SMG,
the country’s leading entertainment and venue management company and manager of
the Knoxville Convention Center, is pleased to provide the City of Knoxville with
management services for the Civic Auditorium and Coliseum and Chilhowee Park
& Exposition Center in an interim capacity.
The
City of Knoxville today announced plans for a transition to private,
third-party management of the city’s largest special event facilities, as has
always been the case at the Knoxville Convention Center.
Because
of its existing vendor status with the City of Knoxville as manager of the
Knoxville Convention Center, SMG agreed to provide management services to the
additional facilities at its current contractor rate as the city prepares a bid
process to identify a permanent private management service. SMG has successfully
managed the Knoxville Convention Center since its opening in 2002.
“We
have been very impressed with SMG’s work at the Convention Center, and they
have the level of professional expertise we need to keep our venues operating
while we pursue a longer-term solution to our management needs,” said Christi
Branscom, deputy to the mayor and the City’s chief operating officer. “SMG will
ensure a great experience for the audiences, performers, sports teams and event
organizers who use our facilities.”
SMG’s Knoxville
Convention Center General Manager Mary Bogert will serve as the general manager
of the Civic Auditorium and Coliseum and Chilhowee Park facilities. SMG
Regional Vice President Craig Liston also will be located in Knoxville to provide
additional support during the interim.
“The
Civic Auditorium and Coliseum and Chilhowee Park are versatile facilities that
provide popular entertainment and events to the community,” Liston said. “With
our 13 years of managing the Knoxville Convention Center, we have the
experience and talented staff in place to begin providing management services
immediately. We are pleased to be in a position to offer this assistance to our
partner, the City of Knoxville, as it transitions to private management of these
facilities.”
SMG’s
local leadership team will manage existing city employees, oversee all events
and will be charged with bookings at both facilities.
Built
in 1961, the Civic Auditorium and Coliseum is the largest city-owned facility in
Knoxville and is conveniently located downtown near Interstate 40. The coliseum
seats 6,500 guests and has 22,000 square feet of exhibit space. The building
also houses a 2,500-seat auditorium; 10,000-square-foot exhibit hall; and 4,800-square-foot
ballroom.
The
facility is home to the Knoxville Ice Bears hockey team and the Knoxville
Symphony Orchestra’s News Sentinel Pops Series, as well as a host site for
large touring shows throughout the year, including Disney On Ice and Disney
Live!.
Chilhowee
Park & Exposition Center is an 81-acre, multi-purpose venue, which includes
a 57,100-square-foot exhibition hall, three-acre lake, bandstand, 4,500-seat
amphitheater, barns, arenas, playground and picnic shelters. Chilhowee Park is home to the annual
Tennessee Valley Fair and events and festivals throughout the year.
