Renderingof basketball configuration for Fairgrounds Coliseum at the Indiana State Fair, Indianapolis. Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis will play its home games at the facility next year.

Indiana State Fair officials planned to seek a hockey team to play in the under-renovation Fairgrounds Coliseum, which opens next year, but when the Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis (IUPUI) basketball team approached them, they were more than happy to work out a deal.

“It just made perfect sense for both of us,” said Andy Klotz, the fair’s public relations director, of the five-year deal. Fair officials have not disclosed the financial arrangements of the deal, he added.

Last summer, fair officials announced that the 74-year-old Pepsi Coliseum would undergo $53 million in renovations. The beverage maker did not renew its naming contract with the fair, leading the building to be renamed the Fairgrounds Coliseum. The up to 8,200-seat venue will be done in time for the August 2014 fair and in time for the 2014 IUPUI basketball season. Additionally, a new $10 million building dubbed the Youth Arena also will be constructed as an adjoining facility.

Currently, the Jaguars Division I basketball team plays in a 1,200-seat gym called The Jungle, said Ed Holdaway, the school’s assistant athletic director. The basketball configuration for the Fairgrounds Coliseum will be just under 7,000 seats, more than quintupling seating for fans.

“I wouldn’t say we were actively seeking a new home, but we knew the renovations were occurring,” Holdaway said. “It seemed like a fit and they graciously accepted. They were excited about the prospect of having us.”

IUPUI officials have considered building their own on-site gym, but the campus is landlocked and so far, “It’s not feasible in the short term.”

“The immediate answer in the short-term was, ‘Let’s partner with a pre-existing, fully renovated, easily-accessible facility and become a primary tenant and build from that,” Holdaway said.

That does not mean IUPUI officials have given up on their facility, however.

“We would never close the door to us having an on-campus facility,” Holdaway said. “That’s our end game, and the folks at the Indiana State Fairgrounds know that.”

In the meantime, IUPUI officials will be working to market the new venue to students and other fans. Because the campus is largely filled with commuter students, there is not a concern about whether or not fans will drive to the fairgrounds to see a game.

“Given the location of the fairgrounds, it’s easily accessible from all different directions of the city,” Holdaway said.

However, IUPUI officials now have to attract more than five times the number of people to the games.

“We’re not so naïve to think, ‘If you build it, they will come,’” Holdaway said. “We have some marketing strategies we’re going to use. The good thing is that we have 18 months of lead time. We’re realistically trying to gear up for that first basketball game and have success with marketing and sales strategies to draw near to that 6,500 goal.”

Neither Klotz nor Holdaway released specific terms of the agreement, but the fairgrounds will get a share of ticket and concession sales. IUPUI will use the Fairgrounds Coliseum’s in-house concessionaires, Holdaway said. Vendors for concessions, as well as ticketing, have yet to be selected, Klotz added.

IUPUI also will have the ability to attract sponsors to the arena, Holdaway noted.

“Absolutely,” he said. “That’s something that attracted us to the deal, the opportunity for increased corporate sponsorship opportunities. It’s a work in progress, so to speak. There are some opportunities for permanent signage and corporate sponsorships, whether it be on the concourse or inside the coliseum. It’s all on the negotiating table.”

The fairgrounds has plenty of parking, Klotz said, with 18,000 spots either on the grounds or in adjacent lots. More than 4,000 of the spots are located at the fairgrounds racing track and will serve as the primary parking spaces for the coliseum.

The fairgrounds will retain 100 percent of most parking revenues but will split fees from designated “VIP” spots with IUPUI, Klotz added. The parking charge has yet to be determined.
“As for sponsorships, IUPUI will have so much space available to them to sell and we will have the rest,” Klotz said. “Each entity keeps what they sell.”

International firm Populous, designers of the Marlins Park in Miami, the University of Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium and the 2008 Super Bowl XLII Stadium at the University of Phoenix Stadium, created the designs for the project, Klotz said.

The number of seats actually will be a reduction in order to make them bigger. A concourse has been added in order to separate the audience from the back-of-the-house operations.

The Youth Arena will be completely new and in spite of its name, will host events during the fair not necessarily targeted to children, Klotz said.

Fair officials still intend to attract a hockey team to the coliseum and the venue will work with the sports tenants to schedule games, which would result in the need to switch from a basketball court to an ice rink in short order.

“We’ll make it work for all parties involved,” Holdaway said. “This won’t be the first time or the last time that a basketball and hockey team have shared a facility. There will be some give and take from all interested parties. We look forward to it – it’s another fan base we can tap into as well.”

Finally, although the coliseum was last known as the Pepsi Coliseum, the title sponsorship, now worth in the neighborhood of $500,000 instead of the previous price of $170,000, is up for grabs. Pepsi remains a sponsor and retains pouring rights under a new deal.

The fair, which takes place Aug. 2-8, will host concerts on the Marsh Free Stage that will include CoCo Jones, the Happy Together Tour, Kevin Costner and Modern West, Theory of a Deadman, Styx, Joe Nichols, Montgomery Gentry and Blood, Sweat & Tears.

The Marsh Free Stage is an existing, permanent stage that accommodates an audience of about 5,000. The concert program has changed since the 2011 collapse of the grandstand stage just before Sugarland was about to perform. Seven people died and 58 were injured. The state has paid victims and their families $11 million – the original tort limit of $5 million plus an additional $6 million approved by the state legislature. In 2012, concerts were held downtown at BankersLife Fieldhouse.

“Our paid entertainers will return to the Coliseum when it reopens in 2014 and they will be ‘A-list’ entertainers,” Klotz said. “But we will also still have many other free shows on the Marsh Free Stage.” 

Interviewed for this article: Andy Klotz, (317) 372-1277; Ed Holdaway, (317) 274-2725

A rendering of the new stadium. (Photo by www.levisstadium.com)

Currently about halfway through the construction process, the new stadium for the San Francisco 49ers officially has a name. As of May 9, the New Santa Clara Stadium has been named Levi’s Stadium, thanks to a $220-million naming rights deal.

Construction of the new $1.2-billion stadium for the National Football League’s San Francisco 49ers (located in Santa Clara, Calif.) has been pretty transparent throughout. On the website, fans can take a look at the latest press releases, renderings from architects HNTB, and a live camera showcasing the progress of Turner Construction. There’s even a handy chart showing a quick view of the differences between the 49ers current home, Candlestick Park in San Francisco, and the new construction in Santa Clara. For instance, the average concourse at the new construction will be 44-feet wider than at Candlestick Park. The new stadium also adds 9,000 revenue-generating club seats. 

The 49ers are maintaining a reputation of being straightforward with this project when it comes to the facts about the naming rights deal. The team was given the task of securing naming rights by the Santa Clara Stadium Authority. Creative Artists Agency signed on in April 2011.

“CAA is part of our team and report to us weekly on sales activity and join us for many presentations,” said 49ers Director of PR Bob Lange. “Having a sales team on both coasts allowed us to be deeper in our approach, ensuring that we found the best partner possible for the SCSA.”

A look at the stadium logo, on the header of www.levisstadium.com. Conveniently, both the 49ers and Levi Strauss & Co. use red and white logos.

Levi Strauss & Co. is a suitable fit not least because of its location. The apparel company began in 1873, creating the first blue jeans to outfit those in the American West. 

“A strong, sustainable naming rights relationship with a world class, Bay Area brand is an ideal situation,” added Lange. “Naming rights partnerships are best when the partner is locally based, as in the case of Levi’s. This allows for maximum hometown connection and affinity, and truly aligns two great international brands in their home market.”

Starting more than 60 years ago, the San Francisco 49ers was the first professional sports team to be based in San Francisco. So far, they have won five Super Bowls and 19 division championships. Levi Strauss & Co. posted a press release reiterating the importance of a Bay Area partnership.

“Levi’s Stadium will connect two iconic Bay Area brands that share similar values, a rich heritage and a pioneering spirit,” stated Levi Strauss & Co. CEO Chip Bergh. “Joining the incredible legacy of the 49ers organization is a perfect fit for the Levi’s brand — and a chance for us to engage with sports and music fans across the Bay Area and around the world.”

