Hank Abate, VP of venue management, Madison Square Garden Co.; Mike Scanlon, SVP, Arenas & Stadiums, Comcast Spectacor.
For Hank Abate, who begins his new job as executive VP of Venue Management for Madison Square Garden Co., June 20, he has reached the holy grail, the premier venue. Starting in the business in New Haven, Conn., The Garden was always the goal.
For Mike Scanlon, who replaced Abate as SVP, Arenas and Stadiums for Comcast Spectacor June 13, it is also a dream come true. After 23 years and six arenas, six different cities with Spectra, Scanlon will only be 20 minutes from his home, even though he is changing jobs. He now reports to work at Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, headquarters for Comcast Spectacor, instead of to Talen Energy Stadium, formerly PPL Park, Chester, Pa., where he was GM and Regional VP.
Both men were complimentary of each other and their employers and consider it a good move all around.
Abate, who has been in the business over 30 years, will answer to David O’Connor, MSG president and CEO. He will direct operations for MSG’s portfolio of venues, including Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, and Beacon Theatre, all in New York; and the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and Chicago Theatre.
Prior to Comcast Spectacor, Abate spent 20 years working for SMG Facility Management. He began his career over 35 years ago working for the city of New Haven as a 19-year-old. He sat on a board that oversaw the New Haven Coliseum Authority when the venue was managed by Loris Smith. He had a major role in bringing another industry legend, Tony Tavares, on board at New Haven as coliseum executive director before getting off the board and into the arena, as box office manager, later working with Peter Luukko as assistant director in the arena in Providence, R.I.
Abate’s history follows a lot of industry icons and now he works for an arena of that status. He said he met O’Connor 10 months ago and found him to be very energetic and dynamic with a clear vision for what he wants to do at MSG. “He really wants to change the culture,” Abate said. He’s also looking forward to working on the newly announced arena MSGE plans for Las Vegas.
“There is a lot of growth and more venues to come,” he said. “The brand will get stronger and stronger.” He also noted MSG wants to be owner, not renter, of venues.
REVELING IN THE NEW SPECTRA
Scanlon did have to forego a family trip to Poland to visit his mother-in-law due to the new responsibilities and the lack of cellphone service at the family farm in that country. Reached just after he had sent his wife, Emilia, and son, Michael, off to Poland without him, Scanlon was prepared for an intense second week as SVP.
He got the call from Glen Brandeburg, COO, Spectra Venue Management and Food Services & Hospitality, that Abate was leaving and he was in for a promotion. Scanlon was already functioning as a regional VP, a post he’s held for six years, while working as GM for the soccer stadium as well. Jason Blumenfeld is AGM at Talen Energy Park. The GM job has been posted internally, per company policy.
Scanlon said he also will continue as a divisional vice president, overseeing 45 Spectra facilities in the Northeast, with three regional VPs reporting to him. He is one of four divisional VPs, and the only SVP for arenas and stadiums.
He praised the restructuring of Spectra, which more closely aligned venue management and food and hospitality services under one regional leader, meaning fewer meetings with management for clients and one voice throughout the organization. Spectra has 300 clients and 400 properties, Scanlon noted. An RVP can get to most clients under his control in an hour or two with the geographical realignment.
Scanlon joined Comcast Spectacor in 1998 as the general manager of Sun National Bank Center, Trenton, N.J. During his time with the company he also held similar positions at the Rose Quarter, Portland, Ore., and Chaifetz Arena on the campus of Saint Louis (Mo.) University.
Though he was briefly looking at more of a home life when not managing an arena, even saying he might go home before Flyers and Sixers games at Wells Fargo Center since he isn’t GM there, he quickly regressed to type. His son, Michael, is now eight. “He’s already checking out the hockey and basketball schedules. He was born in Portland but was too young to enjoy the games. Now he has the opportunity again and I think he will be an arena rat.” As will his daughter, Allison, no doubt.