By R.V. Baugus

Hail Caesar!

And now, hail the iconic Superdome in New Orleans with the announcement that a new naming rights deal will result in the storied venue to become the Caesars Superdome. Toga’s optional.

Indeed, the NFL New Orleans Saints confirmed a 20-year partnership with Caesars Entertainment for naming rights to its Superdome stadium.

The deal officially rebrands the venue as the Caesars Superdome. The agreement was confirmed afterLouisiana state lawmakers approved the deal.

The deal, which was first reported in March, is said to be worth $138 million NOLA.com reported that the money will be paid directly to the Saints as part of the team’s agreement with the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District, which oversees the venue.

Caesars replaces Mercedes-Benz as the naming-rights sponsor of the Superdome. Mercedes-Benz had sponsored the stadium since 2011 but the company confirmed last May that it would not be extending its deal.

In September, the Saints appointed Oak View Group to sell naming rights for the Superdome. It had been hoped that a new deal could be struck by this month, with the Mercedes-Benz agreement having expired on July 15.

Caesars Superdome will host the Super Bowl in 2025, as well as next year’s NCAA Men’s Final Four, the annual Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff contests, and a range of concerts and other events.

The Superdome is currently undergoing extensive renovation work worth $450 million ahead of the 2025 Super Bowl and in January the team shared further details on the next phase of improvements. The Saints have pledged to spend the Caesars income on this project.

Saints owner Gayle Benson said: “This partnership sends a strong message about the positive future for the New Orleans Saints. That message states that companies with the global reach of Caesars Entertainment is investing in our city, state and region.

“Caesars has long been one of the world’s most respected entertainment companies. Caesars is in the midst of creating a first-class multi-million-dollar entertainment facility in downtown New Orleans, this significant investment also demonstrates the strength of their commitment to our state and region. We are proud to partner with a company that is dedicated to the economic growth of our city, state and region.”

Tom Reeg, chief executive of Caesars Entertainment, added: “All of us at Caesars are proud to be part of New Orleans’ vibrant culture. We understand that the Caesars Superdome is more than an iconic venue, it’s the symbol of a resilient and innovative community.

“We’ve had a strong relationship with the New Orleans Saints for nearly two decades and we are thrilled with the opportunity to strengthen it and celebrate our commitment to the city, the state, and the entire Gulf Coast region.”

By Blair Cardinal

Spectra, one of the industry’s top private management and hospitality companies, has appointed Michael Logan as general manager to lead venue operations at the Swiftel Center. The company, which operates more than 330 venues across North America and globally, began its venue management and partnerships sales contract at the 6,500-seat arena in Brookings on August 1.

Logan will oversee all aspects of the facility’s daily operations, including contract negotiations, financial planning, marketing initiatives, and event booking. Spectra’s strong network of venues – in particular within its sizable regional cluster including the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, N.D.; Ralston Arena in Omaha, Neb.; Tyson Events Center & Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City, Iowa; and Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. – will help enhance booking and sponsorship revenue generation at the Swiftel Center.

On May 25, 2021 with a 6-0 vote, Brookings City Council unanimously approved Spectra to assume management of the multi-use facility. The five-year contract will run through December 31, 2026. Spectra invited 100 percent of the building’s staff to remain onboard, with all but three opting to stay, and also created and hired two new positions – director of finance and director of partnerships.

“The transition has been exciting and seamless. We have weekly meetings with our new partners in the City, and regular and frequent communication with the team,” Logan said. “We’re all eager to officially get started, and I’m prepared to help Swiftel Center reach its full potential as an economic driver and centerpiece to the local community.”

Logan will work to uphold the center’s mission to enhance the quality of life for the citizens of the region and provide a positive economic impact by hosting live spectator events, banquets, meetings, trade shows, conferences and conventions. Spectra intends to increase the number of event days by 20 percent and attendance by 45 percent by the fifth year, which would equal $1 million annual incremental economic impact to Brookings.

Previously, Logan was Spectra’s assistant general manager and director of events at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill., where he oversaw the events, operations, and technical departments, and supported event booking and managed arena contracts. Since joining Spectra in 2014, Logan has also served as the director of events at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa, where he managed the events, parking, and guest services staff. While in this role, he also oversaw numerous events including concerts for artists such as Drake, Paul McCartney, and Eric Church and major sporting events, such as the first and second rounds of the 2019 NCAA Basketball Tournament. Prior to that, he served as Senior Event Manager at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colo.

