Cathy Breden, International Association of Exhibitions & Events; Vicki Hawarden, International Association of Venue Managers; and Deborah Sexton, Professional Convention Management Association, address the needs of meeting planners during ICCC. (VT Photo)

REPORTING FROM CHARLOTTE, N.C. — “If I were a venue manager, I would build that small studio that can be used for videos during events,” advised Deborah Sexton, president and CEO, Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA). She predicted more and more hybrid events, which will increase attendance through digital broadcasts of the face-to-face gathering, which means production studios at convention centers are essential.

Sexton was joined during the International Convention Center Conference here Oct. 3-5, by Cathy Breden, COO International Association of Exhibitions & Events (IAEE), and Vicki Hawarden, president and CEO, International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), on a panel discussing the state of the convention, meetings and tradeshow industry.

She said the hybrid event is helping the globalization of conventions, citing the American Dental Association as an example. There are 150,000 association members of which 14,000 come to the annual meeting. The first year they offered a hybrid event – face-to-face and digital choices — an additional 3,000 registered. The second year, that grew to 6,000. “They created an extra value and it was a huge member value difference,” Sexton said.

The American Dental Association advertises the hybrid on their website calling it ADA365 and advising those who can’t make a session that they can access it online.

Breden recommended convention center managers consider packaging exhibitor costs to attract more business, including drayage, electrical and labor in one price.

It’s all about the experience at conventions, and technology is a way to enhance the experience, Hawarden said.

When choosing a venue, event planners are looking for space, rates and dates, as always, but they also look for flexibility in amenities and setups, a location that is safe, with attractions and dining near the venue, and airlift, Breden said. Some don’t want to use connecting flights.

Sexton listed hospitality as the main selling point for a venue. “The community must be in sync,” she said. “But most importantly, we want a destination that will drive the greatest number of attendees. The venue must be up-to-date, but if no one can get there, it won’t matter.”

Price is not the determining factor, Sexton said. “Position your venue to be what they need to have a successful event,” meaning a connected hotel, ballrooms and extra meeting space.

PCMA is doing an economic impact study on the value of face-to-face events, Sexton said. The association also just completed an industry forecast which sees steady growth in business; increased satisfaction with airlines and hotels, though rates are also up; an incredible shift in the top 10 cities for meetings; a record number of international meetings; and a continued challenge to find the return on investment stats which is currently done with traditional post-show surveys.

Technology is the big challenge for convention management because of the cost involved and the learning curve, Sexton said. But one thing convention center managers need to know: “A meeting professional will not take a major group to a venue where they cannot be connected. Connectivity is expected.”

Convention management is also using technology to do site visits, Sexton noted.

And a theater in the middle of a trade show floor used to be considered valuable real estate, “you could sell that.” Now it’s part of the experience, an interactive site for educational purposes used by convention management to replace speakers and lecturers.

Breden noted that associations are risk-adverse but budgets are not increasing and the pressures on organizers are tremendous. She predicted collaborations and possibly mergers to come.

The biggest issue of associations right now is Big Data, how to manage and use data to benefit members. It’s a matter of relationship selling which takes more time than just selling trade show space, Breden said.

Sexton said it is surprising technology hasn’t helped the meetings industry more, but attributed that to the overabundance of information today and people can absorb only so much. And not only does information get lost in the shuffle, but also technology is ever-changing. “We don’t know what we don’t know,” she said.

Though associations are risk-adverse as she mentioned in the beginning, Sexton knows they must be more nimble in the future. “The old association model will change,” she said. “No longer can your convention be 80 percent of your revenue. We must be creative and think differently.”

Contacts: Cathy Breden, (972) 687-9201; Deborah Sexton, (312) 423-7210; Vicki Hawarden, (972) 906-7441

Rendering of the widest video board in Minor League Baseball at BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte, N.C. (Photo by Charlotte Knights)

BB&T Ballpark, the under-construction home of the Charlotte (N.C.) Knights of Minor League Baseball, is going high-tech. The team announced last week that the ballpark will include a 30-by-82 foot HD video board made up of nearly three million LED lamps. The new board measures six times larger than the team’s previous video board at Knights Stadium.

Total Sports Entertainment Services approached the Charlotte Knights when they first heard of the plan for the new $55-million stadium, due to open in April.

“The process is a little bit reversed, but when we have knowledge that there’s going to be a new facility built, we want to be sure that we have a relationship with that club,” said David Frost, VP of consulting services at TSE Services.  The company finds out what the facility is looking for, helps develop a budget, then puts the project out for bid.

Toshiba American Business Solutions won the bid which included more than the video board. In addition to the large screen in left center field, Toshiba also provided a 14-by-35-foot LED exterior video display, an 8-by-120-foot LED ribbon board display along the right field wall, two smaller fascia ribbon displays along the upper level façade, a video ribbon board within BB&T Ballpark’s ticket plaza and LCD menu boards at concession stands throughout the ballpark.

“Our strategy was to design a completely integrated and consistent experience for the Knights' fans,” said Chris Applegate, director of enterprise services at Toshiba Managed Business Services. “We will start engaging the fans before they even enter the ballpark with the exterior ribbon and video board displays while continuing that dynamic audio-video experience throughout all levels of the stadium.”

He added that the focus was to “keep fans informed, involved and, most important, entertained at every step of their experience at BB&T Ballpark.”

The Toshiba video board at BB&T Ballpark's entrance. (Photo by Charlotte Knights)

Charlotte Knights Executive VP and COO Dan Rajkowski said all of the video technology cost approximately $3 million. The Knights made the investment for state-of-the-art video technology in an effort to stay ahead of the curve in the quickly-changing technologic world.

“We felt it was important early on to retain consultants who understood where technology was today and where it was heading,” said Rajkowski. “We’re in a technology society. I wish everyone left their phones at the house but that’s not the reality — they’re bringing their iPhones and iPads to game day.”

“If we don’t adapt, we’ll be left behind,” he added.

Having such a wide aspect ratio will allow programming on the video board to include some technology elements that are important to fans. In addition to being able to show statistics, Frost the board will incorporate photos from Twitter or Instagram, Twitter messages and information that wouldn’t necessarily be available via cell phone, such as the speed of the pitch.

The Knights will also sell advertising on portions of the video board.

“We come from an era where 20 years ago teams were putting up smaller video boards with trivision, and the configurations of the programming on this board can really replace what trivisions can do,” said Frost. “We dictate the ratio and the size of the image so the Knights will really be able to present a unique sales tool to their clients.”

All the video technology is set to be installed after the first of the year which is also when the Knights corporate team will be able to move into the facility.

“We had to shift some funds around, like construction always does, but we’ve been very fortunate and we’re on time and on budget,” said Rajkowski. Seat installation began Oct. 14 with the field drainage system also being put in this week. Concrete will be poured within the next two weeks.

Around 75 percent of the $55-million budget is funded privately through the team, with the remaining 25 percent coming from the public through the city and county.

Construction is on track to complete by April 11, BB&T Ballpark’s opening day.

Interviewed for this story: Chris Applegate, (949) 462-6094; David Frost, (800) 962-2471; Dan Rajkowski, (704) 357-8071

The close of the Nasdaq Stock Exchange in New York following IPO rollout for SFX Entertainment (Photo courtesy of Nasdaq).

Want a piece of the growing Electronic Dance Music scene? Now shares of the music industry’s hottest commodity can be yours — for only $11.44.