Levi’s will pay an average of $11 million over a 20-year period, or $200 million. There is also a 5-year extension option. The payments are expected to largely help finance the cost of the stadium, of which 90-percent is being privately funded through the sale of stadium assets, by local hotels, the team, and the NFL.

The naming rights deal is between Levi’s, the 49ers, and the Santa Clara Stadium Authority.

Lange said that the three entities “have a shared vision of sustainability, innovation and user experience for the new stadium, that truly drove the orchestration of this partnership.”

A rendering of the northwest stadium entrance. (Photo by www.levisstadium.com)

One feature that combines both sustainability and innovation is the commitment to solar energy. Feb. 26, SunPower Corp. became the official solar technology partner for Levi’s Stadium. SunPower solar panels will be featured in a variety of ways, including over the training facility and in a solar canopy above the suite tower, which features a green, living roof. 

The partnership between the 49ers, Levi’s Stadium and SunPower reiterates the desire to keep partnerships local.

“As we strive to create a sports and entertainment venue that embodies all that is special about the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, it is fitting that SunPower, with its global headquarters less than two miles from the new stadium, will be providing us with its high-efficiency solar panels,” said 49ers CEO Jed York.

Other green aspects include water-conserving fixtures and a commitment to recycling non-hazardous construction waste. The stadium is going for LEED Certification upon opening in July 2014. In the meantime, fans can schedule free tours of the construction site, which run Monday-Thursday at 4 p.m. PST. For those who aren’t local, Levi’s Stadium construction can be viewed live via a webcam.

Interviewed for this story: Bob Lange and Jed York, (408) 605-2019; Chip Bergh, (415) 501-7777
 

Celebrating Kenny Chesney's only non-National Football League stadium performance at Global Spectrum-managed Williams Brice Stadium on campus of University of South Carolina (USC) in Columbia, S.C., May 4, are Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin; USC Athletic Director Ray Tanner; Comcast-Spectacor Vice President of Public Relations Ike Richman; Chesney; Global Spectrum's Lexie Boone, General Manager of Colonial Life Arena; and Doug Higgons, Regional Vice President. (Photo by Juan Blas/Global Spectrum)

Kenny Chesney has the two largest single-date grosses on this week’s Hot Tickets chart. Between a May 11 concert at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, that grossed more than $3.5 million, and a May 4 show at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C., Chesney entertained more than 90,000 fans. Chesney has been getting some help from high-profile supporting acts, such as Zac Brown Band, Eli Young Band, Eric Church, and Kacey Musgraves. Next, he heads to Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Ft. Wayne, Ind., May 16.

Brisbane (Australia) Entertainment Centre locked down four spots in the 10,001-15,000-capacity range this week. The venue’s highest gross went to Black Sabbath, whose April 25 show brought in more than $1.6 million. Tickets for the show ranged from $120-$160. Tool brought more than 10,000 fans to the venue May 6, while Bryan Adams reached a gross of more than $1 million. Adams’ April 27 show also had the highest price, with tickets reaching nearly $340. Next month, the venue will host a three-day arena production of Jesus Christ Superstar and four days of Disney On Ice: Princesses & Heroes.


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 April 24-May 15.

Screen Shot of Ticketfly's new analytics tool Fanbase.

What makes a great customer? Is it the amount of money they spend at a venue or the number of tickets they buy for each event? And what about social media? How does a venue measure the value of positive brand sentiment on sites like Facebook and Twitter?

A new application named Fanbase launched by firm Ticketfly is attempting to give venues their most comprehensive look yet at the fan, combining social and transactional data to create a dollar-based "Value" on a venue’s most passionate patrons. Fanbase is powered by an analytics engine that uses 12 different online behaviors to determine how much a fan is worth to a venue — everything from purchase history to attendance and social sharing. Promoters get a top down view of their customers and how they rank against each other, measuring everything from spending power to social reach.

“It’s important to identify your most impactful influencers and we developed this system to help identify and engage these fans,” said Andrew Dreskin, Ticketfly co-founder and CEO. According to his own numbers, seven percent of Ticketfly customers account for 24 percent of ticket orders and 30 percent of revenue.

The small percentage is both a hindrance and a blessing. While a small active buyer pool limits the amount of money that can be taken out of the market, it allows for a more direct connection between the venue and the uber-fan. Dreskin said he believes that venues that have a more direct conversation with their best customers can harness fan passion, increase credibility and grow sales.

And hopefully they tell other people over social media about their experience and convert some of their friends into buyers. Integrations with Facebook and Twitter allow Ticketfly to track when a customer shares his purchase on social media or RSVPs to a Ticketfly event. Fans have to opt in through Facebook and Twitter to share their social data with Ticketfly, which they can do when they log in to a Ticketfly enabled venue or complete a purchase. 

“If fans choose to share their purchases with their friends, we can determine how many tickets were sold through each action,” said Project Manager Hawro Mustafa at Ticketfly. “We can tell if sales are happening organically and people are copying links from our events page and copying it on Facebook and Twitter, or whether it comes from one of our social widgets or marketing tools. It’s very helpful information when you want to develop your message for a certain show.”

More importantly, the tool helps venues identify which ticket buyers are most likely to move the needle on ticket sales, whether it be inviting more friends to buy tickets or talking about the show on social media. The system also helps Ticketfly users identify scalpers by looking for 12 unique behaviors often employed by professional resellers; everything from bulk buys to multiple purchases for venues in different area codes.

Dreskin envisions venues reaching out to their top fans with VIP upgrades, free drink tickets and front-of-line privileges — all part of a larger customer service initiative to build strong brand loyalty and reward fans who drive additional ticket sales. 

“The first step is to identify these folks, the second step is to reward them. We want to encourage them to buy more tickets and be more social and encourage their friends and followers to do it as well.”

Fanbase has been in beta testing at a number of venues, including The Vogue in Indianapolis, where Talent Buyer and Entertainment GM Matt Schwegman ran a promotion identifying the venue's top fans and reached out with free tickets.

“I think eight out of 10 replied in the first hour,” he said. “We followed that up with the Super Fan program. We tried to educate fans and tell them ‘we’re not trying to make you do this, we just want you to know that if you buy a ticket and share it with your friends, you will be automatically entered into a contest.”

The Vogue’s first winner for the April promotion won a VIP table upgrade and a free T-shirt from the merch table — “he sent me back a two paragraph email saying how rad that was. I posted it on Facebook and encouraged others to share their experiences” to win ticket upgrades in the future.

Fanbase provides both venue-level and event-level reporting so that venue professionals can pinpoint specific fans who are passionate and socially active for a particular show. Fanbase is available to all Ticketfly clients for free, but Dreskin is considering developing a premium platform with more robust features.

“Whether it’s being able to focus the distribution of a particular offer, like a discount on an upcoming show, or papering the house when a show just isn’t selling, the Fanbase system allows venues to focus the distribution of an offer to a group of customers that are highly engaged with the venue,” said Mustafa.

Interviewed for this article: Andrew Dreskin and Hawro Mustafa, (877) 435-9849; Matt Schwegman, (317) 259-7029

Glen Thornborough has been hired as Senior Vice President of Sales for National Hockey League's Boston Bruins and Delaware North Companies - Boston. Thornborough will be responsible for all TD Garden and Boston Bruins sales processes and strategies. Most recently, Thornborough worked with ReebokCCM in Montreal as VP of Global Marketing. He spent seven years with the company. Thornborough earned his BA in public communication from the University of Alaska in Anchorage, and received his MBA from Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. 

Inside the exhibit hall at the Amador County Fair in Plymouth, Calif.

Despite a cutoff of state funding, many California fairs still are legally bound to fill out cumbersome financial reports on everything from inventory to staff expenses. Now a law is going before the California Legislature that would eliminate the reporting requirement.

