By Financial Post

AEG Facilities, LLC, the venue management affiliate of Anschutz Entertainment Group, Inc., and SMG, a portfolio company of Onex and its affiliated funds, announced they completed their business combination to create a new, standalone global facility management and venue services company, ASM Global.

ASM is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, with key operations based in West Conshohocken, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. The company also has corporate offices in London, England; Manchester, England; Brisbane, Australia; and Sao Paulo, Brazil. ASM operates a diversified portfolio of arenas, stadiums, convention and exhibition centers, performing arts centers, theaters, and other venues with more than 300 facilities across five continents.

Bob Newman, former President of AEG Facilities, has been named President and CEO of ASM, effective immediately. Prior to joining AEG Facilities, Newman spent more than 20 years at SMG, last serving as a regional Vice President for the company. Wes Westley, former CEO and President of SMG, will focus his efforts on key strategic growth initiatives and ensuring a seamless integration.

“This marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in our industry and one that will establish a new standard of excellence in managing live experiences,” Newman said. “Bringing together the combined global expertise of each company with the best content and cutting-edge technologies, we will be able to realize the full potential of the world’s greatest spaces, places and events, create amazing experiences for guests, offer exciting new opportunities to employees and deliver the highest value for all stakeholders. Equally important, our deep bench of talent and shared resources will enable ASM to accelerate innovation and capitalize on the growing market opportunities.”

“I am very proud to have had the opportunity to lead such an incredible organization as SMG,” Westley said. “We have a long history of working closely with our public and private partners and are confident in our ability to continue to meet and exceed their expectations. ASM’s focus moving forward will be on providing added value and best-in-class services to its customers. We are well-prepared for a seamless integration process.”

Onex, AEG and their respective affiliates are contributing their entire equity investments in SMG and AEG Facilities, respectively, into the combined business and are now equal co-owners of ASM.

By Jana DeGeorge

On Thursday, October 3, Simmons Bank assumed naming rights to Verizon Arena, which is now Simmons Bank Arena. The event comes nearly a year after the bank’s November 2018 announcement of a $10.5 million deal to acquire naming rights to the 18,000 seat multi-purpose arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

New branding will be seen in-venue on apparel, cups, napkins and banners, as well as on the venue’s website and social media handles as of October 3. Simmons-branded signage is expected to be installed later this year.

“The Arena is a beacon for economic vitality, culture and world-class entertainment in Arkansas,” said George Makris, chairman and CEO of Simmons First National Corporation. “Simmons is proud to join our name with an organization that helps our home state flourish by driving commerce and creating shared experiences.”

“As we start our third decade, the Arena Board is excited to begin this new partnership with Simmons Bank, said Rett Tucker, chair of the Arena Board. “It will enable the Arena to continue to be one of the best entertainment venues in the country.”

The official name change coincides with the Arena’s 20th anniversary, a milestone that the organization is celebrating with a variety of events hosted throughout the month and a commemorative poster.

With more than 400,000 guests each year, the Arena has hosted hundreds of top industry artists such as Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, The Eagles, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Stevie Wonder and many others. In addition, the Arena has welcomed many family shows and sporting events including Disney on Ice, Cirque Du Soleil, Harlem Globetrotters, Monster Jam, and the Arkansas Razorbacks.

To celebrate the name change, Simmons Bank launched a Facebook contest on October 3 to give away two free tickets to the October 25 Eric Church concert – one of the first events at Simmons Bank Arena.

Jana DeGeorge is director of marketing at Simmons Bank Arena.

By Stacie Bauer

Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) is joining the Ungerboeck community, having chosen the software provider after a two-year review process, as its event booking and venue management solution. In 2018, the MCCA hosted 315 events at the BCEC and Hynes with 800,000 attendees, generating 646,000 hotel room nights and generated $870 million in regional economic impact. The MCCA will implement Ungerboeck’s “best of breed” exhibitor eCommerce and service delivery suite as part of the Authority’s continued commitment to customer service excellence.

“In selecting Ungerboeck, we knew we had a partner that has earned the confidence of the meetings and events industry,” said David Gibbons, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. “Our venues are known throughout the industry for their robust technology profile. We are living up to our reputation by adding Ungerbock’s reliable, flexible, and scalable event services platform for planners and exhibitors coming to Boston.”

“We are proud to call MCCA part of the Ungerboeck community,” said Manish Chandak, President and CEO of Ungerboeck. “Not only does MCCA play a key role in Boston and the Northeast region but they are also a premier global destination in the convention and exhibition industry. Our platform will help fuel MCCA’s continued growth and integrate with MCCA’s other complementary systems.”

Stacie Bauer is Event & Sponsorship Coordinator for Ungerboeck.

By Christine Payne

AudienceView, a leader in e-commerce software for events and entertainment organizations, has acquired New York-based UniversityTickets, a ticketing and event management solution built specifically for higher education campuses and college athletics. With this addition, AudienceView cements its portfolio and leadership in the higher education space with more than 900 institutions processing more than 20 million tickets per year.

AudienceView’s newest acquisition further enhances an already extensive network of solutions. UniversityTickets brings unique product features designed to meet the needs of the entire campus across colleges and universities, including specialized commencement and student life features.

“Our success in driving innovation and targeted solutions throughout the live event industry continues with the addition of UniversityTickets in the higher education space,” said Mark Fowlie, CEO of AudienceView. “We understand the complex needs that come with running events on a campus and the need to provide integrated tools for students, faculty, alumni, and other key groups that support the higher education mission. We’re thrilled with how this acquisition strengthens our product portfolio.”

“We are extremely proud of the company we’ve built over the past 20 years of UniversityTickets, but we are now ready to take it to the next level. The momentum that AudienceView has created over the past few years gave us confidence that they were the right organization to whom we can entrust our clients as we move forward,” said Gordon Capreol, co-founder of UniversityTickets. “Our UniversityTickets clients are becoming a part of something very special. I’m confident that they will benefit from the thriving community of new peer organizations and the investment in development that only an industry-leading organization like AudienceView can provide.”

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. AQ Technology Partners served as transaction advisers to AudienceView.

Christine Payne is president of Primoris Group.

Are you out of the office and need a quick way to look up a member’s contact information in the online membership directory? Download the VenueNet app where you can access the directory, review recent blog posts, access Front Row News, or VenueNet communities from your phone or tablet.

To download:
Search “MemberCentric” in your app store (iTunes, Google). When you install the app and log-in as a member, it will take you to VenueNet
For a mobile-web version, go to www.membercentric.org, and find the IAVM link in the list. You will need  your VenueNet log-in information

Member Access
You’ll need a member login to access members’ only content online. Your username is your email address. If you need to reset your password, here’s what you do:

Step 1: Go to the IAVM Password Reset page: http://www.iavm.org/passwordreset

Step 2: Enter the email address that you use for IAVM membership (enter email only, no need to check any boxes) then click Reset My Password

Step 3: An email will be sent to you, click on the link provided in that email

Step 4: Choose your own password, click continue and you’re done! Your password is now changed. On the next screen, you can return to the IAVM home page or update your mailing address

The IAVM Buyers Guide lists all current Allied Members. Inclusion is a benefit of membership. You can search for products and services by company name or product category. Companies may also add a description of your products and services along with an email and web address. This enables a venue to easily locate you and review expanded details about your offerings on your website. It’s a great idea to review your listing at least once a year to ensure it is accurate. Note: The membership directory and the buyers guide are not connected. To make edits in either program, you will need to review them separately. If you need assistance, please reach out to membership@iavm.org.