COME SAY HELLO TO THE CANALTA CENTRE

Medicine Hat, AB (July 28, 2015) – After twenty-­three months of construction, the Canalta Centre is ready for its debut.

The official ribbon cutting ceremony for the Canalta Centre is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 22 at 1:00 p.m. Self-­guided tours of the facility will be held immediately following the ribbon cutting and will be available until 4 p.m. Attendees are asked to bring a non-perishable food item for the Medicine Hat and District Food Bank.

“We can’t wait to open the doors and show the facility off,” said Medicine Hat Mayor Ted Clugston. The Canalta Centre will allow Medicine Hat and area residents’ access to entertainment and events never before available in our community. The facility will help keep local dollars in Medicine Hat and bring in visitors and investors from other communities.”

This state-­of-the-­art facility, with a total project budget of $74.9 million, is Medicine Hat’s newest premiere entertainment venue. As the new home for the Medicine Hat Tigers, the Canalta Centre will also host a diverse array of entertainment experiences the whole family can enjoy including concerts, family shows, sporting events, conventions and more. With full-­bowl concert seating of over 6,600 seats, two star dressing rooms, four auxiliary rooms, a moveable curtain system for multiple event configurations, this facility is over 192,000 sq ft and is truly a world-­class event centre.

The Canalta Centre is proudly owned by the City of Medicine Hat and operated by SMG, a global leader in venue management.

For more information on the Community Open House and the Canalta Centre, please visit canaltacentre.com.

Chesapeake Energy Arena Climbs Ticket Sales Chart

Oklahoma City, OK (July 13, 2015) - The SMG-managed Chesapeake Energy Arena posted its strongest showing in 12 years in Pollstar’s mid-year ranking of the Top 100 arena venues based on ticket sales.

The arena came in at No. 16 in the United States and No. 43 in the world with 173,838 reported tickets sold so far in 2015. It’s the arena’s highest U.S. ranking in the mid-year Pollstar chart since it ranked 8^th in 2003. That was the first year Chesapeake Energy Arena was eligible for the mid-year chart after opening in July 2002.

“The event promoters and our staff have helped make this a remarkable year for us so far,” General Manager Gary Desjardins said. “We are proud we have been able to bring some of the top touring acts in the world to Oklahoma City.”

Chesapeake Energy Arena has already seen several acts that rank among Pollstar’s mid-year ranking of the Top 100 Worldwide tours of 2015, including Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, Chris Brown, Eric Church, Charlie Wilson, Varekai by Cirque du Soleil, Ariana Grande, New Kids on the Block, Kevin Hart, Miranda Lambert and the Winter Jam tour.

The arena will see more quality tours in the second half of 2015, including The Comedy Get Down on July 25, WWE Monday Night Raw on July 27, Def Leppard on Aug. 10, Shania Twain on Aug. 12 and Foo Fighters on Sept. 29. The arena will also host the North American Youth Congress Aug. 5-7, The Good News Festival with Franklin Graham Aug. 22-23 and the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Dec. 20.

In March 2016, the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship and NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship will return to Chesapeake Energy Arena.

A full schedule of upcoming events at Chesapeake Energy Arena and ticket information can be found at ChesapeakeArena.com. The full Top 100 arena ranking and Top 100 tour ranking is available in the most recent issue of Pollstar.

Grateful Dead Concerts Meant Chicago Raked In Hotel Taxes

City of Chicago officials say the Grateful Dead’s set of final concerts over the Fourth of July weekend brought in more than $431,000 in hotel tax revenue for the city.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office said Wednesday morning that downtown hotel occupancy for the weekend was 77.7 percent. That’s compared to the same weekend over the previous five years, which had an occupancy rate for leisure bookings at downtown Chicago hotels of 57.7 percent.

The mayor’s office says hosting large, high-profile events like the three-day concert series are critical to Chicago’s economic growth.

Soldier Field has said that 71,000 tickets were sold for the band’s final show on July 5 – the most for any event at the lakefront stadium.

