Amanda Mann
EVP, Chief Facilities Officer | Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena
The city of Atlanta has a strong case for being considered the Los Angeles of the Southeast, not only with film and television production increasing in the past decade but more live acts making it a point to include the Big Peach in their routing.
Much like the city, State Farm Arena is chartering new territory with the ever-increasing demands of live entertainment, and they hired the one person who knows how to meet those challenges head-on in Amanda Mann, who was announced as executive vice president and chief facilities officer in late July.
“With the live event business booming, we’ve had to evolve our business to keep up with the arena programming opportunities,” said Mann, whose experience includes previous roles at Live Nation, the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers. “We’ve made strategic organization investments to ensure we are prepared to operate at increased scale to meet the needs of customers and partners.”
Mann, the first woman to lead arena operations in the Hawks’ 56-year history, brings a wealth of knowledge and firsthand experience of producing live events.
She’s already got a few things in mind for State Farm Arena, as the city prepares to host major sporting events over the next several years with the College Football Playoffs in 2025, FIFA World Cup in 2026 and NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2031.
“For example, we know fans are looking for less friction and higher-end offerings throughout the venue (not just premium spaces),” she said. “After my time with Live Nation and seeing the impact of touchless security screening systems, highlighting top-shelf beverage offerings and mobile merch ordering, I’m excited to explore these trends in the arena. I’m happy to hear that the NBA is looking to pilot the use of similar friction reducing touchless security screening, which will allow for faster throughput and less hassle for our fans.
“We see State Farm Arena as a crucial piece to experience entertainment for the tens of thousands of visitors from around the world within steps of the stadium,” she adds. “We also see a major growth opportunity in our parking business and are looking at ways to expand and improve this program. With the construction of Centennial Yards (development) across the street and the potential future of what once was CNN Center, we are looking to the future of how fans will experience our events and how we need to reimagine State Farm Arena.”
With that line of thinking, Atlanta may climb closer to the top five in the concert market rankings, especially with what’s in store for the arena next year.
“I don’t see a slowdown at this point and think 2025 will be another record-breaking year,” Mann said. — Oscar Areliz
