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Exit of Hockey Team Creates Opportunity in Trenton

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SunNationalBankCenter.jpgSun National Bank Center, Trenton, N.J.

Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, N.J., is looking to increase its bookings following the exit of their tenant hockey team. On Friday, the Trenton Titans of the EHL concluded their Chapter 7 bankruptcy, just slightly less than a year after folding up operations at the conclusion of the 2012-13 season. 

The team filed for bankruptcy on March 11 in the US Bankruptcy Court in Trenton. According to the filings, the Titans have no assets and have more than $500,000 in debt. The bankruptcy came after a season-ticket lawsuit, along with a lawsuit from former head coach Vince Williams in New Jersey Supreme Court.

The exit of the team has opened up the booking calendar for the Global Spectrum-managed facility in New Jersey's state capital, said GM Claudio Oliviero.

“They had a 36-game schedule in the ECHL, but we definitely didn’t lose all 36 games in that calendar year, because they did play January through April of last year,” said Oliviero. “What we did lose was the home games they would have played from October through December in 2013 and the games that would have taken place from January through April of this year. We run on a calendar year basis, so we took a positive out of it. With the Titans leaving, it freed up more opportunities to bring in new programming. Due to the expense side and keeping that ice plant operational and running, the hockey was a break-even situation for us.”

With the Titans not playing, it has given Oliviero more opportunities to bring in more revenue through new events. It also freed up weeknights and weekends for the new events to take place.

“We still want to have a strong base with tenants, so now we have the indoor football team, the Trenton Freedom, starting here later this month. The new events that we’ve been able to bring in here have been very successful for us,“ he said

The Trenton Freedom of the Professional Indoor Football League kick off their inaugural season this Sunday at home at 2 pm. This is the third attempt for football at the arena. Besides the indoor football team, the arena also had “Battle of Trenton” Indoor Auto Racing at the facility.

“Indoor Auto Racing was very successful for us,” said Oliviero. “They had two very good shows here in February and now, due to the success of those shows, are looking to come back in December. It would have been very difficult for me to bring that in if we still had hockey — we would have had to take out the ice and the boards. But since they were not here, it was an easy decision to bring that in here. It was a very positive event for us, and a very big revenue generator for us.”

On March 15 and 16, Sun National Bank Center welcomed the USA New Jersey Wrestling Kids Championship. Much like the Indoor Auto Racing event, this was the first time that this took place at the arena.

“That was a very successful first-time event for us,” said Oliviero. “That group, up until last week, primarily staged at local high schools. As they’ve grown, they have outgrown the high school setting, and we feel we’re the perfect size venue for them. They actually committed to us for a five-year deal, and it was here for the weekend. They loaded in on Friday, then had the wrestling matches on Saturday and Sunday. That was very positive, but they are going to help us get local wrestling tournaments in the area to come to our facility. Really, it’s a pretty simple setup, as we have to push in the retractable seating for that event, but they bring in the mats and set up the venue.”

Oliviero said that the arena has been able to have more cheerleading events, as well.

“This December, we have one cheerleading event that’s coming here that’s new for us. They are also expected to come back for a second show in January 2015. I probably would not have been able to book them with hockey here. We typically do 16-18 cheerleading events in the calendar year. They are a really big part of our business.”

While Sun National Bank Center has added many new events in the 11 months since the Titans left the arena, according to Oliviero, the window is always open for a return for ice hockey.

“The ice plant in the building is permanent, so that’s not going anywhere,” said Oliviero. “I do have conversations with groups periodically, whether it’s hockey or other sports. We evaluate all of the opportunities, and there’s a strong venue, team-ownership relationship that has to go along with that.”

Interviewed for this article: Claudio Oliviero, (609) 656-3200


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