By PR Newswire

Oak View Group (“OVG”), a global venue development, advisory, and investment company for the sports and live entertainment industries, and Spectra, one of the industry’s leading venue management and hospitality providers, announced a definitive agreement under which OVG and Spectra will merge to create a leader in the live events industry. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Tim Leiweke, CEO of OVG, commented, “This merger brings together two dynamic leaders in the live events industry with complementary capabilities that will deliver a broad array of services to our clients. OVG’s core competencies in arena development and corporate sponsorships, coupled with Spectra’s leadership in food and beverage services will create a full-service live events company that will deliver a compelling and highly competitive set of offerings that meet our clients’ evolving needs. I look forward to collaborating with the talented team at Spectra and bringing together our two organizations to create something truly unique.”

Dave Scott, CEO of Spectra, said, “This is an exciting development for Spectra and an important step in our journey to provide unparalleled services to our clients along with exciting growth opportunities for our team members as part of a larger, more diverse organization. This merger accelerates our existing strategy and will lead to significant opportunities to cross-sell food, beverage and sponsorship services across our combined client base. I look forward to working with Tim, Irving and the OVG team to enhance the future of live events for our valued clients.”

Founded in 2015 by industry veterans Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff, OVG specializes in real estate venue development and financing, sponsorship sales and partnership management, media and content and facilities management and security. OVG has deep partnerships with prominent venues, including major league facilities such as Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle) and UBS Arena (Belmont, NY), among others.

Spectra has positioned itself as an industry leader by helping clients maximize venue budgets and operations, optimize sales and marketing, elevate relationships with top promoters and meeting planners, connect with fans and the community, and implement industry best practices to effectively and efficiently host extraordinary live events and entertainment.

The combined company will provide industry-leading expertise in booking and creating content for the venues it manages, and it will be committed to sustainability across its business operations by harnessing the power of the entertainment and sports industries to inspire positive change robustly and at scale.

Completion of the combination, which is expected in the fourth quarter of this year, is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Following the close of the transaction, OVG will remain headquartered in Los Angeles, with the headquarters for Spectra remaining in Philadelphia.

UBS Investment Bank acted as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal advisor to Oak View Group. Moelis & Company LLC acted as exclusive financial advisor and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP acted as legal advisor to Spectra.

By Nadia Vanderhoof

The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) in Orlando, Fla., one of the first convention centers to receive GBAC STAR™ Facility Accreditation from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council™, (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, recently became the first convention center to achieve reaccreditation globally after a successful year of hosting in person events. Through its dedication to upholding GBAC STAR infection prevention protocols, as well as its Recovery and Resiliency Guidelines in cooperation with the Florida Department of Health, and its pioneering collaboration with Orlando Health®, the OCCC hosted more than 100 live events since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“From the very beginning, we have been committed to hosting safe events and prioritizing the health of all who enter the OCCC,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “GBAC STAR has been instrumental in helping us get to where we are today. We are grateful for the ongoing support and flexibility of our clients and partners, as well as our guests and employees, as we continue to uphold the new standard of cleanliness.”

As of August 19, 2021, the OCCC has 52 contracted events planned throughout the rest of the year, including 12 conventions, trade shows, and sporting events that relocated their events to the OCCC from other destinations. In June 2021, the facility welcomed its largest event to date, the Amateur Athletic Union’s (AAU) 48th Annual Junior National Volleyball Championships, which brought in more than 135,000 attendees. It also recently hosted attendees for the world’s leading aviation, aerospace, and defense conference, Aviation Week MRO Americas, as well as the North American Veterinary Community’s (NAVC) 38th annual Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX), the world’s leading veterinary conference and expo.

GBAC STAR Facility Reaccreditation is an annual process that builds on the initial accreditation to ensure that accredited facilities continue to evolve, improve, and advance with the performance-based GBAC STAR program elements. With over 1,000 facilities having achieved the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention, response, and recovery accreditation in 2020, many are now beginning the process of reaccreditation.

“We designed GBAC STAR to grow and evolve with facilities as new information and best practices emerge,” said GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger. “The reaccreditation process is a great way to ensure that over time, as restrictions ease and the public becomes more comfortable in public settings, facilities continue to do everything in their power to prevent the spread of infection. OCCC is a leader in the trade show industry, showing how to hold safe events in the middle of a pandemic and beyond.”

