DIAMOND BACK: Ralph Marchetta’s new job includes beefing up the live music calendar at Desert Diamond Arena, now primarily a concert venue. (Desertdiamondarena.com)
Ralph Marchetta has joined ASM Global as a regional vice president for live entertainment as the veteran arena manager targets the one piece of the industry he loves the most, booking concerts and special events in Greater Phoenix.
In making the move, Marchetta, who turned 59 in June, leaves the Phoenix Suns after an impressive run that started with the NBA team as an event manager when America West Arena, now Footprint Center, opened in 1992.
Ralph Marchetta (Courtesy ASM Global)
Marchetta rose through the ranks of the organization to become the arena’s senior vice president and general manager, a position he held for the past 17 years.
“I’m a firm believer in changing it up every 32 years,” Marchetta said, tongue in cheek. “It was an opportunity that presented itself, and to me, it was an exciting possibility. As the conversations evolved, I became more interested in what it could be. The booking side of it has always been a part of the business that I’m passionate about, and to be able to focus on that piece is really appealing to me.”
As a regional VP, Marchetta will work closely with ASM Global’s building mangers at Desert Diamond Arena and State Farm Stadium, to book concerts at the venues that sit next to each other in Glendale, in Phoenix’s West Valley.
“I’ll remain in Phoenix,” Marchetta said. “I’ve got deep roots in the market and know those facilities. There will also be other opportunities on a regional basis in which I can help ASM Global. One of the perfect things for me is that a lot of those relationships are already in place, so it makes it an easy transition.”
Marchetta sees great potential for the NFL stadium and especially the arena, now that it’s focus is live music after the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes left the building two years ago after struggling to draw fans since it opened in 2003. Desert Diamond Arena is currently going through a $40 million renovation to make the building more user-friendly for artists and concertgoers. The arena will stay open during the upgrades, which are expected to be completed in early 2025.
Last year was the arena’s best in terms of concerts, with 50 shows, compared with 43 in 2022, with a year-over-year increase in attendance of 119%, according to published reports.
Despite signs of softness in the overall concert market in 2024, as documented by Pollstar, Marchetta doesn’t see things slowing down in Phoenix, which now stands as the fifth-largest city in the country.
“The appetite for live entertainment doesn’t seem to be dissipating at all, and that’s going to continue,” he said. “It’s something that people, when they’re making choices — that’s something they want to do.”
