Due to their locations and demographics, university venues can take advantage of events that may not be moneymakers, but are definite publicity builders.
Such was the case for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center, which hosted the final 2016 Presidential Debate.
“We spent most of the last year and a half planning this event,” said Mike Newcomb, executive director of the Thomas & Mack Center and Sam Boyd Stadium. “Although it took a great deal of planning, it didn’t bring in much revenue. But this still had a major impact on the campus and surrounding area.”
This also was the case for Tampa, Fla.’s USF Sun Dome, which hosted a campaign rally for then presidential candidate Donald Trump.
“This broke our previous attendance record with 10,970 patrons at the event,” said Trent Merritt, Spectra regional vice president/general manager. “A great point of pride from that event was how smoothly it operated from parking to security to production and customer service. It was a great example of various departments across campus and the city pulling together.”
University venues contacted report strong attendance and revenue numbers for 2016, which the majority attribute to diverse programming, local partnerships and a heavier reliance on social media marketing.
“The 2016 fiscal year marked our most successful financial year to date by a wide margin due to the culmination of strategic business relationships we have built and fostered over the years,” said Merritt. “Not surprisingly, 2016 also saw a year full of attendance records for the USF Sun Dome.”
BOOKING TRENDS
There are a number of recent developments in events held at university-based venues, most notably a wider range of bookings.
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts at Michigan State University in East Lansing locked into the major national touring Broadway market in the last five years and as a result will host both “Hamilton” and “The Lion King”.
“Even though we’re a smaller region, we’re getting the hottest shows working with New York City touring companies,” said Michael Brand, executive director. “This past season, we had record-breaking crowds at “Wicked”, with 97.7-percent capacity on a three-week run.”
Classic rock, classic country, comedy and Broadway continue to be strong performers at Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center at the University of Texas in Midland.
“But we are also seeing success with other types of shows, like The Temptations/The Four Tops, Kristin Chenoweth and contemporary country acts like Old Dominion and Kacey Musgraves,” said Sammy Wallace, general manager.
Family show ticket sales are at an
all-time high for the Ted Constant Convocation Center at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. In 2016, the calendar included Charlie Wilson, Fantasia, Jeff Dunham, Anthony Hamilton, The Price Is Right Live, Faith Evans, The 1975, Cage The Elephant, Gabriel Iglesias and WWE.
“We recently opened up a new premium club, the 4400 Club, which provided 400 seats for fans based on a donation to the University Athletic Foundation,” said Spectra’s Mike Fryling, general manager. “Due to the demand, we are expanding to add another level accommodating 400 more people.”
With the closing of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, EagleBank Arena at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., has sought to fill in a two-week gap.
“Now we have spots for a high school robotics competition and Joyce Meyer Ministries,” said Barry Geisler, general manager. “We also will host two weeks of Marvel Universe Live in 2019.”
John Paul Jones Arena at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville celebrated its 10th anniversary by launching its first welcome week concert for students with hip-hop artist J. Cole.
“This was a huge turnout and provided students with a positive atmosphere as they returned to school,” said Jason Pedone, general manager. “Our most unique night was Carrie Underwood, who performed in the round. Our spring is flush with shows, most recently Twenty One Pilots, one of the hottest acts we’ve had and a sellout.”
Among its concerts and sporting events, The Jerome Schottenstein Center at Ohio State University in Columbus hosted two firsts — the Alternative Press Awards and the North American Major Championship of Counter Strike: Global Offensive, an eSports tournament that had over 10,000 guests live and over 70 million views online.
“We also broke our single artist sales record for a single tour with Garth Brooks by selling over 100,000 tickets and six performances,” said Bredan Buckley, director of booking.
With tours from Paul McCartney, Luke Bryan, Justin Bieber and Carrie Underwood, 2016 was the strongest year for California State University’s Save Mart Center since 2005.
“Part of the reason is we’re crossing all genres,” said Sean McElhinney, assistant general manager of the Fresno facility. “When the economy crashed, we got hit hard and shows opted to stay away; now confidence has been restored.”
DIVERSE PROGRAMMING
University Top Stops are creating diverse event lineups, which has helped expand demographics from college students to include the surrounding regions.
“Diverse programming has had the biggest impact on our bottom line as well as focusing on subscription retention and acquisition to solidify our subscriber base,” said James Patrick, executive director at the Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts at Idaho’s Boise State University. “We had a lot of wonderful programs provided by our resident companies, but our Fred Meyer Broadway In Boise series remains a high point.”
In addition to “The Illusionists” and “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical”, the venue has hosted Wilco, Jackson Browne, The Piano Guys and David Brooks.
The Wharton Center for the Performing Arts has experienced additional support for its classical music series as well as speakers it coordinates with other colleges. The center also is the first in the state to launch sensory-friendly performances created for people on the autism spectrum.