Learn more and apply for GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation at gbac.org/star. Learn more about the GBAC STAR Facility Reaccreditation process at gbac.issa.com/gbac-star-facility-reaccreditation. Find accredited facilities and those pursuing accreditation via the GBAC STAR Facility Directory at gbac.org/directory.

Nadia Vanderhoof is Marketing and Communications Manager for the Orange County Convention Center.

Licensed sports merchandise business Fanatics has agreed on a multi-year, omni-channel retail partnership with BSE Global, the company that owns New York’s Barclays Center.

Under the deal, Fanatics will become the official e-commerce and physical retail partner of National Basketball Association (NBA) team the Brooklyn Nets and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) franchise the New York Liberty, both of which play at the venue.

Fanatics will power online and in-person shopping experiences at Barclays Center, with both teams’ online stores set to feature a wider range of merchandise.

The deal will also see Fanatics take over all physical retail sites at Barclays Center, including the renovated Brooklyn Fanatics store.

In addition, BSE Global will have access to Fanatics’ platform to sell inventory, while Fanatics will collaborate with both franchises on team and city-centric merchandising strategies.

“Brooklyn’s basketball fans are both passionate and fashion-forward, and we’re excited to collaborate with BSE Global to elevate the overall shopping experience and selection of relevant products to continue building two incredible sports brands – the Nets and the Liberty,” Fanatics’ senior vice president of business development Ed O’Brien said.

BSE Global chief commercial officer Michael Wandell added: “Our teams’ ability to transcend the court and permeate culture through music, art and fashion is what differentiates us as a brand.

“In Fanatics we’ve found a partner that can match our momentum and fuel global growth through our apparel business and retail experience. We look forward to evolving our product mix together with a unique eye towards balancing hyper-local, community-driven concepts with the global sensibilities that define our fan base.”

By Natalie Caplan

Arena Network, Inc. recently announced that Justin Kujawa has joined the company as Booking Director. In his new role, Kujawa will focus on identifying and actively pursuing national and regional bookings for the company’s member venues.

Kujawa joins the Arena Network team after working with Nederlander Concerts in Los Angeles, CA for many years, where he booked many of the premiere concert venues in California including The Greek Theatre, Vina Robles Amphitheater and The Forum, to name a few. Prior to Nederlander, he worked 17 years for Live Nation, starting his career at Deer Creek Music Center in Indianapolis in operations, and working his way up to Talent Buyer.

“My years of experience as a talent buyer in many different markets throughout the country has provided me with a unique perspective to help Arena Network’s venue members”, Kujawa said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to build strong relationships with agents and promoters alike, and I’m looking forward to driving more content to our venues and getting to know many new markets and venue execs in the process.”.

“We are thrilled to have Justin joining our team,” said Arena Network CEO Andrew Prince. “As we all navigate this unprecedented time and venues welcome back fans, having someone with his experience and knowledge will be an incredible asset to all our members. We couldn’t be happier to have Justin with us as we continue to grow our membership and services.”

Natalie Caplan is Vice President of Entertainment for Arena Network and Theater Network.

By Jim Kelley

Fern, a leading national provider of exhibition and event services, announced that Angi Van Berg, CEM, will be joining the company on September 13 as a Senior National Sales Manager.

Van Berg joins Fern after a storied and successful career at Louisville Tourism. She will be part of Fern’s National Sales Team, focused on business development related to key trade show and association business across North America while also representing Fern at select industry events.

“Angi will be an exceptional addition to the Fern team. Angi has been a long-time friend of mine personally and of Fern. Her familiarity with our organization and her alignment with our values and culture made asking her to join our team an easy decision,” said Aaron Bludworth, Fern CEO.

Along with bringing a solid reputation as a collaborator and trusted advisor to show organizers, Van Berg’s vast network and knowledge of the industry are expected to create an immediate and positive impact.

“I have always admired the leadership team at Fern and the core values they have as an organization. It is a win/win for me to join a team that I respect and to be able to continue my career with Fern in the industry I love,” Van Berg said.

Van Berg is an active member of IAEE, both locally and nationally, and a member of PCMA. As of September 13th, she can be reached at avanberg@fernexpo.com or 502-472-6022.

Jim Kelley is Vice President, Marketing & Industry Relations for Fern, based in Cincinnati, Ohio.