That was the closing price Tuesday for SFX Entertainment, Robert Sillerman’s EDM-focused entertainment company that began trading on the Nasdaq exchange on Oct. 9. The IPO was introduced by Sillerman and Dutch DJ Afrojack, who appeared at Nasdaq’s New York headquarters, ringing the closing bell to mark the end of trading following SFX Entertainment’s first day on the exchange. With a trading symbol of SFXE, the company debuted at $13 per share and dipped nine percent at the close.

The IPO raised about $260 million for the two-year-old company created by Live Nation founder Sillerman. In the late 1990s, Sillerman spent $1.2 billion to purchase a number of promotion companies across North America — big name outfits like Bill Graham Presents, Feyline Entertainment and Pace Concerts. The company was eventually flipped and sold to Clear Channel Entertainment for $4.4 billion, which was eventually spun off into its current form, Live Nation. With a market cap of $3.7 billion, Live Nation is the largest promoter in the world.

Sillerman has made no secret of his plans to again create a global powerhouse with the new EDM-backed venture which owns events like TomorrowWorld in Atlanta and ElectricZoo in New York.

According to filings with the SEC, Sillerman maintains a 47-percent stake in the company and will use proceeds from the IPO to complete its purchases of ID&T Business, German electronic music event producer I-Motion GmbH Events & Communication, Australian festival producer Totem Onelove Group, and a 70 percent stake in Made Event LLC, which produces Electronic Zoo.

Sales at SFX jumped to $37.6 million from January to June, compared to $378,000 from the same period last year, according to the company's filing. The 10,000-percent spike was mostly from events that SFX produced, promoted or managed. At the $13-per-share IPO price, SFX has a market value of about $1.05 billion.

Besides festival promoters, SFX also owns online music hub Beatport, the world's largest DJ and electronic music community where artists can share and sell their music.

“If you look at what Sillerman is doing this time, he’s creating a number of divergent pathways to bring in revenue,” said Versales. “By creating revenue streams for both recorded music, live events and online communities, Sillerman is consolidating a national audience for corporate sponsors and media deals.”

It’s a similar strategy to Live Nation, Versales points out, which has seen its advertising and sponsorship divisions post the strongest gains in the company.

“The big question is going to be whether or not there are enough sponsorship dollars in the market for both companies to coexist or whether the appetite for spending in the live music space will cool in the coming months,” said Rich Tuillo, an entertainment industry analyst at Albert Fried & Company.

He pointed out that Live Nation recently purchased a large stake in Insomniac Events, producers of the Electric Daisy Carnival, one of the largest electronic music events in North America. Tuillo said an acquisitions race to buy up other EDM-centric businesses could  kick off in 2014.

“I think the only way either company grows in the space is through acquisition, although Live Nation certainly has the capability to grow its share in EDM through the creation of new events," he said. "It’s really a matter of whether they find value in building new events from the ground up, or buying out established promoters.”

Interviewed for this article: Chip Versales, (212) 843-2313; Rich Tuillo, (917)641-5539

Jon Bon Jovi continues his Because We Can tour in North America.

Bon Jovi's Because We Can tour scored a huge $4-million gross in Argentina, bringing more than 38,000 fans to Estadio Jose Amalfitani in the country's capitol city Buenos Aires, Sept. 26. The tour then moved to North America, where Bon Jovi's Oct. 6 date at a smaller facility, Spokane (Wash.) Arena, grossed more than $1.2 million. Next, the band continues through North America, stopping at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Oct. 16; Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, Ark., Oct. 18; and Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb., Oct. 20. Bon Jovi continues around the U.S. and Canada until Dec. 3, when the tour flies to Osaka, Japan for a performance at Osaka Dome.

Rap duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis wrapped up the European leg of their Fall World tour with two shows grossing more than $500,000 each. The Sept. 20 show at Hallenstadion, Zurich, brought 13,000 fans to the arena, while the Sept. 30 show at O2 World Hamburg was promoted by FKP Scorpio. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have since flown back to North America, with upcoming shows at Moda Center in Portland, Ore., Oct. 22; Spokane (Wash.) Arena, Oct. 23; and a sold-out performance at Adams Center in Missoula, Mont., Oct. 24.


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 Sept. 17-Oct. 15.


















The Center for Exhibition Industry Research has named Brian Casey its new president and chief executive officer, effective in December. Casey currently serves as vice president and general manager of the Cleveland Global Center for Health Innovation & Convention Center. He has more than 30 years of experience in the exhibitions and meetings industry, including working as president and CEO of High Point Authority, owner of Next Generation Events Group, executive vice president at SmithBucklin, and managing director of trade shows for the International Housewares Exposition. Casey serves on the board at several organizations, including the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Positively Cleveland Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. 

In attendance at the Thomas & Mack Center 30-year reunion inside 35 Steaks + Martinis at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas are Chuck Soberinsky, Brad Rothermel, Todd Clawson, Daren Libonati, Pat Christenson, Mike Newcomb, Dale Eeles and Steve Stallworth. (VT Photo)

REPORTING FROM LAS VEGAS — I had the distinct pleasure of traveling to Las Vegas last week to meet with some of the alumni from the Thomas & Mack Center, the venerable Las Vegas arena that celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

The meeting was part of a larger editorial project Venues Today is developing for our November issue which takes a look at the impact of the arena on a city that has seen tremendous growth since 1983 when the Thomas & Mack Center first opened its doors under the watchful eye of Dennis Finfrock, GM of the building from 1983 to 1992.

Since its opening, the Thomas & Mack Center has become a proving ground for some of the biggest names in Las Vegas — guys like Mark Prows at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Pat Christenson with Las Vegas Events and  Michael Enoch, a longtime Las Vegas resident who now runs the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China. Each man has gone on to run highly sophisticated operations, but what struck me was how inexperienced the team was when the building first opened.

Finfrock, the original GM of the building, started off as a wrestling coach and convinced university officials that despite his lack of experience, he could turn the Thomas & Mack Center into a profitable venture.

“It was a rough ride in the beginning and we weren’t exactly good managers,” explained Christenson, one of eight current and former employees who came to the Oct. 9 reunion inside 35 Steaks + Martinis at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

“Our charge from the very beginning was that we had to make money to pay for operations — the state legislature was mortified that we were going to have to come back to them every year and ask for more money,” he recalled.

They were especially concerned after Finfrock approached them shortly after concrete had been poured for the event floor and asked for over $200,000 to rip it out and remove the first nine rows of seats. The original floor the contractors had poured was too small to host major concerts or boxing, events Finfrock envisioned would be the future of the arena.

“When we opened our doors, there was only plumbing and electrical for the concession stands and a couple bathrooms — the concourse hadn’t been finished, the parking lot wasn’t paved and the suites were sold under the pretext that the buyers would decorate the suites themselves,” Christenson said.

It was a big disadvantage to open under those conditions, with little experience and a big demand to operate in the black — but former GM Daren Libonati said that “throughout it all, we were bred with the mindset that we have to make money. Thankfully they also gave us the freedom to try new things and take some risks.”

It was that dogged spirit that created a culture of entrepreneurship at the arena, allowing the staff to try things like giant car sales In the parking lot of the building that generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in incremental revenue.

“We weren’t looking to other collegiate buildings to develop our early business model — we looked at professionally operated facilities,” explained Christenson. “Buildings like the Oakland Coliseum, Madison Square Garden in New York and the Forum (in Inglewood, Calif.). We knew we had to create new revenue streams and go beyond the realm of the college facilities world if we were going to create something that had a lasting legacy.”

That was probably my biggest take-away from the day — that sometimes tenacious determination coupled with a slightly unrealistic sense of optimistic and real world demands for revenue could push people with very little experience to do extraordinary things. Neither Christenson nor Libonati had any prior experience running a facility, and yet by the time Finfrock had passed away in 2009, all three men had become recognized as icons in the industry.

