By Blair Cardinal

Starting July 1, OVG360 began overseeing venue management, food and hospitality, and corporate partnerships at American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, a 10,000-seat arena, 140,000-square-foot convention center, and 2,500-seat auditorium – complex designed to host concerts, sporting events, professional and amateur rodeos, culture and arts events, and conventions and meetings.

Industry veteran Brian Martin will be the General Manager of the facility and Joe Castor will serve as General Manager of Hospitality overseeing all food and beverage operations. Nick Ustruck has been named Executive Chef.

“The City of Corpus Christi is extremely excited to have OVG360 lead the operations of our very important American Bank Center. Their business approach is being well received by the City Council and our partners. Under OVG360, we look forward to improved venue booking, ticket sales, customer care, food service experience, and positive community impact,” Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni said.

Martin started his career with Oak View Group in 2008 at the University of South Carolina, working in ticket operations for the Colonial Life Arena after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Sports and Entertainment Management. He navigated his career in ticketing and event operations at the Augusta Entertainment Complex in Augusta, Ga., where he worked as Director of Ticketing and, eventually, Director of Event Services. In 2016, he accepted a position as Assistant General Manager of the Macon Centerplex, where he increased event bookings, exceeded financial goals for the venue and county, and ingrained himself into the community.

Castor grew up in the Midwest, attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., and graduated with a double major in Economics and Military History in three-and-a-half years to take a job as a Banquet Manager for The Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis. The catering company also had a contract to provide food and beverage service at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where his passion for Sports & Entertainment Catering began. During his 30-year career, he participated in the openings of The Conseco Fieldhouse, Arlington, Racetrack, Gillette Stadium, Citizens Bank Park, Nationals Park, Busch Stadium, UBS Arena, and most recently, the new Moody Center in Austin, Texas. He also led Premium Operations for the Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Convention Center, Javits Convention Center, and Washington Commanders. He was also the Director of Event Operations at the Embassy of Italy and General Manager of The Cow Palace and the Virginia Beach Sports Center.

Ustruck is an Executive Chef with 17 years of culinary experience. He was born in Baton Rouge, La., but raised in Rockport, Texas. It was here in the Coastal Bend that he discovered his passion for food. He is a graduate of Scottsdale Culinary Institute of Arizona. After attending culinary school, he focused on a broad scope of catering from small intimate dinners to large-scale events, such as PGA Tour Events, Barrett Jackson Car Auction, and NCAA College Football Playoffs. Innovation in cuisine and its mechanics are his passion. He looks to find new challenging opportunities to create the ultimate culinary experience. He is always focused on his passion for food while making fresh food home for his family with the locally sourced game and ingredients.

“With Brian, Joe, and Chef Nick as the vanguard of our new top-shelf team at American Bank Center, we were ready to hit the ground running on July 1,” Greg O’Dell, OVG360’s President of Venue Management, said. “Our team will not only focus on optimizing the overall guest experience – from excellent customer service to delicious food and hospitality – at the facility, but we also look forward to driving positive economic impact and helping bring the community together.”

OVG360 is the third-party, service-oriented division of Oak View Group (OVG), the leading global venue development, advisory, and investment company for both the sports and live entertainment industries. OVG Hospitality will be managing food and beverage operations at the complex.

Through OVG360’s expertise in sustainability, public safety and health, concessions and catering, marketing and sales, parking and mobility, event booking and content development, sponsorships and premium seating, data & analytics, procurement and many more key areas, the team will support American Bank Center in optimizing operations and enhancing the total guest experience.

By Sean Julliard

Populous has teamed up with two leading audiovisual, acoustics, and immersive content professionals with extensive international experience of stadium and arena projects to launch a specialist audiovisual and acoustics design agency.

Kevin Luckhurst (left) and Mark Murphy (right), who have more than 40 years’ experience between them, have launched Experience Studios, which will design and deliver technical systems and creative content for the sports, music, live entertainment, and arts industries.

In launching Experience Studios, the founders’ ambition is to play a leading role in the development of the next generation of venues and events, pushing the boundaries of technology to create exceptional, immersive, and ultimately memorable experiences.

Both Luckhurst and Murphy have worked extensively with Populous in the past on the design and operation of a host of leading and iconic venues, including the O2 Arena, Wimbledon Centre Court, the London Olympic Stadium, and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“Having collaborated with Mark and Kevin for many years on several major projects, the opportunity to support the growth and development of Experience Studios and strengthen our own offer is very exciting,” said Christopher Lee, Managing Director – EMEA, Populous. “For Populous, it’s all about holistic design, having the best people for the job and providing our clients a complete and tailored design package.”

Murphy has 25 years of experience working on the design of sports and live entertainment venues – from some of the most intimate venues to the world’s largest stadiums and arenas. He led the design and implementation of the audiovisual systems at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, including managing the production of matchday content and working to help transform the venue for the NFL’s 2019 London Games series.

“In recent years, technology has truly started to break the boundaries of a venue’s physical architecture to deliver live experiences to audiences globally,” Murphy said. “We are really excited by the opportunity to build a talented team that will combine creativity with technical expertise to deliver the next generation of venues and immersive content.”

Luckhurst brings 15 years of industry experience, including working on the London Olympic Stadium with Populous. He has a background in music production and immersive audio, providing sound design and production for arts and entertainment projects. Most recently, he led the design of the immersive audio environment at Outernet London, a new space for creative storytelling located in the heart of the capital, set to open this summer.

“There is no doubt that the needs of clients, venues, and spectators have changed dramatically over the last two years,” Luckhurst said. “The wide-scale adoption of immersive technologies is now taking hold – these venues and systems must be designed with the content and artist vision at the forefront of this process. Experience Studios has the in-house expertise and experience to do just that, ensuring the quality of visual and audio systems is a vital contributor to the entertainment experience.”

