Centennial Olympic Park has served as a host for festivals like WonderRoot and the Atlanta Film Festival. (Photo by LeahAndMark)
Formerly the site of mostly free public events and supporting events at sister facilities the Georgia Dome and Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park will soon be positioned to host more concerts and ticketed events.
“The park is such a great space, and like a blank canvas, which isn’t typically found in a major city,” said Julia Karrenbauer, director of business development for Centennial Olympic Park and the Georgia Dome. “There’s a lot we can do, but it’s about finding the right mix and what’s best-suited for the space and community.”
The change in the park’s business model is the first since the 21-acre green space was built in the middle of downtown Atlanta as a centerpiece for the 1996 Olympic games.
The park was recently put to the test on Sept. 10, when AEG brought in the band Mumford & Sons for a sold-out show of 22,000 fans who paid $49.99 for tickets.
“To see this show go off without a hitch was great from a sales perspective,” Karrenbauer said. “It proved that we can handle these types of events.”
“The stars aligned for this event,” said Joe Skopitz, the park’s assistant general manager. “We made money and AEG and the band were great to work with.”
Before the Olympics, the park area was a run-down part of town with no growth. In the last 17 years, this part of the city has attracted businesses, hotels and restaurants.
After Centennial Olympic Park officially opened in March 1998, it was booked about 200 days a year with local festivals, free concerts, a public ice rink and weddings.
“About three years ago, we began looking at ways that the park could become more self-sufficient and raise funds,” Skopitz said. “At the time, we weren’t out to become an amphitheater, but wanted to create a one-day fest to help us become more [financially] self-sufficient.”
The crowd during a festival show at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta.
This resulted in the creation of Party in the Park, the park’s first ticketed event in a decade. Held the third Saturday in May, the event was attended by 9,000 people in its first year and 12,000 this past spring. Ticket prices ranged from $35 in advance for a single ticket to $115 for a VIP package. This year’s performers included Passion Pit, Ellie Goulding, GROUPLOVE, Yeasayer and The Electric Sons.
“We thought we’d lose money the first year, break even the second year and make money in year three,” Skopitz said. “Although we lost money the first year, the second fest put $55,000 in our pockets. Now we know this is a model that can sustain itself.”
Last April, the park was the site of the 2013 NCAA Big Dance Concert Series, which was held in conjunction with the NCAA Men’s Final Four. Hosted by Capital One, the NCAA and Turner Live Events, the three-day event included Dave Matthews Band, Sting and Grace Potter & The Nocturnals.
The park’s free public events the new business model will help finance include a weekly jazz series called Music at Noon, which is held seven months out of the year; an outdoor ice rink open November through January; and a Fourth of July celebration that includes a 20-minute choreographed fireworks display.
“This is the biggest celebration of its kind in the Southeast and is simulcast on our local Top 40 radio station,” Skopitz said.
The park also is the site of a summer farmer’s market and charity walks.
“The goal for us as we head into 2014 is to hold one big concert or festival once a month from April through September,” Skopitz said. “If we can anchor our year around these monthly events, we can add money to the bottom line, which will pay for the park’s free events.”
The first major ticketed festival for the park is expected to be announced early next month.
“There are so many great concert venues in the city already, but we can offer promoters and bands a different type of venue,” Karrenbauer said. “There are many great festivals held in the city, and we can offer the opportunity to expand on many of them with our bigger space.”
Although Centennial Olympic Park doesn’t utilize a ticketing company, the Georgia Dome has an exclusive contract through Ticketmaster.
“We have an opportunity to utilize that relationship, depending on the scope of the event,” Karrenbauer said. “It will depend on what the promoter wants to do and what fits the event.”
Plans also are in the works to expand the park. Board meetings were held last week to discuss opening up the space to increase the flexibility for more types of events.
“The good news is that we’re getting a lot of calls but, unfortunately, many are for dates that are already spoken for,” Skopitz said. “At the end of the day, we want to hold big events and concerts, but our free events are equally important to us. It’s [important to strike] a balance.”
Interviewed for this article: Julia Karrenbauer, (404) 223-4041; Joe Skopitz, (404) 223-4041