And today, the Thomas & Mack Center stands as a testament to their hard work and, according to Brad Rothermel, former UNLV Athletics Director from 1981 to 1990, the legacy left behind from Finfrock’s financial success can now be seen in the rafters of the building.

“The revenue generated by Finfrock permitted me to create national level budgets for all our programs,” he said. “From 1983 to 1990 we won a national championship in basketball and won 33 conference championships. We had the resources to compete at the national stage not just in basketball, but across all sports.”

Interviewed for this article: Pat Christenson, (702) 260-8605; Daren Libonati, (702) 813-5345; Brad Rothermel, (702) 895-4729

Hollywood publicist Vanessa Kromer has been promoted to Vice President of Communications for Nederlander Concerts, where she works with some of the biggest names in music, from Bruce Springsteen to Neil Diamond and Adele. Kromer has two decades of experience in the live entertainment industry and currently oversees publicity for Nederlander’s portfolio of California venues including the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, The Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, The City National Grove of Anaheim, the Santa Barbara Bowl and the San Jose Civic, along with a number of venues Nederlander either books or manages on behalf of its clients.

Kromer is a winner of the 2012 Women of Influence awards and a 2013 inductee into the Hall of Fame for the Event and Arena Marketing Conference, where she currently serves as President. She is a board member for Linkin Park's charity Music for Relief and was part of the team that opened the Staples Center in Los Angeles in 1999. Her resume includes posts at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and PR firm Rogers and Cowan. She is a graduate of Cal State Fullerton where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega.

Kromer's promotion caught many in the entertainment industry by surprise.

"I'm just shocked that Nederlander was able to counter with a number high enough to keep her from accepting ABC's offer to become a judge on Dancing With The Stars," joked long time friend Jim Delaney with Activate Sports and Entertainment.

Contact: (323) 817-6108

Colorado Rising is expected to raise more than $500,000 for Colorado flood relief.

September brought devastating floods to Colorado, resulting in nine fatalities and an estimated more than $2 billion in property damage. AEG Live Rocky Mountains and Live Nation are putting the power of music behind recovery efforts with their sold-out Colorado Rising benefit concert on Oct. 27 at the 6,500-capacity 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo.

According to AEG Live Rocky Mountains President and CEO Chuck Morris, the lineup of Colorado musicians including members of the Lumineers, The Fray, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, and an appearance by Dave Matthews set this benefit apart.

“We have a great music community and we can’t thank the artists enough for contributing their time,” he said, adding that there was “no pitch to try to get the artists to play — everyone wanted to help.”

AEG Live Rocky Mountains and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment operate the facility in a partnership, Peak Entertainment. AEG Live Rocky Mountains isn’t charging for the use of the facility, and will donate food and beverage profits from the concert as well as ticket sales, parking and merchandise profits to The United Ways of Colorado Flood Recovery Fund.

“We’ve gone to all of our purveyors and all of them have come in and are working at a ‘cost-of-goods’ situation, from the merchandise sellers to the parking company to the sound and lighting company,” said Don Strasburg, VP and Sr. Talent Buyer at AEG Rocky Mountains.

Donating all of the proceeds means the company won’t make a cent putting on the benefit concert — a prospect that doesn’t bother Morris.

“We’ll not make any money from the benefit show, but shame on us if we don’t do something like this,” he said.

The full Colorado Rising lineup.

More than $100,000 has been raised for the event just from corporate donations and sponsorship.

“The Colorado United Way Network is honored to be the beneficiary of the Colorado Rising Benefit Concert,” said Christine Benero, president and CEO of Mile High United Way. “The generosity of AEG Live, Live Nation and the artists that have come together to raise awareness for long-term recovery efforts still needed in Colorado speaks to their love and commitment to our state.”

Benero added that she expects Colorado Rising will raise more than $500,000 for relief efforts.

Tickets ranged from $65 to $125 and sold out just one-and-a-half minutes after going on sale, Oct. 18.

“In my 43 years in the business I’ve never had a concert sell out this quickly,” said Morris.

The concert is presented by local media 97.3 KBCO and CBS4 Denver, as well as supported by The Gill Foundation’s Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado and CH2MHill.

One of Morris’ employees lost his entire house, while another worker’s apartment was completely flooded, which brought the impact of the floods home to the AEG Live Rocky Mountains offices. Morris said he and good friend John Hickenlooper, the governor of Colorado, had been discussing putting together a benefit since the first second of the floods.

“Coloradans unite during crisis — so does the music community. We are thrilled so many musicians are coming together for this flood relief concert,” Hickenlooper said in a press release. “We are grateful AEG Live, Live Nation and other community partners are stepping up to help Colorado communities impacted by the historic flooding.”

Strasburg said that it’s the job of the entertainment community not only to give people an outlet from the daily tolls of life, but also to step up and contribute during a crisis.

“It’s incumbent upon everybody who operates facilities and puts on entertainment to lead the charge when their communities are affected,” he said. “We hope that other people recognize, if they haven’t already, that it’s a critical part of our responsibility to offer help during crisis.”

Interviewed for this story: Christine Benero, (303) 561-2143; Chuck Morris and Don Strasburg, (720) 931-8700

An aerial view of the proposed expansion, including the rooftop park. (Photo by San Diego Convention Center)

The California Coastal Commission reached a unanimous decision Oct. 10 to approve the San Diego Convention Center and Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel Expansion.

Alhough a unanimous vote makes it sound like an easy decision, the approval from the California Coastal Commission wasn’t a sure thing.

“The [California Coastal Commission] staff actually issued a denial report against the proposal,” said Steven Johnson, SDCC VP Public Affairs.  “I think the commissioners themselves were convinced that the project was valuable to the region and would improve the waterfront experience by improving pedestrian access, views of the bay and the addition of a five-acre park overlooking the water.”

An expansion could be very valuable for the region, indeed. In a recent survey of 64 clients or key prospects of SDCC by Red 7 Media Research and Consulting, 98 percent stated that it was “extremely important/critical” or “very important” to have enough contiguous exhibit hall space within a single venue complex.

“We have contiguous space, we just don’t have enough of it,” said Johnson.

The $520-million project designed by Fentress Architects, John Portman & Associates, and Civitas will increase the amount of contiguous event space by more than 200,000 sq. ft., for a total of 750,000 sq. ft. It will also double space with the addition of an 80,000-sq.-ft. ballroom. Financing for the project is still under appeal. The proposed financing plan will pull $3.5 million annually from the city of San Diego, $60 million from the San Diego Unified Port District, and additional funds from hotel taxes.

A look at the proposed expansion from the bay. (Photo by San Diego Convention Center)

One major client feeling the space crunch is Comic-Con International: San Diego, the annual comic convention that has been at the facility since 1970. According to Johnson, the convention, which generates a $175-million annual economic impact with nearly $3 million in tax revenues for the city, outgrew the facility several years ago.

David Glanzer, director of Marketing and Public Relations for Comic-Con, said that although Comic-Con began with a 300-person event, attendance has ballooned. The convention has had to cap its attendance at 130,000 for the last six-seven years because of the limited space at the facility.

“The last few years the show has had more of a campus atmosphere as we’ve had to move and expand outside of the convention center to surrounding venues and hotels,” said Glanzer.

Comic-Con is contracted with SDCC until 2016. Should the financing appeals be resolved in the coming months, construction for the 30-month expansion project will break ground in 2015 to be completed in 2018.