“It’s cumbersome,” said  Troy Bowers, CEO, Amador County Fair, Plymouth, Calif., who also serves as vice chair of the California Fairs Alliance. “A lot of this stuff (they're being forced to report) has no value at all, especially the stuff that has been out in the rural fairs."  

Adding to the burden of Amador's budget being cut from $800,000 to $600,000, is that the event has gone from having three full-time employees to only part-time employees, including Bowers.

Despite the downsizing, Bowers just received a letter from the state asking for a quarterly report of recycled materials, wanting to know what items had been reused and what had been sent to a landfill.

“Troy is sitting there with no full-time employees,”  said Stephen Chambers, executive director of Western Fairs Association. “They comply with the intent of the law but they don’t have time to do this reporting. So he sent the state a very polite letter saying, ‘We do everything you want us to do but because of budget cuts and staffing levels, I really can’t afford the resources to generate this report.’"

Senate Bill 741 would free fairs from this type of reporting now that the events no longer receive any funding from the state.

The legislation was introduced in February by State Sen. Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres, who got the idea for the bill after a hearing was held last October during the Big Fresno Fair in which CEOs aired their grievances about the realities of dealing with the state requirements in light of not receiving funding. 

“California is a complicated structure,” Chambers said, noting that California owns most of the land where the fairs are being held. “There are 78 fairs and about 54 of them are state agencies, and that’s the main focus of the Cannella bill. We’re trying to find a way to make it easier for the 54 fairs that are state agencies. They are struggling, because they are dealing with cumbersome bureaucracy.”

Gov. Jerry Brown’s first budget after he took office in 2011 eliminated the entire $32 million the state had provided to the fairs. Smaller fairs were hit harder because the funds represented a larger portion of their budgets and they have fewer ways to generate revenue, especially fairs in rural areas that cannot attract year-round events to their grounds.

“It surprises me that it’s 2013 and we haven’t seen a fair close,” Chambers said.

If fairs begin to close, supporters say, not only will citizens lose a link to the important agricultural world that produces food, but the state will lose grounds that have served as staging areas for first responders dealing with forest fires and other disasters.

Bowers did an estimate two years ago on how much money the fair spends on the required reporting and believe not having to do it will save the fair between $15,000-$20,000 a year in staff time. In a situation in which he has been working hard to cut expenses and generate more revenue, every little bit counts. General admission has been raised from $8 to $10 and sponsorships also have been doubled since the fair funding was cut, Bowers said.

The CEO still worries about next year, when he anticipates the poor economy will wreak havoc on the fair’s year-round event program.

“We’re looking at next year as our worst year because our interim rental with the economy has evaporated,” he said. “Now that we need to be self-supporting, we need to keep our facility used and rented and with the economy in Amador County, people who would come out here for a wedding or a reunion, I think they are doing it in their backyards.”

Sandy Woods, CEO of the Nevada County Fair in Grass Valley and chair of the California Fairs Alliance, has a much more robust year-round event business at her grounds.

“We’re sitting in a community that is pretty active in arts and music festivals,” she said. “Our fairgrounds, we’re very busy, particularly through the summer, when we have one event after another. We’re able to operate more effectively. Troy is more challenged than we are. He has lost a higher percentage of his operating budget.”

Still, Woods has made several eliminations at her fair as well in order to cope with the lack of state funding.

“We have cut back on entertainment, cut back on staff uniforms, cut back on some labor eliminating a good deal of really fancy signage and gone back to a simpler form of producing signage, and we’ve leased property adjacent to the grounds and operated additional parking lots.”

Another part of SB 741 would reduce the number of audits smaller fairs would have to undergo. All fairs currently conduct annual audits, and that would remain the same for larger fairs. But under the legislation, the number would be reduced to once every three years for smaller fairs, with a less complicated financial review in the off years.

Initially, that proposed number had been once every five years, Chambers said, but the switch to once every three years is one example of the changes made to the legislation as it moves through different committees.

Various state departments have had input into the legislation, including the Department of Food and Agriculture and its Division of Fairs & Expos, and the Department of General Services, which currently requires the reporting on surplus goods that fairs find so cumbersome.

Not having to do the reporting not only will save fairs staff time but also will free the events up to pursue lower-cost goods locally and also seek additional sponsorships to provide items for in-kind, said Jeff Macedo, Cannella’s communications director.

The regulations make more sense for larger state agencies with bigger staffs, Chambers added, but in some cases have turned out to be harmful for fairs.

For instance, the state wants agencies to reduce their environmental footprints. But as some of the fairs take on additional year-round business to compensate for the loss of state funds, electricity and water bills actually have risen.

“There has been pressure to generate revenue and fairs have done a great job,” Chambers said. “But guess what else has happened? Power bills have gone up, as they should. So now they are not in compliance with the state’s goals.”

The hope is that the bill will be passed by the senate, go to the assembly and pass and then land on Brown’s desk in time to be signed and then implemented in January 2014, Chambers said.

“The bill will continue to evolve as we hear from different groups that are affected,” he said.

Interviewed for this story: Troy Bowers, (209) 245-6921; Stephen Chambers, (916) 927-3100; Sandy Woods, (530) 273-6217; Jeff Macedo, (916) 651-4012.

Hockey on the West Coast has been pretty good over the last decade. This year's second-round match-up in the National Hockey League Stanley Cup Playoffs between the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings ensures that for the eighth time in the last 10 years, a team from California will make the Western Conference Finals.

The Sharks and Kings are two of the most successful franchises during that time period. The Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and the Sharks are making their ninth straight playoff appearance. Knowing the buzz surrounding the North/South rivalry, both teams are using the national platform to strengthen the fan experience.

At Staples Center in Los Angeles, GM Lee Zeidman said his facility plans to turn on its new WiFi system, a $2.1 million network powered by Verizon.

“Now it will be easier for people to upload photos, go on Facebook and share all their experiences at Staples Center,” Zeidman said. The network includes 436 access points that create a streamline WiFi experience for fans to log on, and is free to use.

“I’m excited to see what happens on Twitter and Facebook,” said Cara Vanderhook, director, Communications and Social Media at Staples Center and Nokia Theatre L.A. Live. The increased networks could mean an uptick in everything from app downloads to check-ins. “We’re one of the top most destinations posted on Instagram and this launch will increase fan’s ability to connect.”

At the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Sharks Executive Vice President Business Operations Malcolm Bordelon said the proximity of both buildings means plenty of fans will travel to rival arenas for games.

“It's always much louder during the playoffs,” he said. “But when the rival is in the building and they cheer after L.A. scores, they'll stand out pretty quickly.”

Like most post-season venues, HP Pavilion will make fan and TV-friendly additions to their live event, increasing giveaways, hosting viewing parties and creating a festival-like atmosphere outside the arena with music and other activities.

“You do things to make sure fans are part of the show and part of the action with something that's visual like rally towels and things like that.”

Scheduling for playoff teams can be difficult with series' going anywhere from four to seven games. And if the team advances, times and dates are decided on quickly.

The Sharks try to keep playoff time clear of major events at  HP Pavilion so their club doesn't end up playing on back-to-back nights. Recently, the National Basketball Association's Brooklyn Nets were forced to move a Rihanna concert due to a playoff game. The Sharks want to avoid similar conflicts.

They also try to avoid ordering things to give away that might not be used. The team selects rally towels and other items that can be used the following season if the team doesn't advance.

No matter the giveaway, playoff atmospheres rivaling famed NHL cities like Montreal and Toronto are expected for the Battle for California. But hockey in the West hasn't always been like this. Bordelon said years of building a foundation of hockey followers in the community have – and will continue to have – a large role in keeping interest high and playoff series' exciting inside the Pavilion.

“Part of it is establishing a culture of accessibility to ice and interest in hockey,” he said. “As more and more people play the game and have an appreciation of how it works, they'll become fans as they grow up. It's part of the process in developing the connection with the community and interest in the sport.”

Interviewed for this story: Lee Zeidman, (213) 742-7326; Malcolm Bordelon, (408) 287-9200
 

Bogart & Co. fine dining experience at the Long Beach (Calif.) Convention & Entertainment Center.

