Lincoln, NE City Council Approves SMG Contract for Management and Food & Beverage Services for the Pinnacle Bank Arena

The Lincoln City Council voted to approve the SMG Management and SAVOR Food & Beverage contracts  to manage, provide F&B services and operate the new Pinnacle Bank Arena that is currently under construction in the Haymarket area of downtown Lincoln. SMG presently manages the City-owned Pershing Center.

Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler said at a recent press conference, “This new agreement goes beyond just the operation of the new arena. We have tapped into the entertainment programming expertise of Tom Lorenz and SMG and have added some additional City venues in this contract for SMG to manage for us.”

Aside from the management of the Pinnacle Bank Arena, the City has asked SMG to manage the beautiful Pinewood Bowl Theater in Lincoln’s premier Pioneers Park and operate / program a nearly 500,000 square foot festival space and parking area located northwest of the new arena.

SMG will be responsible for booking, operations, food & beverage service, promotion, maintenance, recycling / green initiatives, website development, ticketing, suite and premium seating renewals and some parking.

The Pinnacle Bank Arena will be the home to the University of Nebraska Cornhusker Big 10 Men’s and Women’s basketball teams. Concerts, family shows, civic events, tradeshows, conventions and extreme sports will fill the balance of the annual schedule.

Pinewood Bowl is a heavily wooded boutique outdoor theater located in the center of Pioneers Park. SMG and Mammoth Productions of Lawrence, Kansas are hosting the summer concerts that are currently scheduled including Crosby Stills and Nash, Train with Mat Kearney, BB King with Robert Cray, My Morning Jacket with Band of Horses and the Grand Opening concert - the Outlaw Roadshow featuring Counting Crows.

The 16,000-seat Pinnacle Bank Arena is being built at a cost of $179 million and it is scheduled to open in September 2013.

Big Sandy Superstore Arena Among Tops in the World

From the Herald-Dispatch:

HUNTINGTON -- Venues Today, an international trade magazine, recently ranked the SMG-managed Big Sandy Superstore Arena among the top venues in the world.

The magazine based its rankings on concert and event profits and determined that, from March 16 to April 15, 2012, the arena was the 11th top entertainment venue worldwide among venues with seating capacities between 5,001 and 10,000.

The ranking reflects the dedication and teamwork of the Big Sandy Superstore Arena staff, as well as the unwavering support that patrons show in supporting entertainment throughout the local community, said general manager Brian Sipe.

"This is truly a reflection of what this building is here to do," Sipe said. "Our goal is to bring people to downtown Huntington to see their favorite artists, sporting events, family shows, etc., and we could not do it without the support of our local community."

The arena ranked ahead of other internationally respected venues such as the Nokia Theater L.A. Live in Los Angeles (which ranked 12th) and the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut (which ranked 13th).

Other well-known venues that ranked ahead of the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in gross profit were Orleans Arena in Las Vegas (second) and State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas (first).

Sipe said that he fully expects the arena's success to continue.

SMG in the News: McCormick Place Chef Tasked With Feeding 19,000

View more videos at: http://nbcchicago.com.

SMG/Anchorage Convention Centers Win Visit Anchorage “Seymour Award”

 SMG/Anchorage Convention Centers won the “Member Contribution to the Visitor Industry 2012 Award” at the 25th annual Seymour Awards Banquet at the Dena’ina Center on April 13, 2012. The Centers were recognized for providing top quality meeting and event services, emphasizing the highly successful Food & Beverage operations of Savor Alaska Catering.

 “We are thrilled with this Award,” said Anchorage Convention Centers Greg Spears. “We have excellent infrastructure to work with in both facilities, Dena’ina and Egan, but it’s our staff that truly shines. From Food & Beverage to Operations to Sales & Marketing, and with strong support from SMG of Alaska at the Sullivan and SMG/Savor Corporate, our people work as a team, never forgetting our goal of making the client happy, so they’ll come back. A special nod to Chef Peter Fontanez and his Culinary Team, consistently providing meals to rave reviews – like we all enjoyed here tonight. Thank you Visit Anchorage for this much appreciated recognition and honor.”

The Seymour Awards Banquet was held in Dena’ina’s top floor Tikahtnu Ballroom where the glass wall provided gorgeous Chugach Mountains views on a sunny evening with long Alaskan daylight. The menu included appetizers such as Creamy Risotto with Duck Confit, followed by a Land and Sea Duet Entrée combining Grilled Sirloin topped with Port Wine Demi-Glacé and Sautéed Alaskan Prawns, and Strawberries & Cream Parfait to top it all off. Participants raved about the banquet and the organizers immediately rebooked the space for next year, confirming SMG satisfied all needs – and then some.

So Much More to Savor at the 38th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

SAVOR will be providing food and beverage service for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach through 2015, Shaun Beard, Senior Vice President of SAVOR confirmed today. SAVOR has served as master concessionaire for the Grand Prix of Long Beach for 19 years, bringing together an array of festival favorites at attractive value pricing.

“The food at the Grand Prix is really an event within an event, and we're thrilled to continue providing it,” said Beard. “This year we have more than 190 points of sale, and we're always striving to deliver more locations for fewer dollars to the race fans.”

