Shelly Cayette-Weston
Business Operations President | Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets were one of the youngest teams in the NBA last season, making them one to watch this year and beyond. The franchise will soon have a spruced-up, renovated arena to boast along with a talented squad.
Hornets Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NBA team as well as the Greensboro Swarm of the G-League, is in the process of modernizing Spectrum Center to keep up with the demand of live events, and Shelly Cayette-Weston is leading the charge to make the arena a premier destination for music acts. Project cost is $215 million.
“Some of the major projects we completed this offseason include: a complete renovation of our Uptown Concourse (upper level), the transformation and new building of all our premium spaces, enhanced food and beverage options — quality, variety and ease of purchase — and the addition of a new, diversified product mix for our guests consisting of all-inclusive mini-suites, a theater box and a super suite,” said Cayette-Weston, who joined HSE as president of business operations in May. Other upgrades have touched on back-of-house spaces, HVAC, electrical, plumbing and security, she said.
It’s a major refresh for the arena, which opened in 2005, one that requires two phases of construction (the second of which begins in the next offseason). The move is indicative of the organization’s bullishness on live events, and they brought in the right person to lead HSE in its new era.
“These types of arena renovations only come around once every 20-25 years — this is a big deal not only to us but to this community,” said Cayette-Weston, who spent 12 years with the Cleveland Cavaliers. “The result of two phases of renovations is that it will maintain Spectrum Center as a world-class facility and the premier destination for sports and entertainment in the Carolinas for years to come.”
Spectrum Center hosts approximately 150 events each year, catering to Charlotte’s diverse population and interests with shows from artists like Tim McGraw, Aventura, Nicki Minaj, Bad Bunny and Tom Segura. Cayette-Weston hopes to build on that success with the start of the second phase of the “Reimagine” renovation campaign, which begins in May and covers work on the main concourse, replacing all the seats and adding 2,500 lower-level seats.
“We are in the memory-making business,” Cayette-Weston said. “The memories and experiences people have from being at a live event cannot be matched. We also think that the wider the variety of events and shows, the better it is for your business. We were very encouraged by our attendance prior to closing for renovations and we do believe it will continue well into our future.” — Oscar Areliz
