The long process to replace 40-year-old James Brown Arena took a step forward when Augusta, Ga., officials shared the concept design and renderings from architect Perkins and Will. Continue Reading James Brown Arena: A Brand New Bag?
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Fresh graphics are already in place inside James Brown Arena in Augusta, Ga. (Courtesy James Brown Arena) Removal of freestanding marquee in rebranding effort worried some fans James Brown fans can rest easy. The Godfather of Soul’s name is staying on the arena in his hometown. Some admirers of the legendary singer thought otherwise when James Brown Arena in Augusta, Ga., temporarily replaced its outdoor sign recently, removing Brown’s name. Several locals protested their concerns on social media. Brad Usry, vice chairman of the Augusta Coliseum Authority, said the name isn’t going anywhere. In fact, Brown’s name, images and iconic lyrics will be more prominent through a rebranding that’s already underway. The 10-year-old sign was scheduled to be replaced due to its age as part of the rebranding. The marquee, on a freestanding sign outside the building, was temporarily replaced with a logo of the new brand, Augusta Entertainment Complex,… Continue Reading James Brown Arena: Still Funky
Continue Reading James Brown Arena: Still Funky
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The arena will be the new home to the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream and the NBA G League’s College Park Skyhawks. (Courtesy Tvsdesign) Arena sits next to convention center near Atlanta airport The College Park Skyhawks, the NBA’s newest minor league squad, will christen a new arena Nov. 21 on the southern edge of Atlanta, the most recent development in an expanding community next to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Gateway Center Arena at College Park, a 3,500-seat facility, is the home of the G League team as well as the Atlanta Dream, the city’s WNBA team. The Dream recently announced they are moving their home games to the smaller venue from State Farm Arena, which seats 16,888 for basketball and where the Dream played for their first 12 years. The $45 million Gateway Center Arena is funded largely through tourist taxes by the city of College Park, a southern suburb of about… Continue Reading New Home for Hoops in Atlanta Area
Continue Reading New Home for Hoops in Atlanta Area
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Red Hat Amphitheater in downtown Raleigh, N.C. (Courtesy Red Hat Amphitheater) When the big acts came calling, the Carolinas and Georgia were ready Infinite Energy Center Duluth, Ga. Dan Markham, executive director of sales, booking and event management How did you do last year? Last year was great, with 2018 overtaking 2017 as the best year in the history of the 18-year-old arena. It was a combination of juxtaposing some shows to accommodate a heavier schedule last year. We had quite a few shows do multiple days. One of the big pluses here is we have an easy building to load in and out of. We also get a lot of rehearsals. We also did some huge shows that we were fortunate to get, what I’d call bucket list shows. Big shows Paul McCartney, U2, Justin Timberlake and Childish Gambino were big ones. We’ve added more hip-hop with Kendrick Lamar… Continue Reading Carolinas and Georgia: Banner Year
Continue Reading Carolinas and Georgia: Banner Year
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Marquee Club presented by Lexus, Fox Theatre, Atlanta David Ploski, club manager, and Rob Chaffin, executive chef Photo: Alive Coverage Aiming high, all the way to the rooftop The Marquee Club at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta has numerous physical assets that give it obvious appeal. The main level is adjacent to Peachtree Street, Atlanta’s famous, bustling thoroughfare, and large storefront windows provide a clear view of the absorbing scenes of the street. The windows also provide a tantalizing look inside to all theatergoers, ramping up the exclusive nature of the space, said Allan Vella, president and CEO of the Fox Theatre. The 14,000-square-foot, three-level club has a mezzanine level featuring a ceiling that mimics the theater’s blue-sky imagery, including sprawling stars, and offers a quiet, detached place for conversation while overlooking the main level. Three rooftop areas, including an outdoor terrace, provide striking views of the city’s skyline and the Fox’s… Continue Reading Excellence in Concessions Awards: Best New/Refurbished Space in Food and Drink
Continue Reading Excellence in Concessions Awards: Best New/Refurbished Space in Food and Drink
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Expanded Waste Diversion Efforts, SunTrust Park, Atlanta Shawn Mattox, SunTrust Park vice president of operations, Delaware North Sportservice Photo: Courtesy Delaware North Sportservice Partnerships enhance greening of SunTrust Park The 2019 season at SunTrust Park, home of the Atlanta Braves, has been a great one for the playoff-bound Braves and a green one for the ballpark. Determined to expand and improve waste diversion from landfill — through reusing, recycling and composting — Delaware North Sportservice, which has operated concessions, premium dining and restaurants at SunTrust Park since 2016, collaborated with the Braves, area waste haulers, business partners and associates to intensify waste diversion at the ballpark and improve the sustainability of the venue’s operations. Data demonstrates the success of those efforts. Through July, the ballpark had diverted 255 tons of materials from landfill, nearly as much as the 269 tons diverted for the entirety of 2018 and a promising start to reaching… Continue Reading Excellence in Concessions Awards: Best Sustainability Initiative
Continue Reading Excellence in Concessions Awards: Best Sustainability Initiative