“Believe it or not, when we negotiate we really won’t take the expansion into consideration — we haven’t in our last two turns negotiating because we haven’t known where the project stands, and even with this month’s decision there are still a few hurdles to cross,” said Glanzer. He added that Comic-Con International is based in San Diego and would ideally like to continue at the facility if logistical concerns like space and financial concerns of too-high hotel rates can be mitigated.

The company also operates WonderCon at Anaheim Convention Center and Alternative Press Expo at Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco, so they know “it’s possible to do shows outside of San Diego.”

One Group not so thrilled with the Coastal Commission’s decision is the National Football League’s San Diego Chargers. The approval of the SDCC expansion effectively dismissed the Chargers’ latest proposal for a combined convention center and stadium, which would have relocated the Chargers away from Qualcomm Stadium where the team has played since 1967.

“The Spanos family [which owns the Chargers] has been at work for more than a decade trying to find a publicly acceptable stadium solution in San Diego,” said Mark Fabiani, Chargers' special counsel to the president. “The downtown combined convention facility-stadium is only the most recent of our many proposals to have been shot down by the city’s elected officials and bureaucrats.”

In light of the decision, the Chargers are revisiting a former plan to redevelop the existing Qualcomm Stadium site and use revenues from the development to help pay for construction. In the plan, the city would provide the land to a private developer who would agree to finance the cost of the stadium along with the Chargers and the NFL. The developer could continue to develop the acreage to recoup their investment with a reasonable rate of return.

“Whether the economy and real estate market are strong enough to support this idea at this time is still unknown, as is the level of interest, if any, of the city in this idea,” said Fabiani. Each year between Feb. 1- April 30, the team’s lease allows them to relocate upon payment of a relocation fee to the city of San Diego.

“In 2014 that fee is specified in the lease as approximately $21 million,” detailed Fabiani, though no concrete decision as to whether relocation will be necessary has been made.

Interviewed for this story:  Mark Fabiani, (858) 874-4500; David Glanzer, (619) 414-1020; Steven Johnson, (619) 525-5000

Journey plays to a sold-out crowd at Kansas Star Arena, Aug. 24.

This upcoming year will be telling for the Kansas Star Arena. Although the building has been opened since September 2011, only a minimal number of events have been held, since the space served solely as a temporary casino until Dec. 2012.

“We’ve only held a limited number of events this past year, since we didn’t know how long the transformation from casino to arena would take,” said Tim Lanier, general manager of the arena and arena director of Mulvane, Kan.-based Boyd Gaming Corp., which operates the venue. “We didn’t want to book anything till we were far along in the project.”

The arena’s opening date was originally slated for last July, but was moved up to June 29.

The building’s use as a temporary casino was due to a gaming control mandate that required the casino be operational within one year of being licensed. This required a staged approach for the project, which also includes a 150-room hotel, which will soon double in size, and five restaurants.

“With the gaming license requirement, we knew we couldn’t build a casino [within the time frame necessary] so we needed to build something utilitarian in nature,” said Rob Holfriter, associate of Las Vegas-based YWS, which designed the facility. “Boyd Gaming wanted to give patrons a suggestion of what’s to come by allocating temporary space in the arena for the casino.”

Retrofitting the arena to serve as a temporary casino was thought to be more cost-effective and efficient than utilizing tent space.

Because the original 45,000-square-foot arena floor design could not accommodate the casino, only the upper four seating tiers could be built in the first phase. Four more permanent seating tiers, four concrete steps and six removable rows were created after the casino vacated the building.

The arena casino also included temporary restaurants and cocktail bars that were then moved into the permanent casino when it was completed. The arena’s main entrance vestibule served as the casino’s dining area.

Office space was created on the second floor concourse, while underneath served as executive offices that were later transformed into animal pens and storage spaces for the arena.

Mechanical rooms beneath the floor on the opposite side of the arena were expanded prior to the venue’s reopening.

“The facility was built with the intention that it would be an arena, and we had the structural systems in for suspending lighting and rigging above the proposed stage area,” Holfriter said. “While the space served as a casino, we created a suspended grid ceiling system using rodeo fencing panels over the gaming tables.”

Electrical systems were put in to accommodate the arena’s future needs prior to the casino occupying the space. This included large amounts of conduit as well as electrical boxes in the floor to allow the space to be used as a convention facility.

Transforming the space back to its original form included the removal of glass doors, the installation of overhead doors and converting office space into a storage area. A club section was turned into green rooms and the casino’s concourse office space was transformed back into a walkway area. House lighting and sound were augmented during the period when the facility was being transformed from a casino to an arena. Restrooms were also added.

The new horseshoe-shaped arena was originally built as an equestrian center but has since been designated as a multiuse space for concerts, family shows, rodeos and sporting events. It now includes 1,800 seats on retractable risers and 4,000 fixed seats. The arena floor can accommodate another 2,500 seats. There also are four suites and a club level.

Since the arena opened in June, band Daughtry performed in July and Journey played to a sold-out crowd in August. On Oct. 27, Top Vietnamese Artists, Live in Concert, will perform. Comedienne/actor Rodney Carrington has a show scheduled for Nov. 8 and on Dec. 13, Celtic Woman Home for Christmas: The Symphony Tour will perform.

“Next year is our year to come out,” Lanier said.

Interviewed for this article:  Rob Holfriter, (702) 243-5670; Tim Lanier, (316) 719-5000

Demi Lovato performed at this year's Los Angeles County Fair.

Some warm weather – even for southern California – prompted a slight decline in attendance at the Los Angeles County Fair, dropping 2.3 percent to 1,438,514 from last year’s 1,473,371.

“We had a hot first two weeks, which is absolutely normal and typical,” said Michael Chee, the fair’s director of Marketing, Community and Public Relations. “We did get into triple digits. That’s why we didn’t see stronger crowds.”

The last three weekends saw cooler temperatures, however, and the turnout improved, “especially on weekends and evenings.”

The fair ran from Aug. 30 to Sept. 30 and was closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Laveen, Ariz.-based Ray Cammack Shows placed 77 rides on the midway, including seven new rides – three kiddie rides and four adult rides.

Tony Fiori, marketing director for Ray Cammack Shows, said the carnival was up but declined to say by how much. The three new spectacular rides did well, he said. They included the Mach 1, the Freestyle and Insanity. Other rides that did well included Le Grande Wheel, Wild River, and G-Force.

Pay-one-price wristbands cost $50, Chee said. “It was good for a limited number of hours a day,” he added.

No one sold out the 10,000-seat grandstand, Chee said, although Ramon Ayala Y Los Bravos Del Norte had a near-capacity crowd; while Ke$ha drew about 7,500.

Other musical acts included War, Trace Adkins, Charlie Wilson, the Brothers Johnson and Rose Royce, Los Lobos, Los Tigres Del Norte, The Jacksons, Tower of Power, Demi Lovato, Celebracion El Grito, Shinedown, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Zendaya, and the 40th anniversary tour of Bad Company.

“That was quite full,” Chee said. “The 40th anniversary tour had a lot of promotion.”

A limited number of tickets are given away on the day of the concert; otherwise, tickets ranged from $19.50 to $25 for the grandstand; $24 to $45 for side box seating; $27 to $55 for center box seating; and $75 to $125 for floor seating.

Chee declined to release the entertainment budget but said concert revenues were up 15 percent over last year.

Gate admission for adults cost $19 on weekends, $2 more than last year, and $12 on weekdays. The admission for children cost $18 on weekends and $12 on weekdays, while senior citizens paid $15 and $10.

The overall fair budget was $33 million. The marketing budget was $2 million.

“I think we made a strong push on social media,” Chee said.

