NBA Pre-Season Takes to The Court in SMG Venues Around the Country

SMG venues across the country played host to several NBA pre-season games.  Fans in Baltimore, Canton, Jacksonville, Manchester, Providence, Tulsa and Wichita got a sneak peek at the 2013-2014 NBA teams. SMG’s Executive Vice President of Stadiums & Arenas, Doug Thornton said “we are excited to be a part of the NBA pre-season bringing professional basketball to our SMG venues around the country.”

The Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats, Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Pelicans, NY Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards all had an opportunity show off their skills to fans in a variety of cities.  These pre-season games have been a boon for arenas and secondary markets that seldom have the opportunity to host NBA games.

Baylor University Selects SMG to Manage New Football Stadium

SMG, the worldwide leader in venue management, has been selected by Baylor University to provide pre-opening and management services for its new football facility, Baylor Stadium, scheduled to open in August of 2014. The selection strengthens SMG’s portfolio of collegiate clients, which includes the University of Virginia (John Paul Jones Arena), the University of Pittsburgh (Peterson Arena), Tulane University (Yulman Stadium), Fresno State University (Save Mart Center), Iowa State University (Iowa State Center), and others.

SMG in the News: Country Superfest at EverBank Field

Originally published at Jacksonville.com

One of country music’s biggest festivals will plug into EverBank Field next June, an event that tourism officials compared to the Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl for filling hotel rooms.
The inaugural Florida Country Superfest will be June 14 and 15, officials announced Thursday.

The Duval County Tourism Development Council previously approved providing up to $200,000 from hotel bed taxes to support the festival. Organizers told the council the event would generate attendance of 70,000.

“It’s going to be a phenomenal show, and we’re counting on big, big things from Country Fest and its promoters,” City Councilman Richard Clark, who sits on the tourism development council, said Thursday.

Festival Productions Inc.-New Orleans teamed up with SMG, which manages EverBank Field, to come up with Florida Country SuperFest.

SMG Holds 27 of Pollstar's Top 200 Arenas

SMG-managed facilities continued their strong presence in national rankings with 27 venues appearing on Pollstar Magazine’s third quarter list of the Top 200 Arena Venues. The rankings, which were released last week, are determined by tickets sold worldwide for concerts from January 1, 2013 through September 30, 2013.

“As the recognized leader in the venue management industry, SMG has the privilege of managing a diverse portfolio of arenas worldwide. Through our booking network and relationships with agents and promoters, SMG venues maintain a competitive advantage when booking the top tours and events,” said SMG President and CEO Wes Westley.

Leading the way for SMG was Phones 4u Arena (Manchester, United Kingdom) with 240,949 tickets sold. Taking the top domestic spot was Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Uniondale, NY) selling 208,167 tickets during the first three quarters of the year. In all, SMG venues accounted for more than 3.6 million concert tickets sold thus far in 2013.

The complete list of SMG-managed venues includes:

Phones 4u Arena, Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM

Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne, UNITED KINGDOM

Koing – Pilsener Arena, Oberhausen, GERMANY

Coliseo de Puerto Rico, San Juan, PUERTO RICO

Odyssey Arena, Belfast, UNITED KINGDOM

Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY

BOK Center, Tulsa, OK

Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK

INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita, KS

Van Andel Arena, Grand-Rapids, MI

Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Area, Jacksonville, FL

New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, LA

Times Union Center, Albany, NY

Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA

Save Mart Center, Fresno, CA

Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ

Mohegan Sun Arena At Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, PA

Peoria Civic Center Arena, Peoria, IL

John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA

Selland Arena, Fresno, CA

The Huntington Center, Toledo, OH

Stockton Arena, Stockton, CA

CenturyLink Center, Bossier City, LA

Sovereign Center, Reading, PA

Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, NY

Baltimore Arena, Baltimore, MD

Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, NH

Pollstar is a weekly trade publication covering the worldwide concert industry. Rankings are published on a quarterly basis.