“With Mike at the helm, Spectra will improve Brookings’ position as a prominent destination for live entertainment and events, meetings, trade shows and conventions,” Erick Rangel, Chief Financial Officer, City of Brookings, said. “Spectra brings extensive resources to the table: strong relationships with promoters, business intelligence, streamlined policies and procedures, next-level customer service, and a network of professionals across North America to help train and support our employees. Plus, we can tap Spectra’s successful teams among our regional peer venues for knowledge sharing and best practices. We’re excited to get started.”

Mike Scanlon, Spectra’s Senior Vice President of Arenas & Stadiums, added: “We know Swiftel Center is going to benefit from Mike’s leadership experience. He’s dedicated not only to the success of the venue, but also to the success of each employee.”

Logan earned his master’s degree in Tourism Management from Colorado State University in Fort Collins. He enjoys spending time with his family including his wife, Monica, 2-year-old son, Liam, 2-month-old son, Cooper, and dog, Oliver. Mike also enjoys biking, skiing, golfing, and travelling.

Blair Cardinal is Vice President, Communications at Spectra.

By Communications Department

The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC) hosted an anniversary event with their hospitality solutions partner, Centerplate. The event commemorated the ten-year anniversary of a groundbreaking relationship between a venue and a food and beverage provider, which was constructed to be about the food and experience before any financial terms were negotiated. Commemorating the anniversary, Convention Center leaders also celebrated Centerplate’s commitment to the local hospitality industry in New Orleans, having engaged with local small businesses and the New Orleans community at large.

“Our partnership with our exclusive catering and concessions provider, Centerplate, aligns with our delivering unrivaled results for our customers, and has reached far beyond our mission by supporting our community and local small businesses. Additionally, together we have made significant progress with our numerous sustainability initiatives, which are vital to New Orleans,” said Michael J. Sawaya, Convention Center President. “We look forward to continuing this fundamental relationship and furthering the positive affect we are having on our local community.”

Beginning in 2011, NOENMCC selected Centerplate as its hospitality solutions partner based on the company’s ability to create and feature New Orleans cuisine. The contract also offered a unique evergreen component that annually added a year to the agreement based upon Centerplate reaching certain measurable thresholds. Throughout the partnership, Centerplate reimagined the dining experience for visitors to the Center with menus and atmosphere that reflected the culture of local New Orleans culinary experience. The partnership and the collaboration goes far beyond food and beverage; together they built relationships with small businesses to showcase local brands and made significant food donations to local non-profits.

In 2020, Centerplate and the Convention Center were awarded a Food Recovery Certification from the Food Recovery Network, a national nonprofit that works with large event centers across the country to fight hunger by donating excessive food items to those in need. The partnership was recognized for their food donation commitments to local organizations including Bethel Colony and Second Harvest Food Bank. As well, in 2019, with combined efforts between the two organizations, the Convention Center launched a new composting initiative to save thousands of pounds of compostable items with an interactive employee education event.

“The success of our partnership with the Convention Center stems from a mutual goal of providing world class customer service and a drive to deliver locally-inspired menus to give our visitors the full New Orleans experience,” said Steve Pangburn, Chief Executive Officer, Centerplate/ Sodexo Sports & Leisure. “We look forward to many more years of providing true New Orleans style hospitality and creating exceptional moments for the visitors of the Convention Center.”

Pictured:

Convention Center President Michael J. Sawaya and Steve Pangburn, Chief Executive Officer, Centerplate/ Sodexo Sports & Leisure, share a toast to 10 years of partnership between Centerplate and the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

By Lucy Albers

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Paycom jointly announced an exclusive, 15-year naming rights partnership that will transform the downtown home of the Thunder into Paycom Center.

The name change takes effect immediately, with exterior signage to be completed in time for the start of the 2021-22 Thunder season. For the new season, the Thunder plans to reopen the building and bring fans back to enjoy the complete Thunder game experience.