Last year, the USF Sun Dome hosted multiple Grammy Award-winning artists, such as Carlos Vives; Anthony Hamilton; Fantasia and Mary J. Blige, in addition to hosting the university’s men’s and women’s basketball programs and women’s volleyball.
“No doubt 2016 was our highest grossing revenue year ever,” said Orlando’s CFE Arena’s general manager Brian Hixenbaugh. “In addition to a sold-out Tool concert, we hosted a WE concert after the Pulse nightclub shooting, which sold out 8,000-plus tickets in two days. The money was donated to the OneOrlando Fund for the shooting victims.”
The University of Central Florida arena also expedited its additional security measures following the shooting, implementing metal detectors in November.
Iowa State Center at Iowa State University in Ames had a successful run in 2016 with two Blue Man Group performances, followed by the Tedeschi Trucks Band, comedian Ron White and the university music department’s Master Works Choral Concert.
“The following Monday, we had a school programming series for children and both morning and afternoon shows were full,” said Tammy Koolbeck, executive director.
Sporting events also have been a juggernaut for university venues, even during the off season.
One example is UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center, which recently signed a three-year extension to host the NBA Summer League.
“This has grown from six to 25 teams and last year drew more than 100,000 attendees,” said Newcomb.
The most successful 2016 booking at Philadelphia’s The Liacouras Center - Temple University, run by Spectra Venue Management, was Cirque du Soleil.
The venue also hosted American Idol auditions last summer as well as a sold out Martin Lawrence performance, said Joe Sheridan, general manager.
Bruce Springsteen broke the arena record for highest attendance and highest grossing show at Chaifetz Arena at St. Louis University in Missouri.
“We had sold-out shows with Carrie Underwood and Tool,” said Lindsay Gjerde, director of marketing. “We also had great success with The Avett Brothers and Cirque du Soleil OVO.”
Summer didn’t slowdown Boston University’s Agganis Arena, which hosted four back to back concerts in June, including Twenty One Pilots, The Cure, Ryan Lewis and Macklemore.
“We’re very proud we had two nights of a sold out Adele concert in November as well as a Dolly Parton performance in December,” said Liz Land, assistant director of marketing/sales & digital media at the Frank Erwin Center, University of Texas, Austin. “We also opened up Drake’s tour July 20.”
DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS
Updates in the use of social media, along with technology, were other hallmarks for top university stops in 2016.
UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center’s recent $73 million revamp included a new sound system, in addition to updates to its point-of-sale system, seats, restrooms and concessions.
“We also built a 9,200-square-foot addition to the west side of our building, which will be used for flexible meeting and event space,” said Newcomb.
This summer, Colonial Life Arena will add a new video and ribbon board to help with post season play opportunities.
In 2016, Temple University’s Liacouras Center launched a new website that is responsive to mobile devices for ticket sales. The facility also updated its marquee to include live scoring for its home games.
One of the biggest changes at Boise State’s Velma V. Morrison Center was replacing its website platform.
“We moved to a secure and responsive site, which provided much needed improvements in aesthetics and functionality,” said Patrick.
2017 STARTS STRONG
Like 2016, 2017 looks to be a high-grossing year for university venues.
“The year ahead will probably be our busiest since our opening in 1999,” said Cindy Harper, associate director, United Supermarkets Arena, Texas Tech University, Lubbock. “We are excited to be hosting the Lubbock debut of Cirque du Soleil OVO in March.”
The venue went on sale a month ago with a Garth Brooks show, where he will be performing in the West Texas region for the first time in 20 years (and his first in Lubbock since a student fraternity group concert festival in 1991).
“Our 2017 schedule is very robust with return performances from area favorites like the Oak Ridge Boys and Ron White in January; Foreigner, Gabriel Iglesias, Styx, and America in February, Gordon Lightfoot, Willie Nelson, and Chicago in March; George Lopez and D.L. Hughley in April; and a very strong Broadway series highlighted by “Once”, “Rent”, “The Illusionists” and “Cinderella,” said Wallace at Wagner Noel PAC. “We also have a number of first-time performers coming in 2017, including YES, The Midtown Men, Greater Tuna, Shen Yun, Alice Cooper, Everclear and Garrison Keillor.”
Boston University’s Agganis Arena is planning Marc Anthony as its first 360-degree concert, which is expected to draw a record 7,000 attendees.
Iowa State Center in Ames has multiple performances of the musical “Chicago” planned with Eddie George, former Heisman winner, as the male lead. The facility also will host dancing siblings Derek and Julianna Hough’s Moved Beyond series in May.
UNLV’s Sam Boyd Stadium recently hosted the Mexican national soccer team’s game against Iceland, selling more than 25,000 tickets on a Wednesday night. It’s also expecting good showings for its Feld events, including Disney on Ice.
Save Mart Center is seeing 2017 looking equally as strong as last year, with 13 shows on sale at press time and high-profile acts on the roster, including Twenty One Pilots.