Camping World Stadium hosts three bowl games each postseason. It was the only stop on the Rolling Stones’ Zip Code Tour in 2015, hosted three Copa America Centenario games in 2016, hosted an outdoor Guns ‘n Roses in concert in 2016, housed the new MLS Orlando City Soccer team until its soccer-specific venue opened and, this month, became the first outdoor stadium in the country to host WWE Wrestlemania for a second time.

Spectra Revs Up Fair Sponsorship Deals

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State Fair of Virgina, Doswell, a new client of Spectra sponsorship partnerships.

Spectra is accelerating its division selling sponsorships to fairs. After getting their feet wet with two smaller fairs, Bangor (Maine) State Fairgrounds and Larimer County Fair and Rodeo, Loveland, Colo., they’ve now landed two larger fairs; State Fair of Virginia, Doswell, and York (Pa.) Fair.

“We’ve been managing and selling sponsorships at two smaller fairs in Colorado and Maine for the past few years,” explained Nino Vanin, director of business development, Spectra sponsorships and partnerships. “In the last few months, we’ve taken a look at standalone fairs across the country that bring in 400,000 to 500,000 people over the course of the fair.”

“Many fairs are looking to re-imagine and re-invigorate the ‘story’ of their respective fairs as well as the experience they provide their patrons,” he said. “Our firm, which has experiences with large, high-level events, can bring the fresh perspective that fairs are looking for. We’re sponsorship experts, and our experience with events will also help us sell the sponsorships.”

“We’ve had a pretty significant presence in the fair space for a while now, particularly on the West Coast and we decided to concentrate on fairs on the East Coast that made sense, and were in geographical areas that were of interest to us,” said Vanin.

The 150 year-old State Fair of Virginia, the birthplace and 1973’s Triple Crown winner,+ Secretariat, who is also buried there, and Pennsylvania’s York Fair, fit the bill and both signed on. Spectra is now the exclusive sponsorship sales agency for the State Fair of Virginia park, fair, and all other events during the year including the Virginia Horse Show and Illuminate Light Show. In York, Spectra is the exclusive sponsorship sales agency for the fair and expo center.

“Both fairs were working with a previous rightsholder,” said Vanin. “Now if you want to be a sponsor at either fair you come through us.”

At York Fair, corporate partners include Coca-Cola, GEICO, Rutter’s Farm Stores and UTZ Quality Foods. Virginia Lottery, First Bank and Trust, Coca-Cola and Fiat Chrysler are sponsors at State Fair of Virginia.

“Spectra called us at the end of last year and we started conversations,” said Marlene Pierson-Jolliffe, VP of operations, Meadow Event Park, and executive director, State Fair of Virginia. “We thought they might be a good match and kept the conversation going. We asked them a lot of questions. When making the decision to have an outside salesperson representing you, it needs to be a good fit. We had a lot of discussions about growth and revenues and percentages and how the contract would remain mutually beneficial for both of us.”

Pierson-Jolliffe said the State Fair of Virginia was also “looking for creativity that will give our events some spark.”

There were "checkpoints along the way” to make sure if it was not working, they could tweak or call it quits. They sealed the deal in 2017, and the contract will run for no less than three years. “The goal is for long-term,” she said.

Prior to hiring Spectra, the fair had a part-time in-house employee chasing sponsors as well as an outside sales firm. “We considered hiring a full-time staffer who was solely focused on sponsorships but, in the end, decided to go with Spectra because they understand how the facility runs,” she said.

Sponsorship deals can range from on-site activations that can run as low as $10,000 to mid-six figures for a naming rights contract. Vanin said that Spectra had a “number of prospects for future sponsors; we have a decent book of business.”

Vanin believes Spectra is an expert in the medium of sponsorship and trusts the company can apply the experience and knowledge they have across the many varied properties they represent to the fair industry. “We understand the fair industry and know how to do business the right way,” he said. “We also understand that agriculture, education and culture are important initiatives for fairs.”

Spectra is a turnkey service. They hire the director of corporate partnerships, in conjunction with the fair, who then works out of the fair offices to become an extension of the fair staff.

“We design the sales collateral, provide a market analysis and comparison to similar properties in the region and across the country, providing an in-depth valuation of available sponsorship assets and provide weekly reporting,” he said.

Spectra currently services 15 fairs/fairgrounds through its Food Services & Hospitality division, including Ford Midway at Ford Park Entertainment Complex, Beaumont, Texas; Curry County Fairgrounds, Clovis, N.M.; Orange County Fair & Event Center, Costa Mesa, Calif.; Chilhowee Park, Knoxville, Tenn.; Canada Western Fair District, London, Ontario; The Ranch-Larimer County Fairgrounds and Events Complex, Loveland, Colo.; Lea County Fairgrounds,  Lovington, N.M.; Memphis (Tenn.) Fairgrounds Complex; Los Angeles County Fairplex, Pomona, Calif.; Clark County Fairgrounds, Ridgefield, Wash.; 
 Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton, Calif.; Richard M. Borchard Fairgrounds, Robstown, Texas; California Exposition & State Fairgrounds, Sacramento, Calif.; Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Santa Rosa, Calif. and Ventura County (Calif.) Fairgrounds at Seaside.

“There’s a need and desire from the new wave of executive directors of fairs who are looking for new ways to drive revenue,” said Vanin. “Having a group like Spectra that didn’t necessarily grow up in the fair world, will bring a fresh perspective.”

 


 

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