SAVOR has developed a diverse menu with a local flare for the three-day race. The Grand Prix of Long Beach features SAVOR's trademark Pit Stop stands complimented by locally sub-contracted vendors. SAVOR is partnering this year with So Cal's favorite food trucks to create a food truck village, including Don Chow, Grilled Cheese Truck, Slammin' Sliders, and Tornado Potato. Other local favorites include California Pizza Kitchen, Juicy's BBQ and Big Al's BBQ. With concessions located all along the 1.97-mile track, fans never miss any of the racing action.

At many outlets fans will also be able to enjoy beer from the Bottoms Up Souvenir Beer Cup, the coldest high-tech beer system SAVOR has ever delivered to the Grand Prix. It joins race-sponsored beverages including Fuzzy's Ultra-Premium Vodka, The Patron Spirits Company, Coca Cola, Tecate, and McManis Family Vineyards.

SAVOR also provides catering for the official Race Sponsor Reception and other sponsor parties, as well as beverage services for hospitality groups.

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will fire through the streets of downtown Long Beach with weekend-long action. On Saturday, April 14, two fan favorites -- the sports cars of the Tequila Patrón American Le Mans Series and the 65th Annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race – will take center stage on the historic 1.97-mile, 11-turn seaside street circuit. On Sunday, four races will be on tap including the Izod Indy Cars Race, Firestone Indy Lights Race, the Team Drifting finals and Pirelli World Challenge Race.

K-Rock Centre Named 2012 Venue of the Year Under 8,000 Seats

For the third time in the last four years the K-Rock Centre has again been voted Venue of the Year under 8,000 seats at the 2012 Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards. “It’s a true accomplishment for everyone involved with the facility, and it recognizes what we in Kingston already knew, that the K-Rock Centre is the premiere venue of its size in the country,” said SMG Canada’s General Manager, Ken Noakes.

“Awards like this can never be realized without the endless hard work of our staff, as well as support from all of our partners throughout the city, and the Eastern Ontario region. Winning this award for a third time shows that the K-Rock Centre has made a name for itself in the music industry, and is a facility which is top of mind for industry professionals,” continued Noakes.

SMG Vice President Harry Cann added, “We are thrilled to receive this industry recognition for the third time in four years. This is a true team effort in Kingston. While our local staff and national support team have worked hard to achieve this success, these awards are a testament to the City’s foresight and delivery of an outstanding facility along with tremendous support from the business community and local citizens. The K-Rock Centre has certainly established itself as centerpiece asset for the City and the region.”

The K-Rock Centre was nominated for the award along with the Brandt Centre, Regina; CN Centre, Prince George; Credit Union Place, Summerside; Essar Centre, Sault Ste. Marie; GM Centre, Oshawa; Moncton Coliseum, Moncton; and Prospera Place, Kelowna.

The nominees and winners of the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards are chosen by combined votes of registered Canadian music industry professionals. For more information on the CMBIA please visit www.cmw.net/awards.

For further information on upcoming K-Rock Centre events be sure to visit us at www.k-rockcentre.com, or follow us on Twitter @KROCKCentre

INTRUST Bank Arena Hosts One Millionth Guest

The SMG-managed INTRUST Bank Arena hosted its one-millionth guest at Friday's sold out Jason Aldean concert. Tia Bruce of McPherson, Kan. was brought to tears when told she was the lucky guest. Bruce, who brought her nine-year-old niece Michelle Mann with her to the concert, bought the tickets as a birthday present for Mann's upcoming tenth birthday.

INTRUST Bank Arena General Manager AJ Boleski presented Bruce and Mann with a prize package including upgraded suite tickets for the concert, a meet and greet with Aldean, a commemorative ticket and other autographed merchandise from the show.

“It was overwhelming, but awesome. We had never met anyone famous.” Bruce said referring to the meet and greet with Aldean. “Michelle still hasn't washed her arm where Jason signed it. I couldn't have imagined anything like this.”

Since opening in January 2010 with a sold out Brad Paisley concert, INTRUST Bank Arena has hosted many of the nation's top tours including George Strait, Elton John and Billy Joel, Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, Kid Rock, James Taylor, Keith Urban, Sugarland and more. In addition to concerts, the Arena has proven to be a great venue for college athletics hosting the NCAA 2011 Women's Basketball Championship first and second rounds, Wichita State University men's basketball in both 2010 and 2011and Kansas State University men's basketball in 2011.

This past week, INTRUST Bank Arena was named the Central Hockey League's best Arena for the third consecutive year. The Arena hosts the league-leading Wichita Thunder and is in preparation for the opening round of the CHL play-offs at the end of March.

“This community has been extremely supportive of INTRUST Bank Arena since opening,” said Boleski. “SMG is honored to manage this beautiful facility and looks forward to many great shows to come.”

The March 16th Aldean concert was the third highest attended concert in the Arena's history following George Straight with Reba and Elton John and Billy Joel, both held in 2010.

Upcoming events at the venue include Rodney Carrington, Miranda Lambert, Tom Petty and the Hearbreakers, Hank Williams, Jr. and Nickelback. SMG Wichita will also host the inaugural Wichita Ribfest May 17-19 at City Lot D.