Also, the fair introduced a mobile app for iPhones and Androids.

“That was a really successful tool for us,” Chee said. “Fairgoers were able to find any event, time and location they wanted to see at the fair by using the phone after downloading the app. It also provided a GPS service so you could find yourself.”

Also, fairgoers who were on the grounds while using the app received special notifications that they could take advantage of “in real time,” Chee added.

To close the fair, Chee said, the fair sponsored an eating contest featuring a new fair food, Krispy Kreme double cheeseburgers. The contest utilized social media.

“It was all coordinated and orchestrated through social media,” Chee said. “It’s something we are going to use earlier starting with next year’s fair. It has a lot of possibilities. An eating contest is perfect for social media.”

Interviewed for this article: Michael Chee, (909) 865-4290; Tony Fiori, (602) 763-2363

Fairgoers enjoy The Extreme Scream Tower at Washington State Fair in Puyallup. 

Rain prompted an attendance decline at the newly-named Washington State Fair, formerly the Western Washington Fair in Puyallup, but officials have decided to quit releasing exact figures.

“The board and the fair talked about this and we were going to phase out reporting attendance,” said CEO Kent Hojem, the fair’s CEO. “There is so much attention to attendance and it takes away from other aspects of the fair.”

Last year, the fair hit 1,117,323, according to Venues Today’s reporting, putting the fair at No. 13 on the Top 50 Fairs in North America 2012.

Hojem declined not only to give the 2013 attendance figure for the Sept. 6-22 event, but also to reveal how much the fair was down.

“I can tell you why we were down,” he added. “Opening day was one of the worst opening days. It was directly related. We had a couple inches of rain overnight and it continued to rain until mid- to late afternoon. It was just miserable weather on opening day.”

The fair experienced rain on other key days, such as the middle Sunday. “Four of the six traditional largest-attendance days, we had very bad weather.”

In spite of the attendance dip, per caps for food and rides were up significantly with no significant cost increases.

“I think people who came to the fair spent more money and stayed longer and took more time to enjoy the product,” Hojem said.

At the conclusion of last year’s fair, officials announced that what had been known as the Western Washington Fair would become the Washington State Fair in 2013. That required a $1 million-plus marketing undertaking that included the changing of more than 1,000 signs as well as introducing the new name to fairgoers.

“We got very positive feedback from Seattle/King County,” Hojem said. “They understand – there is an immediate recognition of what a state fair is.”

However, in the city of Puyallup, some residents were not as happy. “There was pushback locally, because Puyallup is a very proud city, and they love their name associated with the fair. We did have locals who were hesitant about the name change. Hopefully, over time, we will make converts out of them.”

Portland, Ore.-based Funtastic Shows placed 72 rides on the midway. A new inverted roller coaster that was purchased by the fair and assembled and operated by Funtastic Shows, called the Rainier Rush, came in at No. 5.

“Part of the reason the per caps were up was the new coaster,” Hojem said.

The fair’s other two coasters, the Wildcat that is owned by Funtastic, and the Classic Coaster, jointly owned by the fair and the carnival, came in at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively. The Extreme Scream tower ride was No. 4 and the giant slide was No. 1.

New this year was the ability for fairgoers to buy pay-one-price wristbands, called the Dizzy Pass, for weekend days, just on the first Saturday and Sunday. Those cost $35 on the grounds or $27.50 in advance. Otherwise, weekday wristbands cost $25 on the grounds or $27.50 in advance.

Carrie Underwood sold out the 10,000-seat Northwest Concert Center, an outdoor covered grandstand with an open infield, Hojem said. Kid Rock did not quite sell out, “but he was a big seller,” he added.

Little Big Town also did well, Hojem said.

Other acts included Craig Morgan and Trace Adkins, who each sang after a night of rodeo in a 6,000-seat setup. Adkins sold 6,000 seats but it was not considered a sellout because tickets that allowed concert-goers to stand in the dirt did not sell out, Hojem said.

Fair CEO Kent Hojem judges one of the contests at Washington State Fair.

Also playing in the 10,000-seat configuration were Al Jarreau with the Tacoma Symphony; Cheap Trick; Roberto Tapia & Fiestas Patrias Music Festival; Alabama; Raise the Roof! with Jeremy Camp, Tenth Avenue North, Kutless and Jars of Clay; Larry the Cable Guy; Carly Jepsen with Hot Chelle Rae; and Austin Mahone and Bridgit Mendler.

Cee Lo Green was scheduled to perform Sept. 12 but canceled because of laryngitis, which did not help the concert series’ bottom line, Hojem said.

Fans could get a refund or use the ticket toward the purchase of another concert ticket, either paying toward or getting refunded for the difference, Hojem said. If they get a refund, they still get to keep the concert ticket to use as admission, which is free with the purchase.

“His big fans grumbled that the show got canceled, but there was no grumbling about the policy,” Hojem added. “The policy is pretty liberal.”

Most concert tickets ranged in price from $25 to $75. Tickets for Underwood and Kid Rock cost $45 to $95, he added.

Hojem also declined to release any budget numbers but said less money was spent on acts this year than last.

“We didn’t start out doing that,” he said. “It just depends who we can book. Our lineup was less and our gross was less.”

Gate admission cost $12.50 for adults and $9 for senior citizens and students. A variety of deals brought the advance ticket generally to around $9 for an adult, he added.

In marketing, fair officials had to make sure prospective attendees connected the Washington State Fair with the Western Washington Fair, which they did through advertising, including using the Western Washington Fair’s old tagline, “Do the Puyallup!” after the new name.

The new name also contributed to the additional per caps through the purchase of merchandise featuring the new Washington State Fair name, Hojem added.

“More people bought ball caps and T-shirts and all that good stuff because of the new name,” he said. “They wanted to make sure they got something from the first year of the Washington State Fair.”

Karen LaFlamme, the fair’s public relations counsel, noted that one goal of the newly-named fair was to extend the reach to the nearby Seattle area, about 35 miles away.

This included entering a fair float in the city’s Seafair Torchlight Parade, putting up pole banners in the city and working with the Sounder Train to provide service from Seattle to Puyallup on the second and third Saturdays of the fair.

Fair officials also set up a mini-version of the fair, featuring six tents and two signs at Westlake Park, which LaFlamme called “a key location in the middle of businesses, stores and condos the day before the fair started” in an outline submitted to the International Association of Fairs & Expositions.

“We also put a more focused effort on multiposts daily on Facebook and Twitter, as well as rolling out our Instagram and Pinterest sites,” she added.

Next year’s dates will be Sept. 5-21.

Interviewed for this article: Kent Hojem and Karen LaFlamme, (253) 845-1771

New LED lighting brightens the exterior of Wells Fargo Center.

From the day Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia opened, there was always a desire to improve the building's exterior lighting.

Because of the poor illumination around the outside of the multipurpose arena, the 18-year-old venue appeared to be inactive at night time - even while hosting its two pro sports tenants, the National Hockey League's Philadelphia Flyers and National Basketball Association's Philadelphia 76ers.

This hockey and basketball season, however, the outside world will have no questions about whether the Flyers or 76ers are in action. Owner Comcast-Spectacor invested in LED lighting that will brighten the arena in team colors to match the evening's event.

“We really wanted to give people driving by on I-95, the major interstate going by the building, a sense of what's going on just based on the color of the building,” said Vice President of Operations at Comcast-Spectacor Mike Ahearn.

During the Flyers' game, the team's home color orange will light up the sky around the Wells Fargo Center. On a 76ers' night, it will be blue and red. The design allows for motion lighting, with the colors changing at different angles.