Alaska Aces, SMG to host charity 5K

ANCHORAGE – The Alaska Aces are trading in their skates for running shoes and raising money for some Alaskan causes. Sept. 13, the Aces will co-host a 5K race to raise money for the Fisher House of Alaska, the Scotty Gomez Foundation and the Anchorage Sports Association. The new voice of the Aces, Kurt Haider, and race organizer Justin Phillips joined Daybreak Wednesday to talk about the upcoming event.

“Basically, we were looking at other ways to be more involved in out community,” Phillips said.

The race course will start at the ice rink outside the Ben Boeke Arena, continues down through the Chester Creek Trail and circles back to the start. Finishers will have a nice reward at the end.

“Folks will be invited into the Sullivan Arena to check out all of the things that are happening there,” Haider said. “The new seats, the new boards, the new glass, the whole place is amazing — it’s going to be amazing.”

The Alaska Aces and SMG Inaugural 5K will take place Sept. 13 at 10 a.m. at the Sullivan Arena. Early signup is anytime before Aug. 31 for $35. It’s $45 for those who sign up after. For tickets and bib pickup dates, visit the Alaska Aces website.

23 SMG Venues Ranked in Pollstar’s 2015 Mid-Year Charts

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. 

INTRUST BANK ARENA RANKED AS 37th BUSIEST ARENA IN THE UNITED STATES IN MID-YEAR RANKINGS

Wichita, KS (July 14, 2015) – The SMG-managed INTRUST Bank Arena finished as the 37^th busiest arena in the United States and 85^th in the world in Pollstar Magazine’s 2015 Mid-Year Top 100 Arena Rankings. Rankings are based on tickets sold worldwide for shows played between 1/1/15 and 6/30/15.

 “2015 is shaping up to be a milestone year for us at INTRUST Bank Arena as we continue to celebrate our 5^th Anniversary,” said A.J. Boleski, SMG General Manager. “In the second quarter, we successfully hosted our first ever rap and hip hop concert in conjunction with Power 93.5 featuring Lil Wayne. The second half of the year looks extremely solid and we’re looking forward to the variety of entertainment that we’ll be offering this community and our fans. We’re excited to host concerts that span nearly every genre including country, classic rock, pop and active rock and the fourth quarter will feature our first ever pop show at the arena. ”

At the mid-year mark, INTRUST Bank Arena has hosted nine of the Top 100 Tours, including Disney on Ice, Fleetwood Mac, Harlem Globetrotters, Miranda Lambert, Bob Seger, Winter Jam, Jason Aldean, Cirque Du Soleil, and Sesame Street Live. Additionally, four more events INTRUST Bank Arena has scheduled made the Top 100 Tours list and include Foo Fighters, Ariana Grande, Def Leppard and Marvel Universe Live.

Upcoming summer events at INTRUST Bank Arena include Lady Antebellum (July 25), Boston (Aug. 9), Wingapalooza (Aug. 15), and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (Aug. 27-30). For a full list of upcoming events, please visit www.intrustbankarena.com.

Cobo Center Achieves International Green Meeting Certification

Detroit, MI (July 9, 2015) - Thom Connors, SMG regional vice president and general manager of Cobo Center, is pleased to confirm today that Cobo Center has received the Convention Industry Council’s Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) certification, by the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC), a non-profit, membership-based professional organization spearheaded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which provides educational resources to planners, suppliers, and venues seeking to meet the ever-rising standards consumers set for sustainable meetings.

The GMIC award is the fourth for Cobo Center related to sustainability efforts. In 2012, Cobo became the largest Green Venues Michigan facility. In 2014, Cobo was designated an EcoWorks Sustainable Communities Champion. Earlier in 2015 the Detroit Free Press named Cobo Center a Detroit Green Leader.