There is a big opportunity in the restaurant/café business for concessions companies serving sport and entertainment venues, in the opinion of Shaun Beard, senior VP for the SMG-owned Savor. A prime example of his point is Bogart & Co. at the Long Beach (Calif.) Convention & Entertainment Center.

Bogart & Co. is a renovation of what had been a grab-and-go restaurant outside the arena portion of the complex. Savor created a 350-capacity a la carte dining experience, similar to its Prelude Restaurant at McCaw Hall in Seattle, Beard said. “It’s always about value – if you deliver value and they understand the origins of the food and the quality is there, it does well.”

Bogart & Co. launched in March as part of a slew of renovations at the venue, but it’s first big test for all day dining was during the April 19-21 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The event takes place on the streets surrounding the convention center, which is used as exhibit and headquarters space. Savor provides concessions for the race over 15 city blocks, with 130 points of sale. Attendance this year was 175,000, up slightly from last year.

“Our partner there is Steve Goodling [president and CEO of the Long Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau], who is reimaging the city for the convention market. The name was his brainchild,” Beard said of Bogart & Co. “It looks classy. The name fits the niche very, very well.”

Bogart & Co. was open for breakfast, lunch and dinner during the three-day race.
Charlie Bierne, general manager of the LBCEC for SMG, said Bogart & Co. was very busy during the race. “People are taking to it quite well. It’s upscale and attractive.”

Out on the street this year, several innovations boosted sales during the Grand Prix, most notably the saturation of credit card use availability.

“Every POS had credit cards this year,” Beard said. “That’s always the challenge in outdoor events. You have to make sure you have technology to support the customer.”

A Pit Stop concession stand at the Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix.

Credit card sales doubled from last year, to $110,000-$115,000, “a huge lift,” Beard said. During the 2012 Grand Prix, only 65-75 percent of the outdoor concessions accepted credit cards. The challenge is the third-party vendors and the concessions located on the outskirts of the main grandstand area, he said. “Everything Savor operated had credit cards this year.”

Other new features at the 2013 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach included celebrity chefs, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger from Border Grill Santa Monica (Calif.), hosting a specialty concession for the first time.

Savor also introduced its own margarita program with eight locations. Last year, a third party handled margarita sales, selling about 1,500 units during the event, Beard said. This year, Savor quadrupled the number of locations and sold over 7,000 units of the $12 frozen drink served in a specialty cup.

More locations sold 24-ounce cans of beer at $10.50 each, rather than draft, Beard added. That helped speed of service and quality. The price was the same for draft, but 24-ounce cans proved more popular.

The bottom line at an outdoor event like the Grand Prix is all weather driven, Beard said. Last year, the event suffered from rain on Friday. This year, the weather cooperated for the entire run, which assured an increase in sales, but there were still tweaks that helped.

“Long Beach is going through a Renaissance. The city is putting money into the convention center, restaurants are retooling, hotels are making investments,” Beard said. He’s feeling bullish on Long Beach.

Interviewed for this story: Shaun Beard, (610) 729-7916; Charlie Bierne, (562) 499-7575

Thank you subscribers for voting. Congratulations to the 2013 Women of Influence!

Venues Today magazine will be honoring these women in our seventh annual Venues Today Women of Influence Awards! The chosen three women are mentors and leaders and have made a difference in the sports, entertainment, fair and meetings industries. We'll be highlighting their accomplishments in our upcoming July issue.  Congratulations Adina, Maureen and Kim!

Adina Erwin
Vice President and General Manager
Fox Theatre, Atlanta

Adina demonstrates outstanding leadership at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta and her energy, dedication and passion for excellence has helped the organization coin the phrase “Does it speak Fox?” when evaluating and launching new patron-friendly initiatives. Adina has also been a positive change agent at the Fox, helping to implement a new business model, including a new ticketing, marketing and CRM system, and a new approach to the business to constantly strive to make the customer experience exceptional. Adina’s team flourishes under her guidance and pushes the envelope of new technology and programs that help to gain and maintain their patrons’ relationships for life.

Maureen Ginty
EVP Marketing Services and Human Resources, SMG

Maureen joined SMG in 1991 as VP of Human Resources. She was named senior vice president of Human Resources in 1993. In 1995, Maureen assumed responsibility for a newly created Corporate Communications department in addition to overseeing the Human Resources department. She is a member of professional organizations, such as the Society for Human Resources Management, The World at Work Benefits and Compensation Association, and The Forum for Executive Women.

Kim Stone
EVP and General Manager
The Heat Group (AmericanAirlines Arena & Miami Heat)

Kim’s a veteran of South Florida’s dynamic sports market for close to two decades. In 2009, AmericanAirlines Arena was among the first existing arenas to achieve LEED Certification for operating one of the world’s greenest buildings. Kim oversees one of the largest season ticket bases in NBA with one of the highest renewal rates. She has presided over three NBA Finals, two NBA Championship parades, hundreds of world-renowned concerts and shows with a staff of more than 800 employees.
 

Thank you to our 2013 Women of Influence sponsors:

For its opening event, EICC's Lennox Suite was set up as a tiered banquet and featured a concert by Laura Mvula. (Photo by EICC)

With the new expansion, Edinburgh International Conference Centre not only added more than 16,000 square feet of space, but also has installed an innovative moving floor system in the Lennox Suite. Around 11 miles of cabling sit underneath the floor in order to completely change the room’s layout in a matter of hours.

“The standard layouts are a flat floor, as an auditorium, arena, tiered, and cabaret style,” said Karen Wood, head of events at EICC. “Transforming from one layout to another takes a couple of hours, but the floor is on a very sophisticated spiral lift system, with huge support structures underneath to move the floor up and down.”

Safety procedures, including clearing the room, need to be enacted before changing the layout.

“The moving floor system enables us to switch effortlessly, and in a fraction of time required in convention halls, from an international association conference center setup for 3,000 to a cabaret dinner venue for 750,” said Jill Spink, marketing communications at EICC.

There is also a SkyDeck tension wire grid system at the top of the room, which is a floor of mesh panels that allow safe access to lighting, cables and rigging. BDP served as the architect for the expansion. The Lennox Suite also has removable partition walls.

An animated tour of the expansion that shows several setup options for the moving floor system in the Lennox Suite.

Though the state-of-the-art technology takes quite a bit of power, EICC has ensured that the entire facility is as energy efficient as possible. The focus on sustainability, including energy-saving modes on escalators that don’t begin to run unless a patron approaches, are a top priority. Wood said that EICC even has copyrighted Plan-It Green and has a team on board to monitor the sustainability of the facility.

“And then, of course, there are our accountants who monitor the budget,” added Wood.

Many of the EICC staff have been at the venue since the design of the original building.

“We repeated a number of times that the original project was on time, on budget, and with no litigation, so we repeated that like a mantra throughout this construction,” said Wood.

The renovation cost £30 million ($46 million) just for the expansion of the EICC portion, and was able to be funded largely because the piece of land next to the original convention center had become so valuable. The Edinburgh City Council owns the land and the conference center and agreed to underwrite the project.

“On top of our floors, we have several floors of prime city-center office space that has already attracted some fantastic clients like the Green Investment Bank,” said Wood. Selling the office space has also gone to fund the project. The project in its entirety, including both the convention center floors and the office space, cost £80 million (more than $121 million).

“We first broke ground in July 2010 on the space adjacent to the original EICC building,” said Spink. EICC never had to close during construction of the addition. The expanded EICC hosted its official opening event May 2 for about 750 guests, featuring a performance by Laura Mvula.

The expansion of EICC involves more than just the new Lennox Suite. There is also a new champagne bar called Platform 5 Café, breakout suites and an additional entrance called the Atrium, with a glass façade to let in lots of light.

“The new space is truly beautiful. It’s shifted the heart and soul of the conference center,” said Wood. She added that the addition, which doubles the footprint of the facility, gives EICC a “new lease on life.”

