Soon to be entirely SMG-managed Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, Fla.
Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, Fla., with its 150 acres, houses Silver Spurs Arena and an exhibition building, which already sets under the management of SMG. Starting Oct. 1, 2018, SMG will handle the entirety of the property, also taking over operations of Osceola County Stadium, home of the Florida Fire Frogs, a Class A advanced affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, next door to Osceola Heritage Park.
“We are very excited,” Robb Larson, Osceola Heritage Park general manager, told Venues Today.“Osceola County Stadium is a great facility and sets right there on the property with us. We are very excited about the future.”
SMG, based in suburban Philadelphia, has been on site since 2003 when Silver Spurs Arena was constructed. SMG has worked closely with Osceola County, which has operated the stadium ever since. “We have been very good neighbors and worked with them all these years,” Larson said. “We consider ourselves family already. Now we have the opportunity to be under one umbrella.”
As part of the agreement, which extends the SMG management of the entire Heritage Park complex to 2023, with another five-year option in a contract that includes a base fee and incentives for both parties; all approximately 15 county employees at the stadium will transition to SMG staff in October 2018. SMG already has a full-time staff of about 35 on site.
“It allows us to have one all-inclusive staff that will be effective,” Larson said. From communication to synergy, coordinating multiple events and managing staff to handling the entire property, Larson said he remains excited about the opportunity to take operations and sales to another level for all the venues within the park.
Osceola County Stadium was built in 1984 and expanded in 2003, holding over 5,000 in its baseball configuration. As the 30-year spring training home of the Houston Astros, the stadium was one of the smallest in the Grapefruit League. The Astros left the stadium after 2016, moving into the brand-new The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. This year marks the first year of the Fire Frogs.
Osceola County Stadium will fall under the capital improvement plan of SMG, which Larson said has already poured over $20 million into Osceola Heritage Park in the last three years. With a new scoreboard, LED ribbon boards, outdoor marquee and a brand-new lighting system for the 8,000-seat arena, future plans include redoing the entire front of the Heritage Park property and expanding the Heritage Club.
“There is a lot of growth taking place,” Larson said. “It is a great time to be in Osceola County.”