Premium experiences company Legends has announced the appointment of Melvin Lenzy as chief brand and innovation officer, while Matt O’Neil has been named chief content and experience officer.

Lenzy (pictured left) and O’Neil (pictured right) will manage marketing, creative, content, communications and events for the company, each focusing on different business verticals with the goal of helping drive business growth and revenue. They will work with Legends’ clients to provide marketing and branding consulting to heighten the customer experience and develop revenue-generating strategies.

Lenzy has 25 years of strategic marketing experience and has worked with companies such as the NFL, EA Sports, Konami and Nike, where he spent 15 years of his career. He most recently served as the global head of marketing for the NBA2K franchise.

O’Neil previously oversaw all facets of marketing, media and content creation, and game entertainment for the Dallas Cowboys NFL team and Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls. For the past five years, he ran his own content and marketing agency, Ichi Go.

By Stadium Business

New York Giants and New York Jets fans will be able to experience mobile ordering at MetLife Stadium as part of a deal with Waitr which will promote the online ordering technology platform’s impending rebrand to ASAP.

The official five-year partnership with the two NFL franchises and their home venue names Waitr as the exclusive mobile ordering platform at MetLife Stadium. Fans will be able to use the ASAP platform to place mobile orders at all Jets and Giants home games with the platform integrated into each team’s app for mobile ordering from concession stands throughout MetLife Stadium.

For other events, ASAP’s mobile ordering will be done directly through the proprietary ASAP stadium ordering application. Waitr will also use the partnership to enter into the New York/New Jersey delivery market. For Waitr, the deal marks the largest deployment of its ASAP platform within an NFL venue to date.

Waitr will have the rights to use Jets and Giants logos and trademarks for approved uses within the NY and NJ markets. MetLife Stadium videoboards, pylons, LEDs, and other signage will promote ASAP mobile ordering at Jets and Giants home games, concerts, and other events. In addition, Waitr will engage fans with unique promotions and giveaways throughout the NFL season at Jets and Giants games.

MetLife Stadium will be one of the first physical locations where Waitr reveals its company-wide rebrand as the business transitions to a broader ‘deliver anything ASAP’ model. In the coming weeks, Waitr will launch its on-demand service in several cities across New Jersey, offering same-day delivery of a wide variety of items such as food, alcohol, apparel, luxury, sporting goods, auto parts, and electrical products.

“Partnering with MetLife Stadium to deliver an exciting, new and convenient service to their fans marks an important milestone for us,” said Carl Grimstad, chief executive and chairman of Waitr Holding.

“First, our proprietary in-stadium ordering technology will offer millions of sports and music fans each year an improved fan experience, allowing them to ‘skip the wait’ at concessions stands and other vendors throughout the stadium for their favorite food and drinks.

“Second, it will allow us to launch our best-in-class delivery services across the Tri-State area for those who don’t want to – or can’t – leave their home or office. And finally, this partnership will be a catalyst for us to expand into other major cities and venues nationwide.

“We are excited to now be able to say we provide our proprietary mobile ordering services to some of the best stadiums in the US with this partnership, along with our current partnerships with the University of Alabama, LSU, and the New Orleans Saints, with more to come.”

New York Giants chief commercial officer, Pete Guelli, added: “The addition of mobile ordering has been an important part of our enhanced concessions experience and partnering with Waitr to use their best-in-class ASAP platform will continue to expand what we can offer to our fans at games and concerts going forward.”

By Live Nation Entertainment

Broadway Dallas and Live Nation announced a multi-year partnership to bring a wide-ranging, diverse programming line-up to the 3,400-seat Music Hall at Fair Park.

Since opening in 1925, the Music Hall has hosted thousands of events ranging from Broadway to concerts to comedy and speakers. Notable events include HAMILTON, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Dr. Martin Luther King, Liza Minnelli, Jerry Seinfeld, Dolly Parton, Dionne Warwick, Liberace, and hundreds more.

“We are privileged to have the nearly 100-year-old Music Hall in our care,” said Ken Novice, president and CEO of Broadway Dallas. “While Broadway performances take up a significant portion of our calendar, there are dozens of weeks each year where the venue sits empty. This new partnership with Live Nation will help ensure that the Music Hall is occupied as much as possible with diverse, world-class artists and that the legacy of this marvelous venue continues to grow.”

Already announced Live Nation shows at the Music Hall include K-POP sensations LOONA (August 25), Il Divo (August 27), The Australian Pink Floyd Show (August 28), The O’Jays + The Commodores (September 4), A Magical Cirque Christmas (November 19), zoe (December 9), Alton Brown (December 10) with many more to be announced soon.