The exterior of Edinburgh International Conference Centre's new addition, which took nearly three years to build. (Photo by EICC)

Previously, larger conventions would expand out of the conference center into other venues around the city, such as the nearby Usher Hall, which was often used for opening sessions and ceremonies. With the expansion, larger events are starting to see Edinburgh International Conference Centre as an option that makes sense.

The International Investigative Dermatology conference, May 8-11, was the first client to use the new space. Around 2,500 people filled the EICC. The IID conference brought several attendees from the British Association of Dermatologists.

“They have another conference that they always thought was too big to come here, and now they’re considering this as a venue,” added Wood.

Upcoming events include serving as one of the host venues for the citywide Edinburgh Festival Fringe arts festival, Aug. 2-26; the Scottish Business Awards with former U.S. President Bill Clinton as the keynote speaker, June 21; and the European Space Agency’s Living Planet Symposium, Sept 9-13.

There are no naming rights at EICC, rather, the names of the facility’s rooms evoke a local flavor.

“In the original building, there was a competition to name all of the different rooms. A young girl chose to name them after Scottish Hills,” said Wood. For instance, one of the rooms in the original facility is called the Pentland Suite, and the Pentland Hills is one of the biggest ranges around Edinburgh.

“Moving into the new space, we just added a few extra hill ranges, which explains the Lennox, Lammermuir, Moffat, Lowther and Menteither suites,” she added.

Interviewed for this story: Jill Spink and Karen Wood, +44 (0) 131 519 4091

Several time-lapse videos of the construction are available on EICC's YouTube page.

Check out this video from the opening event.

Boston Bruins players Tuukka Rask, David Krejci and Nathan Horton with the POW/MIA chair at TD Garden in Boston. During games and events, the chair will remain empty to honor U.S. military captured or missing in combat.

In remembrance of the more than 92,000 military personnel who are prisoners of war, missing in action or unaccounted for since World War I, Boston’s TD Garden recently became the first NHL/NBA arena to dedicate a Chair of Honor to U.S. Armed Forces who are POW/MIA.

In hindsight, the timing of the ceremony was ironic. The dedication took place in the days just prior to the Boston Marathon bombing during the Boston Bruins’ Military Appreciation Night, which was presented by the New Hampshire and Massachusetts National Guard.

Bruins players Nathan Horton, David Krejci and Tuukka Rask each purchased $5,000 worth of game tickets, which were given to local military members and their families. All three also helped install the Chair of Honor.

The black seat, emblazoned with the POW/MIA logo, and purchased by TD Garden, will remain cordoned off and permanently unoccupied at the venue to honor these veterans.

“It was fitting to unveil the Chair of Honor at Military Appreciation Night,” said Amy Latimer, TD Garden president. "We picked a location in the venue near where we conduct our eight-spoke salute. This is where we honor all branches of the military during every Bruins game.”

During this pregame salute, everyone in the arena stands, while Bruin players hit their sticks on the dasher boards in honor of military members.

Latimer and Cam Neely, Boston Bruins president, were at the dedication. Also in attendance was Maureen Dunn of Randolph, Mass., whose husband, Commander Joe Dunn of the U.S. Navy, was shot down over the South China Sea on Feb. 14, 1968 during the Vietnam War and is MIA. Her son, Joe Jr., and grandson, Joe III joined her at the dedication. The Dunn family has dedicated themselves to the POW/MIA movement.

During the dedication, an announcement was made over the PA system explaining why the chair was being donated and recognizing those who were involved with its installation. As the black drape covering the chair was removed, the audience erupted into applause and cheers.

“As an organization, we believed that this was the right thing to do,” Latimer said. “It didn’t take much time to make the decision to dedicate a chair in honor of these veterans.”

Also in attendance at the TD Garden ceremony was Joe D’Entremont, president of the Massachusetts chapter of Rolling Thunder, who has led the campaign to dedicate a Chair of Honor in highly visible locations throughout the state.

“Joe contacted us about a year ago to tell us about this POW/MIA initiative he was working on,” Latimer said. “We worked with him to find the appropriate location for the chair and a date for the dedication.”

The group’s goal is to publicize and educate the public on the POW/MIA issue.

“We originally donated POW/MIA flags, but then I saw a photo of a POW/MIA chair and thought it would be a great way to bring awareness to our cause,” D’Entremont said. “Kids will see the chair and ask their parents what it is, so we’re educating other generations.”

After two years of contacting area stadiums, things began falling into place for D’Entremont.

“We selected TD Garden, because many people visit the venue, and we thought it would be a great place for people to see the chair,” D’Entremont said.

Rolling Thunder also dedicated a chair at Gillette Stadium on Nov. 9 of last year and at Lelacheur Park in Lowell, Mass., home of the Lowell Spinners Short Season-A baseball team. A Chair of Honor also will be dedicated on July 4 of this year at Boston’s Fenway Park.

“We’re hoping this catches on nationwide,” D’Entremont said. “It took 18 months for this initiative to take hold, but all of Massachusetts’ stadiums do a lot for our veterans. This is a different set of veterans, and many are unaware of how many POWs and MIAs are out there.”

There also have been POW/MIA chairs installed in 20 of Massachusetts’ town halls. D’Entremont said he is hoping to eventually have one in each of the state’s 351 cities and towns.

Rolling Thunder’s initiative has recently received interest outside of the state, with an inquiry from the Seattle Mariners’ Triple A team as well as inquirers in Alabama, California and Georgia.

“TD Garden doing this with us and for us is icing on the cake,” D’Entremont said. “Our goal is to get these chairs inside bowl arenas in a visible place, since they represent 92,000-plus soldiers’ souls who are at the game with us.”

There are currently 90 chapters of Rolling Thunder throughout the U.S., with the organization’s main purpose being to get the word out about POWs and MIAs.

Interviewed for this article: Joe D'Entremont, (617) 522-0324; Amy Latimer, (617) 624-1050

Feld Entertainment is combining two popular Disney Junior TV programs for a new family show with an ambitious touring schedule.

Disney Junior Live On Tour! Pirate and Princess Adventure will play over 90 markets during its marathon nine-month run, including a stop at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, Feld’s first play at the old Kodak Theatre since 2005. Pirate and Princess Adventure combines TV shows “Sofia the First” and “Jake and the Never Land Pirates” into a two-act show performance with appearances by Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Cinderella, Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. Each Pirate and Princess Adventure show will begin with a preshow opening by Disney character Doc McStuffins. The fictional six-year-old will lead a sing-along of “The Check-Up Song” and provide “tender love and care” to her stuffed animal friends.

“It’s the first time we’re taking two different TV properties and combining them into one show,” said producer Alana Feld, who is heading up the tour. Act I is set in the Kingdom of Enchancia, with Sofia seeking out the perfect gifts for her subjects, eventually getting some musical help from Cinderalla. Act II has Jake in Never Land, battling Captain Hook in an epic contest that includes an impressive flying sequence.

“From a production standpoint, this is one of the most advanced shows we have done,” said Feld, noting that her team will utilize a frontal projection system that will allow them to display animation on any part of the stage, including the characters themselves. The projection stunt mirrored Carrie Underwood’s critically acclaimed performance at this year’s Grammys, where a kaleidoscope of colored images were projected on the country singer’s dress in a visually stunning display.

Also new this year — interactive light toys that change color with the show on stage. Sophia will wear an amulet that changes color based on the storyline. Fans can purchase an interactive amulet “that will glow when Sophia’s amulet glows,” Feld said. “It’s part of our ongoing effort to keep our shows very interactive.”

The show is aimed at Feld’s youngest audience, newborns to five year olds.  “Doc McStuffins” and “Jake and the Never Land Pirates” ranked as cable TV’s Top 2 series for all kids ages 2-5, pulling in a combined 83 million viewers. Disney Junior Live On Tour! Pirate and Princess Adventure will be directed and choreographed by Fred Tallaksen, whose Feld credits include Disney’s Phineas and Ferb: The Best Live Tour Ever! and Disney Live! Mickey’s Music Festival, and Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Presents Fully Charged, Gold Edition. Emmy-nominated producer Bradley Zweig wrote an original script for the performance.

