BROADWAY SOUTH: Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts set a record for the number of Broadway season-ticket holders at a new venue with 17,414. (Courtesy Venue)
2024 VenuesNow All-Star Theater / PAC
Steven Tanger Center For The Performing Arts | Greensboro, North Carolina
Pushed off track by COVID, the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts has come out a winner.
Residents of the market, which is the No. 39 concert market in the country according to data from Pollstar, were ready for entertainment. The region, which is known as the Triad includes Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point, with a population of more than 1.7 million in 2023.
Despite the first year in 2021 being short by two months, the Steven Tanger Center opened strong with 203 events attracting 415,421 patrons with 88 sellouts. The venue along with Broadway series presenting partners Nederlander and Professional Facilities Management, set a record for the number of Broadway season-ticket holders at a new venue with 17,414 — making it one of the top-selling, one-week Broadway series performing arts centers in the country.
“And we are going to tell you today that we eclipsed that in the upcoming season that starts this week with ‘Mamma Mia,’” said Scott Johnson, general manager of the Greensboro Coliseum Complex and Steven Tanger Center. “We landed at 17,567 this year.”
The momentum is being felt across the board. In the first two years of operation, 1.1 million guests attended touring Broadway productions, concerts, Guilford College’s Bryan Series, Greensboro Symphony Orchestra performances, comedy and family shows at the 3,000-seat downtown venue. Between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, attendance has been 400,982.
“It tells you that the vision was there, it was correct, and the community wanted a new facility,” added Johnson, a 33-year veteran and former deputy director of the complex. “It has revitalized portions of downtown and is ultimately considered the crown jewel of Greensboro and the Triad.”
In March, the Greensboro City Council unanimously agreed to turn over management and booking services for the Steven Tanger Center and the Greensboro Coliseum Complex’s nine venues to Oak View Group (VenuesNow parent company) on July 1. OVG Hospitality already provided catering and concessions services across all the properties.
According to Johnson, providing excellent customer service was key to success at the Tanger Center, including adding a local phone room with year-round staff for subscribers and changing outdated business practices.
“It became clear that the old way of doing business was not going to work and we had to completely reshape our focus,” offered Johnson. “That ultimately came down to we wanted our staff to not ever use the word ‘No.’ We wanted to lead with, ‘This is how I can help you.’”
With an uptick in sales, Johnson is keenly aware that great Broadway shows and concerts bring patrons through the door, but it is the experience that will keep them coming back.
“People are still looking to be entertained and spend money on things that make them feel good,” explained Johnson. “People have determined that the Tanger Center is a happy place and a happy experience and we have to keep that up.” — Wendy Pearl