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After Mary Poppins flew into the balcony at the Fox Theatre, this outside exit needed to be tented for the curtain call in case of rain. (Courtesy Fox Theatre) How theaters handle the demands of the most complex traveling productions Flying carpets, falling chandeliers and a magical nanny that hovers above the audience have been stretching the limits of the special effects that theaters can accommodate. Theatrical productions are getting bigger and heavier and often require additional structural work, leaving operations managers scrambling to retrofit their venues. “Creative people will always push boundaries,” said Bill Dantos, vice president of theater operations for Blumenthal Performing Arts, which runs the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. “And the operations directors at PACs have to deal with it or lose the show.” Dantos had to reach out for help to mount “Phantom of the Opera,” “Aladdin,” “Mary Poppins,” “Billy Elliott” and “Jersey Boys”… Continue Reading Heavy Duty
She follows Sandie Aaron as managing director of Atlanta center Atlanta’s Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre named Vickie Hubbard managing director. Hubbard brings more than 30 years of experience in the overall management, promotion and operation of arts, entertainment and sports venues. She was executive director of the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center on the campus of Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre includes the 2,750-seat John A. Williams Theatre, the 10,000-square-foot Kessel D. Stelling Ballroom and full-service food and beverage capabilities. The center hosts two resident companies, the Atlanta Ballet and the Atlanta Opera, and programs concerts, Broadway shows, ballet, educational shows, family shows and corporate meetings and events. Hubbard follows longtime venue operator Sandie Aaron, who retired after three years with the Cobb PAC, and will report to Michele Swann, general manager and CEO of the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum and Exhibit Hall Authority. Both… Continue Reading Vickie Hubbard Joins Cobb PAC
Continue Reading Vickie Hubbard Joins Cobb PAC
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The club extends to a rooftop space that overlooks Peachtree Street. (Caleb Holland / With Agency) Marquee Club presented by Lexus at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre marks successful first year Shelling out $10 million to create the Marquee Club presented by Lexus was an anomaly for Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, which had not seen a capital outlay of this amount since the theater was built in 1929. “That was significant for us,” said Adina Erwin, Fox Theatre’s vice president and chief operating officer. “We’ve done capital improvements of $1 million to $1.5 million over time, but a construction process like this had never been done here before.” With the city’s bevy of entertainment spaces — including Mercedes-Benz Stadium, not 2 years old; newly renovated State Farm Arena; Cobb Energy Center; and the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center, which opened last year — it can be difficult for a venue in this neck of… Continue Reading Marquee Attraction
Continue Reading Marquee Attraction
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The goal of design firm Lord Aeck Sargent was to connect the Marquee Club to the theater’s architecture while creating a feel of its own. (Caleb Holland / With Agency) To ensure as many guests as possible can take advantage of its amenities, which include early access to the club 90 minutes before events, complimentary food and nonalcoholic beverages, private restrooms and bars, and coat check, the Marquee Club presented by Lexus offers both membership and single-event pricing models. Corporate annual membership packages are $12,000, $24,000, $36,000 and $48,000, which admit 10, 20, 30 or 40 guests, respectively. All include unlimited club pass transfers, priority access to premium tickets and no ticket transaction fees. Individual membership packages are $3,000 for two club passes or $6,000 for four. Both include priority access to buy premium show tickets for all Fox events through a private ticketing concierge as well as waived ticket… Continue Reading Getting In: Corporate Packages to Single-Event Passes
Continue Reading Getting In: Corporate Packages to Single-Event Passes
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Vice President of Guest Experience, Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena David Garcia leaned on his personal Disney experience to help transform the culture for three big league teams in his hometown of Atlanta. In his role as vice president of guest experience for the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena, Garcia touches all aspects of event operations after the NBA team combined its premium and guest services departments into one group under Hawks owner Tony Ressler. The Hawks hired Garcia after he spent about three years as director of fan experience for AMB Sports & Entertainment, parent company of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC of MLS, and operator of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. For Garcia, 33, the common thread for both positions was The Walt Disney Co., where he took a job out of college as a financial analyst in Orlando. Over the past 20 years, multiple teams have… Continue Reading Generation Next: David Garcia
Continue Reading Generation Next: David Garcia
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The city of Savannah, Ga., has contracted Oak View Group to manage the new Savannah Arena, shown here in a rendering. (Courtesy Perkins + Will) Firm will manage new arena, working with Live Nation, Delaware North Oak View Group has won the contract to manage Savannah Arena in Georgia. The $160 million multipurpose facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2021. “The last pieces of the design puzzle are being worked now and we wanted to get our operator onboard early so they could have some input on that,” Savannah City Manager Rob Hernandez said. “We thought it was very important to have the group responsible for the profitability and success of the venue involved ahead of the game.” Three companies — OVG, SMG and Spectra — responded to the request for proposals put out by the city and Jones Lang LaSalle, the firm hired by the city… Continue Reading Oak View Group Gets Savannah Deal
Continue Reading Oak View Group Gets Savannah Deal
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