By R.V. Baugus

So much for the confusion between Globe Life Park and Globe Life Field in Arlington, home of the MLB Texas Rangers. To recap, Park is the still-standing former home of the baseball team, while just across the parking lot stands Field, the second-year home to the Rangers. Got it?

Well, kiss the confusion goodbye as the Rangers has a new naming rights partner for Globe Life Park in Choctaw Casinos & Resorts.

Globe Life park opened in 1994 (proud to say I was there for the first-ever game, an exhibition against the New York Mets) and is still a beautiful and viable venue that is now even more multi-purpose hosting the Dallas Renegades XFL American football franchise and North Texas Soccer Club, which competes in the USL League One division. Major League Rugby team the Dallas Jackals will also play at the stadium from next year. The stadium also serves as a home football field for the Arlington Independent School District.

Globe Life Park will now be known as Choctaw Stadium through a multi-year agreement. The deal marks an expansion of a partnership between the Rangers and Choctaw which started in 2010.

Choctaw serves as the official and exclusive casino and resort of the Rangers and benefits from significant branding at Globe Life Field. Its naming-rights deal for Globe Life Park will eliminate any confusion between the names of the Rangers’ current stadium and the team’s former home.

“The Rangers are thrilled to extend our great partnership with Choctaw for many years to come,” Rangers Chairman and Managing Partner Ray Davis said. “Today’s naming rights announcement for Globe Life Park further extends Choctaw’s presence in the Arlington Entertainment District, which also includes Globe Life Field and Texas Live.

“Choctaw Stadium will be the home of numerous events in the days and months to come, including college and high school football, pro soccer, and Major League Rugby.”

Choctaw is owned and operated by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the third largest Indian Nation in the US with close to 200,000 tribal members and 10,000 employees.

Choctaw Casinos & Resorts is excited to expand our relationship with the Texas Rangers and be part of a stadium that has brought so much joy over the years to so many in North Texas,” added Gary Batton, chief of the Choctaw Nation. “We are proud to have our name on a field that continues to play an important role in the lives of North Texans and we look forward to sharing in the competition and enjoyment the stadium brings to the community.”

Globe Life acquired naming rights to the Rangers’ former home in 2014.

By Nancy Walker

The Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC), owned by the City of Los Angeles and managed by ASM Global, introduced the LACC Hall of Fame during the Center’s 50th Anniversary Celebration.

“We are thrilled to have the 50th Anniversary celebration be a platform to launch the LACC Hall of Fame. Here, we can celebrate three significant events that have contributed to the success of this Center,” said LACC General Manager Ellen Schwartz.

Ski Dazzle founders Jim Foster and Judy Gray commented, “We were totally surprised when Ellen Schwartz called Ski Dazzle to the podium to be honored as the first inductee into the Los Angeles Convention Center’s new Hall of Fame. Being the longest running event produced in the building, we are mindful of the special relationship we have with the City of Los Angeles and the LA Convention Center. We are honored to have been selected among those recognized.”

LA Auto Show (LAAS) owner Lisa Kaz added, “There is a long history between our event and the facility, so this acknowledgement is especially nostalgic for me. My grandfather moved the Auto Show to the Convention Center as soon as it opened its doors 50 years ago and we’ve been there ever since. To be among this initial group of inductees to the LACC Hall of Fame, as we plan our 2021 edition and the return to live events, is a great honor.”

“Since 2008, the Los Angeles Convention Center has been the home of Anime Expo and witnessed many of our important milestones,” said Ray Chiang, CEO of SPJA, the organizer of Anime Expo, “We are honored to be a part of LACC’s 50th Anniversary Celebration as an inaugural inductee into their new Hall of Fame. We look forward to returning to the Los Angeles Convention Center for an in-person event next year on July 1-4, 2022 as well as continuing our annual celebration of Japanese pop culture for years to come.”

To commemorate their induction, Mayor Eric Garcetti presented each of the organizers with a framed proclamation from the City of Los Angeles.

Each July, additional events will be named to the LACC Hall of Fame and collectively, these events will illustrate the vibrant history of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Nancy Walker is Vice President, Sales & Marketing, for the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Pictured: Hall of Fame Inductee Lisa Kaz with the LA Auto Show, and Mayor Eric Garcetti.

By Sarah McAlister

Raleigh Convention & Performing Arts Complex announced Melanie Margarum as the new Booking Manager for the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts.

Margarum is a North Carolina native and graduated from North Carolina State University. She got her start in the events industry as an Event Coordinator at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

She also spent five years at the Carolina Theatre in Durham, where she started as an Event and Development Coordinator and was later promoted to Event Sales Director. While at the Carolina Theatre, Margarum handled contracting for over 150 events annually, while also establishing and managing new business for the theatre. She also has experience working with varying clients including festivals, national promoters, universities, conferences, and community organizations.

“We are excited to have Melanie join our team. With her industry knowledge and true passion for the business she will be a tremendous asset to our venue,” said Michelle Bradley, Assistant General Manager of the Duke Energy Center.

Since 1932, the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts has served as Raleigh’s premier performing arts venue. The venue draws approximately 400,000 guests annually to its four separate event spaces and is home to the Carolina Ballet, North Carolina Theatre, North Carolina Symphony, North Carolina Opera, and PineCone. With roughly 600 events each year, the venue draws an average of $35.4 million in economic impact to Raleigh’s businesses, hotels, and restaurants.

Margarum began her new position on June 21. She brings a wealth of knowledge in the events industry and will contribute to the ongoing success of the Duke Energy Center’s extensive events calendar.

Sarah McAlister is Marketing Managerat Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts

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.