The show will be the first performance rehearsed at Feld’s new production facility in Ellenton, Fla., beginning in two weeks. The show will launch July 26 at Johnny Mercer Theatre in Savannah, Ga., and eventually wrap with a 10-day run at Madison Square Garden, New York.

Feld’s Disney Live shows are “often a young fan’s first theatrical experience,” said Feld. “Children everywhere are falling in love with Sofia and Jake, and we are thrilled to bring these popular Disney Junior characters to the stage for the first time ever."

Interviewed for this article: Alana Feld, (703) 749-5505

Temporary seating could be added at the west end of the building, underneath the scoreboard area, at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis in order to accomodate the Vikings. (VT Photo)

REPORTING FROM MINNEAPOLIS —The Minnesota Vikings are going back to school.

The National Football League team will be playing the 2014 and 2015 seasons at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis while crews work to replace the aging Metrodome with a $975-million stadium. 

It will be the second time the Vikings play at TCF Stadium — the team used the facility in December 2010 for a Monday Night Football Game with the Chicago Bears after snow damaged the Metrodome's roof. IAVM's Region 1, 2 & 3 conference was held in Minneapolis May 20-22 and attendees were treated to a behind-the-scenes look at potential changes to the facility.

In addition to the $250,000-per-game rental fee, plus all expenses, that the Vikings will pay TCF Bank Stadium, the home of the Golden Gophers will undergo more than $1 million in upgrades before the start of the 2014 season. The NFL team is funding all stadium renovations. The Vikings will keep food and beverage revenue from their games up to a certain point, at which additional revenue becomes a profit share between the team and the school.

One of the most visible upgrades will happen to the turf itself.

“Our field wasn’t designed to be heated so next summer, after the Gophers’ spring games, we’re going to tear it up and install coils,” said Brian Grant, TCF Bank Stadium Operations manager. The project is currently out for RFP, but similar projects at stadiums like Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., reportedly cost around $700,000-$1 million.

“Minnesota is a challenge weather-wise, but since the college season usually ends in November, I don’t see a real operational need to heat the field during college games except maybe under extreme circumstances,” Grant added.

The look of the field will change, too. The hash marks customary in college football will be replaced with sidelines, and it will be the first time that the venue will start painting its field.

Current capacity of TCF Bank Stadium is 50,805. The facility is looking at ways to add another 3,500 seats, either through reconfiguring standing room spaces or adding temporary bench seating in the west end underneath the scoreboard.

The largest locker room in professional or college sports, shaped like a football, is at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. (VT Photo)

In 2012, the facility became only the 22nd college in the country to start selling alcohol at athletic events. Instead of selling at the normal points of sale, TCF Bank Stadium’s state liquor license mandated that beer and wine sales be limited to a confined area of the stadium. Aramark and the venue worked together to set up a beer garden near the west end zone, and worked out of eight portable beer trailers — four inside the stadium, and four outside. Each had six taps. 

“We actually took a financial loss on beer sales last year,” said Grant. “Since it was our first year doing it, we took on a lot of the operational and equipment costs.” The venue had 48 points of sale that were alcohol-only during the 2012 season, and Grant added that the number of incidents requiring security actually went down after the building began serving alcohol.

Currently, the stadium is looking at more efficient ways to sell alcohol when the Vikings begin play in 2014. There’s an RFP out to add points of sale on the concourse itself.

Not all of the concerns address things that fans will see.

“Storage is a big concern,” said Director of Operations Derek Hillestad. “Not only do we need to find a place for additional food and beverage storage, but the Vikings have a lot of production and marketing items, including their inflatable ship and horn, that take up space.”

As far as signage is concerned, the Vikings and TCF Bank Stadium are working together to figure out how to appease both of their sponsors.

“We’re open to looking at any and all opportunities to accommodate the team and their sponsors,” said Hillestad. “Right now they have purple and yellow all around their stadium, and when it comes to things that are temporary and removable, we should absolutely be able to bring that in.” TCF Bank Stadium also has video boards for easily-changed signage, including the main and auxiliary boards as well as LED fascia boards. 

There are some things that the venue won’t have to change. The concourses are already two-and-a-half times as wide as those at the Metrodome.

Custom lockers at TCF Bank Stadium. (VT Photo)

The Gophers boast the largest locker room in all of college and professional sports worldwide. The football-shaped design is 60-yards long by 20-yards wide and each locker is custom cherry wood. 

“With 112 lockers in here, they can even spread out to every-other locker,” said Grant, who added that he doesn’t think the color scheme of the locker rooms will change. The visitor’s locker room will also work when the NFL comes because there are enough oversize lockers to accommodate a visiting team.

The facility won’t have to undergo upgrades in order to accommodate the television schedule of the NFL either.

“We’re very NFL-friendly from a broadcast infrastructure because we’re so over-engineered when it comes to college football,” said Hillestad. That infrastructure was put to the test when TCF Bank Stadium hosted the Vikings there for a Monday Night Football game after the roof of the Metrodome collapsed.

“We accommodated every camera angle they needed and it all worked out great,” Hillestad said.

Though it will be a challenge to schedule the Vikings and the Gophers should the seasons overlap, Hillestad said that with enough planning and organization, they should be able to accommodate anything.

“All it takes is time and money,” he added, and with the venue set to make $2.5-million each season just in rent, it doesn’t sound like scheduling will be a problem.

Interviewed for this story: Brian Grant, (612) 624-5334; Derek Hillestad, (612) 624-5523

Rendering of new loge boxes at Philips Arena, Atlanta.

Philips Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks, is constructing seven loge boxes in the lower bowl, adding a new premium seating option for guests. The boxes are just 20 rows from the court and occupy the last eight rows of section 107, opposite the visiting team bench. Construction began in the spring and is expected to be complete in June.

“We recognize that some companies and individuals aren’t interested in filling a suite with 16 guests, with the sheer volume of events here at Philips Arena,” said Andrew Steinberg, senior vice president and chief revenue officer at the Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena. This new offering, however, gives guests the option for premium seating for four to six people, with four fixed seats and the ability to add two bar stools for an additional cost, per event.

The venue removed 125 seats in section 107 to install the boxes, which will be connected to a premium hospitality area which includes a bar and all-inclusive food and beverage. The contemporary design of the boxes was created by The Johnson Studio, an Atlanta-based company that also designed the venue’s Red restaurant and bar, which debuted in 2012. Construction is being overseen by New South Construction, also an Atlanta-based company.

According to Steinberg, the menus that will be available to loge box guests will be mostly tapas-type dishes, and specially tailored per each event. Spirits will be available on a pay basis.

The loge boxes are also appealing to premium guests since they give them the chance to be a part of the game in the lower bowl, while offering suite-like privacy and amenities, according to Steinberg. “The boxes offer unparalleled sightlines and the ability to interact with guests—whether it’s a business or client,” he said.

In addition to the bar and hospitality area with all-inclusive food and beverage, amenities include special parking, a dedicated concierge and two iPads available in each loge box for streaming Hawks games live, along with other interactive capabilities. “We’re still in the development stage,” said Steinberg. But he added that the venue plans to allow guests to order merchandise, food and beverage, play trivia games and use social media and more through the iPads.

With the loge boxes put on the market just a few weeks ago, Steinberg said that the response has been positive, with commitments already made on four of the seven boxes (as of May 16). Leases are available on three- to five-year terms. “With the service, technology, it’s a dynamic offering that wasn’t previously available for [groups] of this size,” Steinberg said.

Interviewed for this story: Andrew Steinberg, (913) 948-3007
 

Opening parade during the 2012 North Dakota State Fair, Minot.

When Tim McGraw takes the grandstand stage at the North Dakota State Fair on July 19, it will be a triumph above and beyond a major country act playing one of the smaller state fairs.

Two years ago, officials made the difficult decision to cancel the Minot, N.D.-based fair at the last minute after flood waters did not recede in time for a cleanup.

