Rendering of Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine, following a $33-million renovation and expansion that wrapped in February.
With a new naming rights deal having recently been secured, the Board of Trustees of the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine, announced that Global Spectrum has been unanimously selected by the board to manage the 6,733-seat venue that is home to the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League.
Two nationally-recognized companies submitted proposals in response to an RFP issued earlier this year, with Global Spectrum standing out.
“The Trustees concluded that Global Spectrum is very well suited to achieve our two primary management goals: better access to national resources that will lead to more entertainment options and more efficient facility operations, and an approach that continues the tradition of local community involvement and integration,” Cross Insurance Arena Board Chair Neal Pratt said in a press release.
The venue currently has a partnership with Front Row Marketing Services, another Comcast-Spectacor subsidiary that represents the venue in all commercial rights and premium seating sales and is responsible for securing the recent naming rights partnership. That relationship not only ensures consistency in management, but is part of the overall future initiatives of Comcast-Spectacor.
“One of the big initiatives Comcast-Spectacor has had since Dave Scott became president in December of 2013 is to operate as OneComcast-Spectacor and integrate our go-to-market sales strategy across all products,” said Ike Richman, vice president, public relations of Comcast-Spectacor. “It is Dave’s vision and the company’s goal to grow singles, doubles, triples and home runs by integrating all possible Comcast-Spectacor products.
“Having Front Row Marketing Services on the ground in Portland, and having a relationship with Cross Insurance at Bangor (Maine), was an incredible opportunity for us to take a single (Front Row Marketing Services) in Portland and grow it to a double for us,” he added.
Pratt said that the consideration of a potential shift to a private management company model first began more than two-and-a-half-years ago when the decision was made to renovate the then Cumberland County Civic Center.
“This arena is a tremendous community asset and we want to be sure to maintain its community flavor, as well as its economic and entertainment value,” Pratt said.
In keeping with company policy, Richman declined to provide the nature of the contract, but noted that the venue has appealed to Comcast-Spectacor for a number of years.
“The venue has long been on our radar, dating back to the days of the Maine Mariners (minor league hockey affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers), whom our chairman Ed Snider founded,” Richman said. “While the Mariners are no longer in existence, the venue has been one we have been eyeing for quite a long time.”
Indeed, Snider founded a franchise that played its first regular season game in the civic center before 6,566 fans on Oct. 15, 1977 against the Binghamton Broome Dusters. The Mariners became the only franchise in league history to win the Calder Cup title in their first two seasons (1977–78, 1978–79) and at the time were the only team to ever capture the Calder Cup during their inaugural season. Later, the feat was matched by the team that brought AHL hockey back to Portland, the Pirates.
“We brought professional hockey to Portland when the arena opened,” Snider said. “The Maine Mariners were an integral part of the success of the arena, and winning the two Calder Cups was icing on the cake. I have been a summer resident of Maine for more than 50 years and I love Maine. It’s great to have an opportunity to be involved in Portland again. The region has tremendous potential with our company’s involvement.”
Interviewed for this article: Ike Richman, (215) 389-9552; Ed Snider, (215) 336-3600