“We are honored and excited to expand our partnership with Paycom to include a centerpiece, 15-year naming rights commitment for our arena,” said Clayton I. Bennett, chairman of the Oklahoma City Thunder. “We are especially proud to enhance our alignment with this innovative and visionary Oklahoma company that is not only a top job creator, but a nationally recognized technology leader. The Thunder shares Paycom’s always-onward vision, grit and relentless pursuit of excellence, combined with a passion for impacting our community. Together, we are committed to working hand in hand to create the best for our fans and city.

“On behalf of our ownership group and the entire Thunder organization, we look forward to presenting our new arena partner, Paycom, to the NBA global audience. We are especially proud to be able to welcome back our fans to again enjoy the Thunder game experience inside the fresh and exciting Paycom Center.”

Chad Richison, Paycom’s founder and CEO, said, “Oklahoma City is home to thousands of our employees, and I am happy that Paycom Center will be the home of the Thunder. We are committed to our community and remain focused on the future as we support the home team.”

Paycom, a member of the S&P 500, is one of Oklahoma’s largest companies, with a market cap of approximately $23 billion, and one of the country’s fastest-growing publicly traded companies.

The naming rights agreement consists of several marquee Paycom Center signage locations, including the building’s exterior and roof, game floor, scoreboard and more. Paycom will retain its branded on-court signage in front of the player benches and will continue actively engaging the community that is so important to Paycom and the Thunder. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The building is scheduled to be fully transformed into Paycom Center for the expected return of fans to Thunder games for the upcoming season. The Thunder is working with the City of Oklahoma City to develop and complete the full exterior signage and lighting plan.

In addition to Thunder games, Paycom Center will host numerous concerts, sporting events and other world-class attractions, welcoming more than 1 million guests per year. Opened in 2002, the building is managed by ASM Global and owned by the City of Oklahoma City. It was the premier project of the Metropolitan Area Projects Plan (MAPS), Oklahoma City’s first capital improvement program; approved by voters in 1993, MAPS has modernized the state’s capital city with continued citizen support via additional MAPS funding. Located in the center of downtown Oklahoma City, Paycom Center stands as a centerpiece of the renaissance and future of downtown, amid other MAPS projects like Scissortail Park, which opened in 2019, and the new Oklahoma City Convention Center.

“At ASM Global, we are thrilled with the potential this partnership between the Thunder and Paycom offers for future success of the arena,” said Chris Semrau, general manager of Paycom Center. “We work diligently to offer first-class amenities and services for fans, entertainers, guests and crew as we schedule events and shows throughout the year, all within a very competitive environment. Adding a technology and community leader like Paycom to the name of the arena only enhances our ability to help position the facility as modern, vital and built for the future.”

Lucy Albers is Director of Marketing and Public Relations for ASM Global OKC.

By R.V. Baugus

Decisions, decisions. Whether to write a gazillion blogs to recap VenueConnect 2021 in Atlanta or to go with one overarching read to try as best as possible to capture the essence of the Association’s first face-to-face VenueConnect in two years. Let’s go with the latter, and away we go with some selected highlights.

Unique ‘Nique

Oh, ye reader of assumed thoughts, your trusty editor here did not go to the first full session on Tuesday of the VC21 week to hear from Dominique Wilkins solely based on a sports angle, of which your trusty editor here is as you likely know by now a huge fan of sports.

Wilkins, a legendary talent with the Atlanta Hawks who among his accomplishments include nine all-star appearances, a 2006 Hall of Fame inductee, and two-time NBA dunking champion (“It should have been four,” ‘Nique noted), appeared via Zoom to talk some hoops and some life.

Wilkins broadcasts for the Atlanta Hawks and is Chairman of the Board for Kulture City. Drafted No. 3 overall by the Utah Jazz and traded to Atlanta (oops, Utah!), Wilkins has called Atlanta home for 42 years. “It was a match made in heaven,” he said. “It is the most diverse city in America. From entertainment to sports, Atlanta is a great place to raise a family.”

Wilkins learned after finishing his career that he had diabetes. He lost his father and grandfather to the disease, but saw it as a challenge and created a change to his lifestyle. Kulture City works with special needs, something Wilkins identifies with.