Experience Studios will use its expertise to influence the architecture of venues at an early stage to ensure the physical spaces are optimized for spectator experience through audiovisual and acoustic installations – priming them to reach audiences beyond their architectural footprint.

Populous and Experience Studios are already working together on Germany’s first climate-neutral arena in Munich. Experience Studios is providing audiovisual, broadcast, and acoustic design for the 20,000-capacity MUCcc Arena, for which Populous was named the chosen architect earlier this year.

Sean Julliard is Content and Communications for the EMEA region for Populous.

The NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers have revealed plans to expand capacity at Raymond James Stadium to cater to an unprecedented demand for 2022 season passes.

The Buccaneers have announced an additional seating area named The Krewe’s Nest, which will be located in the south end zone at Raymond James Stadium. The additional 3,600 seats will increase the stadium’s capacity to nearly 70,000 for one of the most anticipated seasons in Buccaneers history.

“The upcoming 2022 season includes one of the most exciting slates of home games in our franchise history and we are excited to announce that this year, more fans than ever before will have the opportunity to watch the games at Raymond James Stadium,” said Buccaneers chief operating officer, Brian Ford.

“We continuously look for ways to improve the gameday experience for our great fans and to provide an unmatched home-field advantage for our team. With nearly 70,000 fans in attendance for home games, this will be one of the most memorable seasons in Raymond James Stadium history.”

In addition to discounted parking, Krewe’s Nest season pass holders will also receive 2022 playoff purchase priority and the opportunity to upgrade seats for the 2023 season.

The Buccaneers’ move to expand capacity comes with the franchise guaranteed at least another season with legendary quarterback Tom Brady. The 44-year-old in February announced his retirement after a glittering NFL career, only to swiftly backtrack the following month by stating he would return for the 2022 season.

Ahead of the 2021 season, the Buccaneers unveiled the Champions Lounge and a series of other enhancements at Raymond James Stadium.

Photo by Populous

By Kristen Durst

Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison, Wisconsin, is celebrating its 25th Anniversary. The Frank Lloyd Wright designed facility opened in July 1997 after extensive civic debate. In its first 25 years, Monona Terrace has generated over $697 million in economic impact from conferences and conventions, held over 16,000 events, and welcomed nearly nine million visitors and attendees.

Monona Terrace is marking the special occasion with a free community celebration on Saturday,
July 23 at its William T. Evjue Rooftop Gardens. The event will feature local and regional bands,
dance performances and conclude with a spectacular drone show over Lake Monona.

“Monona Terrace has seen tremendous growth in our first 25 years, just a glimpse of what the
future has in store,” said Executive Director Connie Thompson. “This celebration is a thank you to the community for their support and the essential role they’ve played in our success.”

Kristen Durst is Community and Public Relations Manager for Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center.

By R.V. Baugus

Since 2014, Todd Hunt, CVE, has served as an instructor at IAVM’s Venue Management School. He has had an opportunity over those eight-plus years to hear other’s names called as recipients of the prestigious Ray Ward Award, so named after the father of industry professional development, Ray Ward. You may now add the name of Todd Hunt to that impressive and decorated list of winners.

For the past two years, Hunt has served as senior vice president at Venue Coalition, a live entertainment consulting company focused on booking artists, Attractions, and touring productions in arena and theater venues.

Hunt, who for most of his career is known as a venue professional in his beloved home state of Mississippi, expressed both surprise and gratitude when his name was called in early June at IAVM’s VMS at the Saddlebrook Resort near Tampa, Florida.

“I was certainly surprised yet very honored to receive this year’s Ray Ward Award,” Hunt said. “To be recognized for my contributions to education within our industry is a remarkable feeling. As a second-generation venue manager, this industry means a tremendous amount to me.

“I also come from a long line of educators, so teaching at VMS is something that is truly in my blood! It’s quite an honor to be included with the legends who are previous recipients of the award.”

Save for a couple of years early in his career when Hunt worked at the UTC Arena at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, his home has been in the Magnolia State of Mississippi first at the Tupelo Coliseum followed by an almost eight-year stint as Director of Humphrey Coliseum and Athletic Concessions at Mississippi State University (where he earned his B.B.A. in Management and to this day is one of the most ardent Hail State supporters). From there it was on to BancorpSouth Arena and Conference Center once again in Tupelo before moving on to Venue Coalition.

Hunt also earned an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from the University of Mississippi, so the role of education is obviously important in his life and career.

“I first attended VMS as a student in 2006 and began my teaching career in 2013,” he said. “I joined the Board of Regents in 2015, served as the VMA exchange instructor teaching at the Australian school in 2016, was selected to go through the leadership chairs in 2017, and served as chair of the school in 2019.

“Being selected to join the faculty ranks alongside many of the same instructors who taught me just a few years prior was a dream come true. Now to receive the Ray Ward Award? Truly a fantastic feeling!”

Hunt went on to acknowledge the greatness of Ray Ward while also thanking those who have propelled him in his distinguished career.

“Ray may have been small in stature, but he was a giant in the industry,” Hunt said. “His dedication to VMS and to lifelong learning set a great example for us to follow.

“I certainly wouldn’t be in this position without the support of my family, who have graciously allowed me to spend a week each year at the school. And Michael Marion and the late Terry Butler were the two venue managers who encouraged me to give back to the industry. Teaching at VMS is one of the most fulfilling things I have done in my professional career.”

That fulfillment is now capped by receiving the highest honor given by VMS.