West Conshohocken, PA (July 13, 2015) - SMG-managed venues accounted for more than 3.1 million concert tickets sold through the first half of 2015 while landing 16 arenas on Pollstar Magazine’s mid-year list of the Top 100 Arena Venues and 5 theaters on the Top 100 Theaters mid-year chart. The rankings were released on July 10, 2015 by the industry trade publication.
“We continue to do strong business in our U.S. arenas and theaters” said SMG Executive Vice President, Doug Thornton. “Our venues have worked closely with of our promoter partners to deliver a number of great performances so far this year, which is great news for the fans and communities that we serve. We are very pleased to see these fantastic results and look forward to a successful second half of the year.”
Manchester Arena took the top SMG spot, ranking second in the world with 761,563 tickets sold. Leading the way in the United States was the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, OK, which ranked 47th in the world with 142,235 tickets sold.
SMG’s John Sharkey EVP Europe said “I am delighted that Manchester has delivered a great first half in its 20th anniversary year with some great runs and some terrific artists. I am equally pleased that our First Direct Arena in Leeds reached the top 20 for the first time and that all five European arenas made it into the top 30. It is testimony to the hard work and success delivered by all our team and the great relationships we enjoy with some of the best promoters in the business.”
The complete list of SMG-managed venues in the Pollstar mid-year rankings includes:
Arenas:
Manchester Arena Manchester, United Kingdom
First Direct Arena Leeds, United Kingdom
Odyssey Arena Belfast, United Kingdom
Konig – Pilsener Arena Oberhausen, Germany
Metro Radio Arena Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Chesapeake Energy Arena Oklahoma City, OK
Coliseo de Puerto Rico San Juan, Puerto Rico
BOK Center Tulsa, OK
Van Andel Arena Grand-Rapids, MI
Save Mart Center Fresno, CA
CenturyLink Center Bossier City, LA
INTRUST Bank Arena Wichita, KS
Smoothie King Center New Orleans, LA
Times Union Center Albany, NY
Richmond Coliseum Richmond, VA
Mohegan Sun Arena At Casey Plaza Wilkes Barre, PA
Theaters:
N. Charleston PAC N. Charleston, SC
Wagner Noël PAC Midland/Odessa, TX
DeVos Performance Hall Grand Rapids, MI
Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts Worcester, MA
Altria Theatre Richmond, VA
Peoria Civic Center Theater Peoria, IL
Saenger Theater Pensacola, FL
Pollstar is a weekly trade publication covering the worldwide concert industry. Rankings are published on a quarterly basis.