“Our experience with shows at the Music Hall has been great,” said Anthony Nicolaidis, Live Nation’s Dallas Market President. “We love the historic atmosphere of the venue and being part of the resurgence of the entire Fair Park district. And the capacity offers a great option for artists to play. We look forward to formalizing our relationship.”

Recent successful Live Nation shows at the Music Hall include two sell-outs of comedian Hasan Minhaj, and German techno-pop icons Kraftwerk.

This new partnership has far-reaching economic impact for the community.

“The additional activity in the Music Hall results in more employment days for part-time event staff including ushers, ticket takers, security, concessions staff, parking personnel and our backstage productions crew,” Novice said. “And I know that the restaurants in the growing Exposition Park area directly across the street from us and in Deep Ellum will benefit as well.”

The Music Hall joins a robust roster of venues with which Live Nation partners including The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, Dos Equis Pavilion, House of Blues Dallas, and The Echo Lounge & Music Hall.

From BroncoSports.com

Following its launch of the Playbook for Success and Athletics Master Village in April, Boise State Athletics is releasing updated details for the north end zone of Albertsons Stadium and renovations to ExtraMile Arena, director of athletics Jeramiah Dickey announced.

The update also includes the department’s initial project-based cost analysis for the Athletics Master Village, totaling more than $300 million in future projects, highlighted by $129.4 million in plans for Albertsons Stadium. Boise State partnered with AECOM’s sports practice — the industry’s only fully-integrated sports consultancy — in August 2021 and has worked hand in hand with the firm to identify recommendations for facility improvements and additions since. The latest details are a result of the continued collaboration.

“Since our initial unveiling in April, we have had the opportunity to further define details with key projects which includes a much better understanding of total cost,” Dickey said. “While unprecedented and bold, we are unwavering in our vision to create elite facilities and experiences for our student-athletes and Bronco Nation. Our aggressive fundraising strategy is already well underway, and we aim to announce progress by the end of this year.”

Refined Athletics Master Village Detail

In the north end zone of Albertsons Stadium, the $36.1 million vision for a state-of-the-art facility to be constructed at field level will support an enhanced premium club experience on game day and a year-round dining program for student-athletes. Complete with 10 field-level suites, loge seating, and premium club seating, the north end zone amenities will resemble a commitment to excellence while completing a 360-degree concourse for fans. In total, Albertsons Stadium projects are currently estimated at $129.4 million.

ExtraMile Arena updates include expanding the performance and training capabilities for men’s and women’s basketball, as well as adding premium game day experience opportunities for fans. An expansion of the Arguinchona Basketball Complex will add coaches’ offices and a state-of-the-art weight room alongside the existing practice gym. The $19.4 million project will bring accommodations for two premium club spaces, a dedicated premium entrance and enhanced mezzanine, loge, and club seating.

Boise State Athletics has received $1.25 million in commitments to date in support of the men’s and women’s basketball performance center expansion in the Arguinchona Basketball Complex.

The recommendation for an Athletics Master Village was introduced to include implementation from all four elements of the department’s What’s Next Initiative – infrastructure, student-athlete experience, marketability and revenue generation.

The Athletics Master Village arrives on the heels of Boise State’s recent launch of the Horsepower Drive for 10,000 BAA members, which includes a goal of 200 Lyle Smith Society members by 2023 and 25,000 football season tickets to be sold by 2025. Fans excited about the future vision of Bronco Athletics are encouraged to purchase season tickets, join the stampede for 10,000 BAA members or review the multiple philanthropic options available through the Bronco Athletic Association.

By Sports Travel Magazine

The Oklahoma City Fairgrounds is in line to have a new arena in place in the coming years after the city council approved final plans to replace the existing venue and put out an immediate request for bids on construction.

The new arena is being designed by Populous and will seat up to 8,000 spectators with an upper-level concourse that would be configured to provide seating with retractable seats, sponsor activation zones, vendor space, or any combination of elements.

The $102 million project will be funded with $55.5 million from MAPS 4 tax collections, $21.8 million from hotel tax revenue and other sources, according to local news reports.

The new facility will replace the Jim Norick Arena, which opened in 1965 and hosts events more than 250 days a year. Completion is expected in spring or summer of 2024. A 2019 study by Crossroads Consulting found a new arena at the Fairgrounds would generate an estimated $230 million a year in direct spending.

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt earlier this summer said the city should discuss a potential new arena in downtown as well for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. The Paycom Center opened in 2002 and the Thunder have been at the venue since moving to town in 2008, with a lease that expires in 2026. The Oklahoma City Council outlined plans for a $105 million renovation to improve the fan experience in March and asked Populous to develop a masterplan for the renovations.