Connors was thrilled with the venue’s accomplishment. “Achieving certification to the industry’s global standard is clear proof of the Cobo Center’s commitment to sustainability,” he said. “We are proud to take the lead in advancing the convention center’s responsible environmental and social practices and hope this will encourage others in making Detroit a more sustainable meeting destination.”

Soon to complete a $279 million renovation project, Cobo Center offers 723,000 square feet of exhibit space and is the 19th largest convention center in the country. Cobo is one of four SMG managed facilities to achieve GMIC’s APEX/ASTM certification.

The APEX/ASTM Venues Standard delineates the procedural requirements for venue selection – the practice of researching, evaluating and choosing the facility for an event. The standard specifies distinct performance criteria for staff management, communications, waste management, energy, air quality, water, procurement, and community partners. The standards were created in partnership with ASTM International, an ANSI-accredited standards development organization.

“Achieving certification to this standard doesn’t just stop with Cobo Center,” said Larry Alexander, chairman of the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority (DRCFA) and president and CEO of the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau. “This is a huge achievement for the region and the DRCFA as we continue to promote Detroit as a true destination city – not just in the Midwest, but around the U.S. and international markets.”

The certification application was a coordinated effort by Cobo Center’s Green Committee, made up of members from every department and vendor company in the center. The committee created 85 separate required documents to substantiate the development of multiple policies and “best practice” procedures initiated to support sustainable events in Cobo. Over a six-month period, significant Green practices such as composting and environmental purchasing policies were implemented to attain the certification and go on to support Green events in the center.

“This certification is one more step in Cobo Center’s effort to become an industry leader in sustainability,” said Connors. “In the last four years, and despite the ongoing major renovations, we have substantially reduced utility costs while increasing the event schedule and expanding the footprint of the facility. At the same time, we reduced water usage by 17 million gallons.”

Roger Simons, President GMIC added, “Responsible environmental and social practices in the meeting industry is a global concern. We are delighted to see a major U.S. facility such as Cobo Center step up and make a commitment to sustainable meetings.”

Soldier Field Wraps Up Historic Grateful Dead Farewell Concert On The Heels Of Gold Cup Doubleheader

Chicago, IL (July 9, 2015) - Soldier Field made music history as The Grateful Dead played the last show of their five-day reunion concert series, and their career as a whole, at the SMG-managed stadium, which concluded on July 5th—nearly 20 years to the day of the last Grateful Dead Concert, which took place at the same venue.

“We would like to thank the city of Chicago, The Chicago Parks District, Peter Shapiro, and Madison House Presents for bringing this historical event to Chicago,” said Tim Lefevour, General Manager of Soldier Field.

The “Fare Thee Well” tour consisted of five shows, three of which were held at the stadium, bringing in over 71,000 attendees each night. The series of performances were a final farewell to both new and longtime fans, and celebrated the band’s 50th anniversary.

“Soldier Field has hosted the Grateful Dead for many performances over the years, but this was naturally a special occasion for people from all over the country to see these last performances,” said General Superintendent and CEO of the Chicago Park District Mike Kelly. “We are extremely pleased by the exceptional turnout with record breaking crowds at the stadium and the incremental revenue it brings to the Chicago Park District programs and facilities.”  

While Sunday’s show marked the end of the Dead’s reunion concert series, the SMG team at Soldier Field immediately went back to work to prepare the field for the two upcoming Gold Cup soccer matches being held on Thursday, July 9. The matches will showcase 2014 CFU Caribbean Cup runner-up Trinidad & Tobago facing 2014 UNCAF Central American Cup runner-up Guatemala. The doubleheader will conclude with the Mexican National Team facing off against Cuba.

Next on the agenda for Soldier Field, July 18 and 19 will feature back to back Taylor Swift concerts, complementing the legendary Grateful Dead concert series and the three day Spring Awakening music festival held in mid-June. Following the Taylor Swift concerts will be Manchester U

nited facing off against Paris Saint-Germain on July 29 for the 2015 International Champions Cup North America, making this the biggest summer ever seen at Soldier Field.