The lights won't be limited to just the Flyers and 76ers. Wells Fargo Center will show its support for the other local sports teams, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Phillies, by lighting up in Eagles' green and Phillies' red when the two teams are home. On days in October where there isn't a local sporting event, the facility will radiate pink to represent breast cancer awareness month.

“During concerts and nonspecific color events, we'll use a rainbow scheme,” Ahearn said. “The building will gradually change color over a 30-minute period, from blue to red to green to purple to orange to yellow, back to blue. So the building may be blue when you walk in, but green when you leave.”

The project began several years ago when Wells Fargo bought naming rights to the building, which had previously been called Wachovia Center. In the process of replacing signage outside the facility, Wells Fargo decided to have the signs lit from within, rather than by spotlights as it was during the Wachovia days.

“We looked at that as an opportunity to reevaluate the way the building is presented at night-time,” said Ahearn. “We also wanted to highlight the architectural feature of our roof line, which had never really been done properly.”

Operators Global Spectrum worked with a local electrical company called Gexpro to find LED designers and manufacturers Lumenpulse of Montreal, Quebec.

Founded in 2006, Lumenpulse luminaries have been used in notable projects such as The Shard in London, BC Place Stadium in Vancouver and Soldier Field in Chicago.

Installation began this spring and wrapped up during the summer, just in time for the October start of hockey and preseason basketball. The total cost  ran “in the hundreds of thousands,” according to Ahearn.

One of the challenges during the installation was finding balance in different-sized lighting areas.

“In one area of our north end, we have a wall that's around 60 feet tall that we're trying to light from the roof, then immediately next to it there is an area where you are only 15 feet in front of the roof line,” Ahearn said. “So we had to take a lot of time balancing the light levels so the building has a consistent look to it.”

There are no immediate plans to further increase LED lighting around the arena, but Ahearn said there are other areas that he can see where lights can be added to envelop the building in color.

“We didn't want to make that big of an investment all at one time,” he said. “We wanted to get a feel for what we are doing and make sure there was a positive reaction. But with this system, we can certainly add more and increase the presence of color around the building.”

Global Spectrum still wants to stay conservative about how the lights are used so as not to turn Wells Fargo Center into a Las Vegas-like attraction with wild strobe lights, but one idea that may come down the road is having the LED lights flash when the Flyers score.

Ahearn said the new lights run more efficiently than the old white lights, reducing energy costs in the long run.

Interviewed for this story: Mike Ahearn, (727) 456-1171

Jon Dorman (Photo by David Polston)

AEG Facilities has appointed Jon Dorman general manager for Rabobank Arena, Theater & Convention Center; San Joaquin Community Hospital Ice Center of Bakersfield and Bright House Networks Amphitheatre, all in Bakersfield, Calif. Prior to joining AEG Facilities, Dorman worked for the City of Norfolk (Va.) as the assistant director of the Department of Cultural Facilities Arts and Entertainment for several venues and served as deputy director of the Orlando (Fla.) Venues Department, where he was responsible for assisting in the planning, organization and operations for Orlando Venues' five facilities. Dorman graduated from the University of Central Florida. He has served on the District V Scholarship Committee and the International Stadium Management Committee for the International Association of Venue Managers.

Kevin Neal with Buddy Lee Attractions, Marc Dennis with CAA, Mike Dungan from Universal Music Group Nashville, Pam Matthews from IEBA, Paul Lohr with New Frontier Touring, Rob Beckham of WME, Steve Lassiter from APA and Jonathan Levine from Paradigm gather prior to the Agents Panel at the International Entertainment Buyers Association, Oct. 19-22.(VT Photo)

REPORTING FROM NASHVILLE — With record companies spending fewer and fewer dollars to develop acts, many agents have seen their roles in an artist's career expanded — sometimes dramatically.

The demise of the American music label and recorded album sales has shifted the task of discovering new artists and developing their careers over to the agents who book their tours. During the Agents Panel at the International Entertainment Buyers Association conference in Nashville, Oct. 19-22, a number of top booking agents addressed the demise of Artists and Repertoire (A&R) at major record labels and the changing importance of recorded music to an artist's career.

"It used to be that agents were the last guys an artist brought in," said Mike Dungan, Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group Nashville, who moderated the agents panel at IEBA. "Artists would do their work, get discovered by a manager or publisher, then go to a label and get a label deal. It was usually the label that would go to a booking agent of their choice and say ‘we really think we got something here, will you book their tour?'" 

“A criticism I heard for years is that booking agents didn’t have any skin in the game," he added. "They never paid any money in advance, they never spent anything on demos and they just signed up everyone they could get and then saw what stuck,” he said. “Now what I’ve noticed is that (agents) come to me first (with new bands), before my A&R Departments.”

The decline in income an artist receives from labels has meant more pressure to make money on the road, explained Rob Beckham, WME. “That means they need to figure out how to build their own fan base. By the time they come into a market and have been playing for awhile, they’re able to bring more than a voice or a song. They deliver a great live show to a fan base they can bring to the table, which makes it much easier to get their songs played.”

Marc Dennis with CAA said artists are going to agents much earlier in their career cycles — he pointed to country artist Kip Moore, who first approached CAA “really early in his career with a notebook full of songs. He didn’t know how to tour, didn’t have a band and just had a dream,” he said. “We went to work for him and about six months later, I called his A&R manager at Universal to start moving things a little faster. You can break an artist on the road without radio, but it takes a really long time and we felt that, with Kip, we needed more singles to speed up the process.”

Dennis worked with Kip to get an album recorded — “and by the time the label’s promotion guys started calling the radio stations to get his songs played, Kip already had some equity in those markets and that made it a lot easier (for the labels).”

Touring has become the most effective marketing tool an artist has, and more agents find themselves running interference at the record labels to release new material that can help promote those tours.

“You still have to have an artist who is willing to work his ass off and put equity in the game,” said Beckham, noting that the ability to deliver a great live show has become more important than an album cycle with plenty of hit songs.

“What a band does live now makes the difference,” said Steve Lassiter with APA. “Not only what they do on the stage, but more importantly, the reaction they get from the audience. That’s often what we look for when we decide whether or not we’re going to go with an artist.”

Lassiter acknowledged that a booking agent might not make a financial investment in an artist like labels do, but said “what we do hand over is manpower. It costs us a lot of money to have these developing acts because of the staff it takes to work with them. We lose money a lot of times and it takes years and years of hard work (to break a band).”

Jonathan Levine with Paradigm said “the locomotive behind the train is now the live show,” later adding, “and that means the A&R used for signing and scouting talent is really not coming from the label side, but more from promoters and people I know who are plugged into the live music scene.”

It’s meant a shift in the way agents look at an artist's career potential — the need to play lots of live shows and touring on the cheap means that work ethic and a positive attitude are just as important as sheer talent. Levine said he’s much more selective about who he signs because of the work involved in building an artist’s career.

“If we’re signing an artist based on a hit or an intangible that we can’t control, then we’re making a mistake,” he said. “The live performance is the only thing we can control. No one can stop a great act from getting on stage and playing.”

Recalling his early days with Florida Georgia Line, Kevin Neal with Buddy Lee Attractions said he first heard the group on a Sirius XM radio program for unsigned artists, and a few months later, he decided to give the two boys a shot at opening for Colt Ford.

“As soon as I saw the show, I knew I was in,” he said. “It was the way they acted and the way they greeted people after the show. They were willing to get in the van and find guys to play with them for $100-a-pop because they believed in them as artists.”