Acts such as Kid Rock, Toby Keith and Lady Antebellum had to be contacted and informed of the fair’s closure. Murphy Bros. Exposition carnival and other vendors also had to be alerted of the decision to cancel the fair.

But all was not lost. The $20-million grandstand where McGraw will be performing and the $80-million North Dakota State Fair Center, an exhibition building, were saved because employees worked around the clock as the Mouse River threatened to flood, taking dirt from the racetrack and building dykes to keep the buildings safe.

Nineteen other structures on the fairgrounds suffered flood damage and needed work. That’s where the state of North Dakota came in.

Earlier this month, the North Dakota Legislature passed two bills to help the fair with the $4.5 million required to clean up the 19 buildings and improve infrastructure on the grounds. One bill, for $674,000, was passed specifically to help pay down the $4.5 million in cleanup expenses. Another $2.75 million was granted to help fair employees repair the asphalt and gravel damaged from the flood.

The fair’s general manager, Renae Korslien, recounted the ordeal the fair has undergone in the past two years since the Mouse River flooded the grounds and left 19 buildings standing in eight to 10 feet of water. Twelve-foot-high dykes fashioned from racetrack dirt saved the other two buildings.

“We built two massive dykes,” Korslien said. “We had a 36-hour warning. And so we got contractors here and built two dykes, one around the grandstand, which at that time was only a year old, and another one around our State Fair Center.”

The flooding took place on June 22, 2011, a month before the fair was to begin on July 22. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimated that the flooding of the Mouse River, known as the Souris River in Canada, was a 200- 500-year-flood. It prompted the evacuation of about 11,000 North Dakota residents.

At first following the flood, fair officials held out hope that a smaller fair, featuring the grandstand entertainment, carnival and vendors, would be possible. But after the water did not recede in time, the decision was made to cancel the fair.

Korslien called Bob Romeo from the Romeo Entertainment Group to cancel the concerts, which also included Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo as well as Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. No one complained.

“The contracts do say ‘act of God,’ but I believe they probably could have done something,” Korslien said. “But they didn’t. They were all great.”

In addition to having to spend money to clean up after the flood, the fair lost money from not holding its major annual event.

“We truly never sat down and canceled it all out,” Korslien said.

After the flood waters receded, the cleanup began. Water had to be removed and buildings scrubbed. The same crew that had built the dykes and kept the water out power-washed buildings day after day.

“It took us a year, but we did do this,” Korslien said. “We had the fair of 2012 and it was fantastic.”

In addition to the $674,000 from the state to pay down the $4.5-million debt from the flood cleanup, the fair also received $3.4 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), leaving the fair with about $426,000 to cover. More FEMA funds might be forthcoming in the future, Korslien added.

The 2012 fair drew a record-breaking attendance of 310,839.

“The people came in. The fair has such huge support from people. We were so happy to be back. It was such a great attitude. It was such a wonderful fair. We’re hoping to repeat it this year. People really did come through with a different attitude. They were happy and there weren’t any complaints.”

This year’s fair will be held July 19-27.

Lost operating revenue from cancellation of the 2011 fair in combination with flood damage has meant curbing spending.

“For one full year, we were very conservative," Korslien said. "We did what we had to do. When we built the budget this year, and we did have a fabulous fair in 2012; we were able to get some projects back, so we are good.

“We’ll make it, and I’m proud to say that even with the flood of 2011, we could continue with our operating costs. Salaries and utilities were paid. I don’t know that a lot of places could have done that. We’re very proud that we didn’t have to go back to the legislature and ask for any operating funds.” 

Interviewed for this article: Renae Korslien, (701) 857-7620 

After a year off due to construction at its venue, the Kansas City, Kan., festival Kanrocksas is back for a second go-round. The inaugural 2011 two-day Midwestern camping gathering at the Kansas Speedway featured headliners such as Eminem, Bassnectar, the Flaming Lips and Muse and the 2013 edition has a similarly eclectic and impressive roster.

This year's event (June 28-29) will host Tiësto, fun., Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Passion Pit, MGMT, Kendrick Lamar, The Avett Brothers, Pretty Lights, Imagine Dragons, Miguel, She & Him and Empire of the Sun.

"This is the only major Midwest music festival aside from Lollapalooza," said co-founder Bill Brandmeyer of an event he thinks of as the Coachella of the Midwest. "I fell in love with the venue, which is a world-class NASCAR speedway that allows for incredible infrastructure and spectacular backdrop for a very sophisticated music festival."

One of the selling points for Brandmeyer, and a big reason he stuck with Kansas Speedway during its renovations is that it has such amenities as plenty of built-in bathrooms, lots of space, and good ingress and egress thanks to its placement at the crossroads of two major highways.

The inaugural 2011 show drew 50,000 fans with a promise of free camping and parking and no service fees but, due to the construction projects at the track, it was put on hold in 2012.

"We definitely lost momentum, but we picked up a lot of experience that served us well to plan better and manage the expense line," he said. "We're in year one and a half, not year two mode. Everything will be alright if we pull off another great experience. We can get our momentum back if we get the same kind of fan reviews we got the last time. Once you experience it, you can walk away saying how great Muse was, but really about how it was a world-class event with great sound at a great venue that's easy to get in and out of."

Single day tickets for the show ($99) went on sale this week, while weekend tickets ($175) can be paired with a $25 camping package. A limited amount of VIP tickets ($390) include a private parking area and entry into the festival, a locker to store valuables and access to exclusive, elevated viewing areas with perfect sightlines at two main stages, as well as the "Chill Lounge" with a shaded seating area with private bar, air-conditioned premium restrooms and a VIP food program.

Whereas Lollapalooza has a large urban footprint hemmed in by the lake on one side and downtown Chicago on the other, Brandmeyer said the 1,200-acre speedway site allows for an 8-acre infield with plush grass between the main stages, as well as another 1,000 acres outside the main bowl for camping, parking and other activities. The large footprint allows for hot air balloon rides, a Ferris wheel, live painting and art installations from well-known artists, as well as a giant inflatable water slide, Bungee jumping trampolines, fire-tossers, burlesque performers and a big selection of microbrews and gourmet food trucks.

One of Brandmeyer's passions is the art experience, for which he will bring in 60 artists who will paint live during the festival. "I'm convinced it starts with the lineup and the music you curate, but that's closely followed by the experience you provide for people," he said. "Festivals are a journey and an adventure and this is a way of experiencing life and music that's different from a concert."

Brandmeyer has tapped into veteran consultant Philip Blaine to help reboot Kanrocksas. Blaine, who worked for Goldenvoice for nine years on such festivals as Coachella, All Points West and Stagecoach, as well as with EDM promoter Insomniac for two decades, said festivals are his core business and when he got the call from a friend to meet with Brandmeyer he was intrigued.

Though he'd not heard of the festival, he talked on-and-off with Brandmeyer for nearly nine months before he came on board. "I told him that certain talent really connect with a festival crowd and I thought we could bring the talent spend down maybe by half," he said, noting that some of the first year's headliners brought brand name recognition, but weren't necessarily big draws outside of major cities. "The component he had is the creative and visual side, which creates another dimension to the experience. When you go to a festival you're there to discover new music and hear the hits, but also to meet people and explore things. Having other environments to explore and to participate in art and ride rides … it makes it a different experience. It's a festival of the senses."

Attendance expectations for this year have been scaled back to 20,000 or so a day, with Brandmeyer confident that they'll hit that goal and miss profitability again this year, but hopefully get into the black by year five.

The festival, funded by private investors as well as members of Brandmeyer's family is an independent affair, booked, produced and promoted by a team assembled by Brandmeyer and Blaine. Production is handled by Kansas City's Russ Martin and Brandmeyer has a carefully selected team of full- and part-time employees and vendors who work on everything from logistics to sponsorships, with ticketing handled by Sacramento's Ground(ctrl). By the time the festival is in full gear, more than 1,000 staffers and volunteers will be on board.