Hidden Biases of Good People

VenueConnect attendees know the difficulty of selecting to attend one education session over another taking place at the same time. Your trusty editor here appreciates the same challenge. While speaking to others who attended other sessions at the same time as the Hidden Biases of Good People session presented by Rev. Bryant Marks, Sr., founder and chief equity officer at NTIRE and a professor of psychology at Morehouse College in Atlanta, I came to understand that IAVM hit a grand slam with education sessions and presenters.

I can share that Rev. Marks, from my personal attendance at his session to not only blog to learn more about myself, not only knocked it out of the park but the ball is still probably orbiting outer space.

A major takeaway I left with was when Marks identified two key ingredients for having implicit bias: 1) we live in society; and, 2) we have a bias. Period.

Marks started the session listing some tidbits about himself, not to pat himself on the back, but to use in a following exercise when he asked the audience if they made suppositions about him based on some of his past and personality.

“It is all a matter of perspective,” he said. “Unconscious bias is not new. It goes back 50 years.”

Quoting Marks almost does not do him justice. His speech delivery while rapid-fire was riveting and engaging. The session included asking the audience to log in using their phones to provide answers to different scenarios that validate biases that people – yes, good people – have.

Marks trains on unconscious bias and said that as long as there are humans there will be hidden bias. He used his time to help accomplish identifying, managing, and reducing bias. He added that bias often occurs through the lens of disproportionate exposure.

For those who argue that bias cannot happen with children in the four- to five-year-old age, Marks offered a chilling video of young African American children being asked which of a Black doll and white doll before them was the “good doll” or the “bad doll.” Most of the children selected the white doll as the good one, a somber and numbing reminder of bias.

Show Time!

Also, for the first time in two years, we have an honest-to-goodness trade show floor that we can actually walk and visit with people we have not seen in these 730ish days. There is nothing better than watching the ribbon-cutting taking place before the march into the exhibit hall to renew friendships between Professional and Allied members and watching the industry marketplace unfold before our very eyes.

I tend to get my FitBit steps easily merely walking through a convention center (much respect and props to you in our convention center world), and those steps also add up on the trade show floor. As senior editor of Venue Professional magazine, we are grateful to those Allied members who not only support the magazine through advertising but also get their intended message out to the venue professionals who read the magazine.

We are grateful for you, and as the Association and industry emerge from the shadows of the pandemic, we look forward to serving you and helping you achieve and reach your goals when you are present at VenueConnect.

What An Honor!

After conducting an interview on the trade show floor for the cover of the November/December Venue Professional magazine (you’ll just have to wait to know who!), it was time to go see industry icon Barry Strafacci presented the Lifetime Achievement Award as presented by the Convention Centers Committee. I have always known Barry as a friendly straight-shooter, which he was during his acceptance comments, but he also got choked up (I know he won’t mind my saying that) when talking about the industry, the association, and his many, many friends. I got more than one lump in my throat as Barry’s words reminded this 20-plus year veteran of IAAM/IAVM just how special the connections are in this association family.

Major honors followed the next morning at the Awards Program as Michael Taormina (Foundation Legacy Award), Russ Simons (Joseph J. Anzivino Distinguished Allied Award), and Denny Magruder (Charles A. McElravy Award) all offered heartfelt words before a largely attended audience in the Thomas Murphy Ballroom.

Have Gavel, Will Travel

Resplendent in coat and tie that can best be described as … uh, er, um, there is still no description, Rip Rippetoe concluded the awards program by passing the gavel for the incoming IAVM Chair to Eric Hart. Rip is a long-time friend and a long-time IAVM member, so it was wonderful that he served in leading the membership, while sad at the same time that the pandemic prevented him from having many of the same travel opportunities as his predecessors.

The honor for me through all of these moments was personally knowing the recipients, many of several years as Rip and I have often noted as he gets credit for writing the first sector column in the magazine (then Facility Manager) in 1989 about performing arts.

Rip took a seat in the audience as Eric began speaking about some of his initiatives for 2021-22. I have to admit to a light chuckle when Eric said that nothing upcoming would be flashy, definitely a stark contrast to the outfit Rip was wearing!

If you were not in Atlanta, we missed you and really want to see you next year in Phoenix. If you were here, thank you for attending and we likewise want to again have you at VenueConnect in Phoenix in 2022.