Neal said the band wasn’t in a rush to get a label deal — in fact their manager held them back a bit because “they just weren’t ready yet. When they finally finished their song ‘Cruise,’ they started looking and that’s when I sent an email to (the labels).”

In that sense, it’s all about “having the artist prepared when they have a giant spotlight shined on them,” added Dennis. That could mean the success of a radio single or an appearance on an awards show — “moments they need to take advantage of. If they’re not prepared for that moment, they’re missing out on an opportunity.”

Interviewed for this article: Mike Dungan, (615) 324-7797; Rob Beckham, (615) 963-3000; Marc Dennis, (615) 383-8787; Steve Lassiter, (615) 297-0100; Jonathan Levine, (615) 251-4400; Kevin Neal, (615) 244-4336

The Eagles in concert.

The Eagles are making their way around North America with their History of the Eagles Live in Concert tour. The band grossed more than $3.8 million for two shows at American Airlines Center inDallas attended by a combined 27,672 fans. Their Intrust Bank Arena show in Wichita, Kan., Oct. 7, grossed more than $1.3 million with ticket prices topping out at $169. Coming up, The Eagles stop at Sprint Center in Kansas City,  Mo., Oct. 23, before heading to Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Oct. 24. The band then heads up to Canada for two performances in the first week of November. The Eagles will finish their History of the Eagles tour with three final concerts at the repurposed and renovated Forum in Inglewood, Calif., Jan. 22 and Jan. 24-25.

Elton John's Million Dollar Piano residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, clocked the highest gross on this week's Hot Tickets chart, with the 14 shows earning nearly $9 million. Almost 58,000 fans flocked to Las Vegas to see the show, promoted in-house by Caesars Entertainment. Tickets ranged $55-$175. Oct. 12 marked the last of Sir Elton's Las Vegas residency; however, he kicks off a U.S. and international tour Nov. 8 at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn. He continues around the U.S. until Dec. 6, when he makes his first international stop at Crocus City Hall in Moscow.

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 Sept. 24-Oct. 22.




















Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square in Washington.

Washington’s International Spy Museum has likely found its permanent home in the basement of the historic Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square. The District of Columbia’s official convention and sports authority, Events DC, along with museum owner, the Malrite Company, have announced a proposal to redevelop Mt. Vernon Square, with groundbreaking projected in 2015 and a grand reopening in 2017. 

While specific details of the project are still being worked out and a price tag has yet to be revealed, Events DC President and CEO Greg O’Dell said the proposal is indeed a partnership, and the Malrite Company will be sharing the cost with the city. As the proposed plan entails redeveloping on federal property, the review processes with various local and federal agencies to get final approval and officially move forward with the project are quite extensive.

Although the plan will add 58,000 square feet of new space to the library, O’Dell said very little will actually be done to the existing building as most of the new space will be created underneath the library, where the Spy Museum will be permanently relocated. The project will also include the addition of a state-of-the-art Visitors Center, an outdoor amphitheater and special events venue, a public playground and park area, an above ground café and retail space, and consolidation and renovation of existing space for the Historical Society of Washington’s gallery and offices.

Executive Director of the Spy Museum Peter Earnest said the move to the library will allow the museum more space to host temporary exhibits, which it is unable to do due to limited space in its current location at 800 F St.

“The idea is to be able to bring in an exhibit temporarily, and, if it’s popular, have it travel,” Earnest said. The museum opened “The Enemy Within,” a perspective on terrorism in American history, in 2005 and it’s been traveling ever since. To replace the exhibit, the museum opened “Operation Spy” – an interactive experience in which participants can take on the role of an international spy—with the intention of it becoming a traveling exhibit as well. Due to the exhibit’s extreme popularity, the museum has kept “Operation Spy” and no longer has space for temporary exhibits.

Earnest said another challenge the museum has had at its current location since it opened in 2002 is drawing visitors from the mall. He said the new location may still have its challenges, but the Spy Museum has earned its reputation in and around D.C. and they are fortunate that they will not have to establish a new brand. He also believes that all of the development taking place in Mt. Vernon Square will help draw more tourists and visitors to the nation’s only museum dedicated to espionage and intelligence.

“[Mt. Vernon Square] is very much a growing part of Washington,” Earnest said in reference to CityCenterDC, a 10-acre, 2.5-million-square-foot development project featuring residences, offices, shopping, restaurants, hotels and active parks scheduled for completion in January 2014. “Over the years, it’s just blossomed.”

As part of the proposal, Milton Maltz, founder of the Malrite Company and the International Spy Museum, will donate the new museum to the community, converting it from a for-profit to a nonprofit entity. Earnest said what’s proposed will be challenging and expensive, and specifics of the agreement in terms of financing have yet to be finalized. However, he said feedback from review boards and the public thus far has been positive, and he expects the plan to be approved and that the gifting of the museum to the city will allow Maltz to leave behind a legacy with the International Spy Museum as a permanent fixture in D.C.

O’Dell said discussions between Events DC and the Malrite Company started more than a year ago, eventually leading to the proposal announced in September. “We found out, by happenstance, that the Spy Museum was looking for a permanent home,” he said. Earnest said the Carnegie Library is a gorgeous building, and will be a ideal home for the museum.

When Events DC, which also owns and operates the adjacent Walter E. Washington Convention Center, acquired the Carnegie Library back in 2011, they began using it as special events space and it has also continued to house the Historical Society’s offices. O’Dell said the redevelopment will enable them to better capitalize on the million-plus visitors to the area each year, as well as serve residents with the addition and revitalization of outdoor park and venue space. Under the proposal, the Spy Museum will be the primary tenant of the building, and Events DC will continue maintaining and operating the grounds and library.

O’Dell believes that, coupled with the ongoing development in Mt. Vernon Square, completion of the proposed project will help fulfill Events DC’s mission to create economic and community benefits, and can also lead to the area becoming part of a conventions and entertainment district that will eventually stretch down to Pennsylvania Avenue.

Interviewed for this story: Peter Earnest, (202) 654-0946; Greg O’Dell, (202) 249-3000

Congratulations to our 2013 Hall of Headlines Award Recipients! Venues Today will be highlighting their accomplishments in our upcoming December Year-End Issue.

Contact your account rep to reserve a congratulatory ad by Nov. 22nd!

NEWS

Bruce Ratner & Brett Yormark
Majority owner and developer of Barclays Center and executive chairman of Forest City Ratner Companies, and CEO of Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Nets, respectively
For revolutionizing the largest sports and entertainment market in the U.S. with the development and programming of Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The venue hosted more than 200 events and attracted more than two million people in its first year, having opened Sept. 28, 2012. Ratner and Yormark brought a major professional sports team to the borough for the first time since the Dodgers left in 1957. Barclays Center Facebook likes increased by 555 percent and Twitter followers increased by 308 percent since the opening of the venue.

BOOKINGS

John Bolton & Jeff Nickler
GM, and Asst. GM for SMG, respectively, at BOK Center, Tulsa, Okla.
For creating the 5th Anniversary Concert Series.

To commemorate the venue’s fifth anniversary, Bolton and Nickler decided to create an anniversary concert series with five blockbuster acts. The celebration included six sold-out shows: two back-to-back Paul McCartney performances, Justin Timberlake, Jimmy Buffett, the Eagles, and native Oklahoman Blake Shelton. The Eagles and Paul McCartney had also served as the venue’s opening act and first anniversary performance, respectively.

OPS & TECH

Steve Goodling and Charlie Bierne
Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau President and CEO, and SMG/Long Beach Arena General Manager, respectively
For implementing a state-of-the-art curtaining system at Long Beach Arena that will increase functionality for meetings.