At present there is no title sponsor, though Brandmeyer is looking for one and has 15-20 local and regional businesses in line for sponsorships.

As for how the teams plan to get fans back on board after a year off the map, Brandmeyer said social media is "critically" important, as are such old-school methods as TV, print, radio and street teaming. Brandmeyer has hired street teamers who will hit shows across the Midwest in cities such as St. Louis and Columbia, Missouri, Des Moines, Wichita, Lawrence and Topeka and he plans to use Facebook and Twitter heavily as well. The hope is to draw about 50 percent of the audience from the Kansas City area and the rest from a 500-mile radius around the city, which is why billboards are up or going up everywhere from Tulsa to Omaha and St. Louis.

"Using social media to promote a festival is a more real-time experience and it's less expensive," said Blaine, who noted that a third-party company, CitizenNet, has been hired to optimize online audience targeting. "We'll use YouTube promotional videos, which gives more dimension to the festival. And on Facebook and other platforms we can say, 'If you live within 500 miles of Kansas City and you like these artists … come to our show!'"

Contacted for this story: Bill Brandmeyer and Philip Blaine, (913) 956-3711

Beyonce grossed over $8 million with six shows at the 02 in London

Massive grosses by superstar performers have made May a very profitable month for the world's largest entertainment venues, including $15 million in combined grosses for the 15,001 or more seating category. The highest per show gross goes to Paul McCartney, whose two sellout gigs at Amway Center in Orlando racked up nearly $1.9 million per gig. McCartney is currently on tour with upcoming stops at Fenway Park in Boston and the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tenn. 

In terms of total gross, no one can hold a candle to the pop star whose alter ego is Sasha Fierce. Beyonce clocked in a whopping $8 million with her six-show run at the O2 in London, promoted by U.K. outfit SMJ. Other superstars to bring in big bucks this week included Fleetwood Mac, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood, who clocked five shows for a total of $2.5 million.

The sole indie band to make an appearance on this month's chart were the Avett Brothers, who sold over $500,000 in tickets for their May 17 show at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, Alpharetta, Ga. The band is slated to play a number of festivals this summer including Forecastle in Lexington, Ky., and a two-night run at Red Rocks in Morrison, Colo.

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 May 1-22.

ETS International has hired Donna Libby as director of Sales for the company. She brings more than 23 years of hospitality industry experience to her new position. Previously, Libby has held sales and management positions with Holiday Inn Express in Milford, Mass., and the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Natick, Mass. She has two daughters and is a fan of the National Football League’s New England Patriots.

Doug Ulman is not one to let adversity slow him down. It takes a lot to sideline the CEO of the Livestrong Foundation, a three-time cancer survivor and ultramarathon runner, who’s competed in 100-mile races in exotic locations like the Himalayan mountains.

But little could prepare him for Lance Armstrong’s much hyped appearance on Oprah’s cable network in January where the cyclist publicly admitted for the first time to using performance-enhancing drugs throughout his sports career.

Armstrong was the public face of Livestrong, a hugely popular charity dedicated to funding cancer research. In better times, Livestrong had raised over $500 million and scored an innovative naming rights deal with Sporting K.C., a Major League Soccer team in Kansas City, Kan. But allegations of Armstrong’s doping dogged the organization, leading to Armstrong’s eventual departure and concerns about the longevity of the foundation.

“It was a very difficult time, something I wouldn’t want to experience again, but Livestrong is more than one person and our staff is ready to continue with our mission,” said Ulman, who will serve as the keynote speaker for this year’s Event and Arena Marketing Conference in Austin, Texas, June 12-15.

Ulman will discuss his own dive into crisis management and credibility PR, sharing how he helped navigate the organization through its darkest days.

“It was important for us to acknowledge who we were,” said Ulman. “We are an organization for survivors and those struggling with cancer. One of our greatest tools is our ability to speak directly with those who most need us.”

Instead of focusing on Armstrong, Ulman pushed forward with its plans to grow the foundation's free emotional support program to anyone affected by cancer and strengthen its insurance and financial assistance program, coordinating fertility service discounts to help survivors still have families after cancer.

“And we reiterated that 82 cents for every dollar raised by Livestrong goes to supporting our programs,” Ulman said, which includes bilingual outreach and resources to help cancer vicitims and survivors identify resources and government funded programs.

To shake itself of the Armstrong legacy, Livestrong has updated its name, adding the word 'Foundation' to its logo and moved its “call-to-action" day—which had been celebrated on the anniversary of Armstrong's cancer diagnosis—to May 17, the day its highly popular yellow wristband was introduced. And rather than hide from media and refuse to deal with the Armstrong controversy, Ulman hasn’t shied from public speaking.

“We never stopped communicating — in fact we over communicate,” he said. “We used to have meetings with our entire staff about once a month. We've had 40 in the last four months. This affects everyone and it's important we give our team a chance to talk, ask questions and voice their feelings. We’ve got to communicate with each other if we want to have an effective voice outside of our organization.”

Ulman’s appearance anchors an EAMC with a packed agenda that includes an opening session with Louis Messina, the legendary concert promoter who currently promotes tours for Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney and George Strait. Also planned for the conference is a general session discussion with John Males from Fathom Training on working with different generations in the work place. Evening activities include visits to Buffalo Billiards and the Frank Erwin Center at the University of Texas, Austin. On Thursday, Venues Today will host the third annual Generation Next Awards at Maggie Maes, 323 E 6th St., sponsored by Comcast-Spectacor and Redbox.

Contact: Doug Ulman, (877) 236-8820

Asked why he liked the arena business so much, Ron Spencer, who retired May 15 after 33 years managing the Tallahassee (Fla.) Civic Center replied: “You’re working with great people from all over the country and it’s a great thrill to me to see the citizens of my community having a good time.”

Ditto, Ron. That’s why we like this industry so much as well and one of the joys of publishing Venues Today is recognizing excellence and throwing a party to highlight it.

We are deep into event planning around here, with Marketing Director Samantha Le helming the effort, while Managing Editor Dave Brooks continues to up the ante. Dave always has his party hat at the ready.

First up is our party June 13 (which is also my birthday, by the way) to honor the 2013 Venues Today Generation Next award winners profiled in this issue. As Ron also said, “I’m impressed with all the young people in the industry now. They are educated professionalism personified. Our industry is in good hands.”

To celebrate, we are partying at Maggie Mae’s in Austin, Texas, 6-8 p.m. Attendees at the Event & Arena Marketing Conference will be there, and you are invited to meet and mix with an extraordinary group of people. If you are in the industry and you are in Austin June 13, it’s the place to be.

Dave even secured a band, Possum Posse — a Texas country outfit that shot to Internet notoriety with viral hit “Guy on a Buffalo” — search for it on YouTube. It’s hysterical.

Thank you to our sponsors — Comcast-Spectacor and Redbox — for making this party possible. With your help, we’re going to make sure EAMC attendees get a true Texas experience before leaving the Lone Star State.

Next up is the 2013 Venues Today Women of Influence Reception which will be Sunday, July 28, during the International Association of Venue Managers VenueConnect in New Orleans. We are honoring a remarkable group of women — Adina Erwin from Fox Theatre, Atlanta; Maureen Ginty, SMG; and Kim Stone, AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami. We will profile them in the July issue.

Again, if you are in the industry and in New Orleans July 28, you’re invited to help celebrate women’s accomplishments at our personal and inspiring celebration. And again, thank you to our sponsors — Delaware North Companies, BOK Center, Tulsa; Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Toronto.

And there’s more to come. In August, we are introducing our first Venues Today Silver Spoon Awards. We all know the money’s in the food. Start the nominations — send them to nominations@venuestoday.com — in the categories of best new menu item, best sustainability initiative; best new concept and best new promotion. We are selecting a qualified jury to judge nominees and looking forward to the lessons we will learn from food service innovations.

That’s the bottom line in all this — learning from the best. That and parties. We haven’t planned the Silver Spoon event yet, but I bet we can find a chef.

God grant you many years to cook up reasons to celebrate.