The new $10-million rigging system is North America's largest tension grid, and the only one in the world that raises and lowers. It will transform the arena bowl into the Pacific Ballroom – Long Beach Arena when required. The system will also allow venue management to rescale the Long Beach Arena and create added flexibility for promoters and event organizers. The setup will also include state-of-the-art sound and lighting, and can be scaled for events up to 5,000.

MARKETING

Peter Luukko & Kevin Lovitt
President/COO Comcast-Spectacor, and President of Pointstreak, respectively
For bringing Electronic 50/50 Raffles to Philadelphia.

On April 23, the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, playing the Boston Bruins at the Wells Fargo Center, raised $85,000 in a 50/50 raffle and gave half to Boston Strong. The law in Philadelphia did not allow 50/50 raffles worth over $500 when this idea was hatched. Pointstreak and the Flyers worked in concert to get the legislation changed and now it is legal for hockey and basketball in Pennsylvania. The raffles are a game changer, enhancing the fan experience at events.

CONCESSIONS

Tim Ryan
Anaheim Ducks Executive Vice President/COO and Honda Center CEO
For taking concessions in house and opening a new flagship dining concept.

The Grand Terrace is a 15,000-sq.-ft. members-only indoor/outdoor entertainment space run by new executive chef Joseph Doyle. Located on the San Manuel Premium Level of Honda Center, the location features more than 100 feet of bar space, upscale décor, unique menu options, and outdoor fire pits — season passes to the Grand Terrace sold out shortly after groundbreaking. The Grand Terrace is part of a major overhaul at the building that also includes the new Anaheim Ducks Team Store Powered by Reebok and a 250-seat restaurant by Wolfgang Puck.

Bogart & Co. serves as a retail space during events and can be rented out for private parties.

With $1 million invested in a new catering and restaurant space and $350,000 in kitchen renovations, Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center has revitalized its food and beverage service in the last two years.

Bogart & Co. opened this spring and has already brought in business both for private events and as a retail space. Formerly an underutilized area used mostly as a ‘boneyard’ for storage, Sr. VP at Savor Shaun Beard said the space has been rebranded as a destination.

“It’s really driven food and beverage revenue by making sure we have a very nice, plush and comfortable place to dine,” added Beard.

Rosie Romo, director of Culinary Operations for Savor at Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, said that it’s been exciting figuring out what Bogart & Co. is when it’s not being used for private events.

The 6,500-sq.-ft. space “has a cool 1950s feel that is timeless yet contemporary,” said Long Beach CVB President & CEO Steve Goodling. It is decorated with dark woods and an LED-lit translucent wall. There are three distinct, rentable spaces including the bar area, the main dining room and a separate dining area.

The Long Beach Symphony Orchestra recently rented out the space for a recital for their donors.

“They brought in an oboist and a pianist and had a recital right here in the restaurant with theater seating,” said Goodling. “Even when we remodeled I never envisioned that type of use for it, but they did. It continues to be used in ways none of us ever thought possible.”

Charlie Beirne, Veronica Quintero and Rosie Romo get comfortable in one of the booths at Bogart & Co. (VT Photo)

The food at Bogart & Co. changes by event and items are cooked and plated live at two chef action stations in the restaurant. For something like Fred Hall’s Fishing, Tackle and Boat Show held at the venue each March, “the Caprese salad didn’t make it on the menu,” said Romo, who opted for heartier options to appeal to the demographic.

“The Kobe beef burger was going crazy,” said Region Food and Beverage Director for Savor Veronica Quintero, based at Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, who added that the menu can change midshow depending on demand. 

Fred Hall’s Fishing, Tackle and Boat Show is a five-day event so the menu can change to cater to what the audience has liked. After the first day, Romo changed the digital menu boards to highlight the Bogart Burger.

“The menu boards offer the flexibility really necessary in today’s market,” said Romo.

One of Bogart & Co.’s most popular dishes, the Bogart Burger is a half-pound of Kobe beef with Bogart’s signature sun dried tomato spread, deep fried apple wood smoked bacon and gruyere cheese topped with butter-sautéed onions and fresh arugula on a roll made out of challah and brioche bread. The burger is served with house-fried chips and costs $14.

Romo is also known for her Baja California Sustainable Ceviche ($12), which is a vibrant green color due to a cilantro-based citrus chimichurri that is used to marinate the fish and shrimp. Romo is especially proud of her potato tacos. “Basically it’s my mother’s recipe revamped,” she said. She sautees potatoes in garlic and onion, adds tomato paste and seasoning in a tortilla and deep fries the small tacos. They are finished with a light, tomato-based salsa, cotija cheese and micro-greens.

There are three kitchens at Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center: one hot, one cold, and a cold-hot combination. Of the kitchen renovations, Romo is most excited about her new ‘combi’ (combination heat and steam) ovens.

“The quality of the food has increased exponentially because by using combination steam and heat we’re actually putting moisture back into the food,” she said.

Savor handles food for events in any part of the facility, including the arena in any set up, Bogart & Co., the exhibit halls and convention center, two theaters, or even off-premise at locations like the nearby lagoon for companies hosting events at the venue.

Interviewed for this story: Shaun Beard, (610) 729-7900; Steve Goodling, (562) 495-8350; Veronica Quintero and Rosie Romo, (562) 499-7565

From the Rolling Stones to the Who, Long Beach Arena has hosted some great moments in rock ‘n’ roll. Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center’s repositioning and renovation gives the venue a modern design, but also harkens back to the facility’s rich history.

The new spaces reflect some of the greatest shows played at the facility with photos from previous events displayed throughout. Though guests will be in a contemporary and technologically upgraded facility, the building’s history remains an important part of the design.

“From my perspective of being here for just a couple of years, you walk around and immediately know the history,” said facility GM Charlie Beirne. “You walk into the green room and see photos of all the acts and talent that have played here over the years.”

Giving the venue’s history a prominent presence in the design was important because of the building’s status within the community of Long Beach. The Long Beach Arena was the first part of the complex to be built. It was constructed on the site of the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in 1962. 

“It’s really fun if you talk with locals because they remember attending these concerts,” said Long Beach Convention and Visitor’s Bureau President & CEO Steve Goodling.

The arena was the site of several recordings for live concert albums or videos, including “How the West Was Won” by Led Zeppelin from their June 27, 1972 performance. Recently, Avenged Sevenfold released the “Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough” live album and DVD from their Sept. 16, 2008 performance.

“There are a couple generations of Long Beach citizens that have grown up with this arena,” said Theatre Project Consultants’ Michael Ferguson, theater design consultant for the Pacific Ballroom project. “Chances are they know exactly where it is because they were there at some point in their life seeing something totally cool.”

“Giving the arena this new identity really gives the city and SMG a chance to breathe new life into it,” he added.

Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center was one of SMG’s earliest accounts, signing with the company in 1981.

Sports have played a major part at the venue, also. The National Hockey League’s Los Angeles Kings played at the arena for the first half of their expansion season. The arena hosted volleyball for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games and in 2004 the complex hosted Olympic Trials for swimming.

“It was the first time that a temporary structure was erected for the event and the first time we saw Michael Phelps,” said Gregg Caren, executive VP-convention centers & business development for SMG. “To me, it really showed the versatility of the entire complex,” he added. “Anyone else would have said it couldn’t be done, but we did it.”

Long Beach also has a prestigious role in convention center history, having hosted the first California Women’s conference in 1985, an event that still comes back to the venue.

Interviewed for this story: Charlie Beirne, (562) 436-3636; Gregg Caren, (610) 729-7922; Michael Ferguson, (213) 375-3688 x101; Steve Goodling, (562) 495-8350