Eric Granger, an industry veteran with more than 20 years in the live entertainment, sports and facilities management industries, has been named General Manager of KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. The announcement was made by Bob Newman, President of AEG Facilities, operators of the arena.

“We are thrilled to have Eric join the AEG Facilities and KFC Yum! Center team in Louisville,” said Newman. “Eric brings a great depth of knowledge and industry experience and will play a key role in the continued success and stellar reputation of one of the region’s premier and busiest destinations for sports and entertainment.”

“KFC Yum! Center is pleased to welcome Eric Granger and his family to Kentucky. Eric’s experience and talent will help maintain the arena’s reputation as one of the finest venues in the world,” added Scott C. Cox, Chairman, Louisville Arena Authority.

As General Manager, KFC Yum! Center, Granger will be responsible for the management of all of the arena’s business operations, the creation of new events and the development of new revenue opportunities for the seven-year old, 22,000-seat sports and entertainment arena which serves as the home of the University of Louisville men’s and women’s basketball programs. Granger will also oversee numerous proprietary initiatives of AEG Facilities including AEG S.A.F.E., AEG 1Source, AEG 1EARTH, AEG 1Force, AEG Encore and AEG Energy Services, in addition to working closely with AEG Global Partnerships and other divisions of the company.

Granger will assume the role of General Manager last held by Dennis Petrullo who resigned earlier in the month.

Prior to joining AEG Facilities and KFC Yum! Center, Granger spent seven years serving as the Vice President and General Manager for Memphis, Tennessee’s 18,119-seat FedEx Forum, home to NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies and University of Memphis Tigers in addition to serving as General Manager of the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, home of the NHL Blue Jackets.

“I am looking forward to working with the great group of professionals in Louisville with AEG Facilities and the Louisville Arena Authority,” said Granger. “KFC Yum! Center is an incredible facility.”

A graduate of University of South Alabama, Granger assumed his new role on January 1, 2018.

Ungerboeck Software International announced the addition of Brad Nuccio to the company’s sales leadership team. As Director of Strategic Alliances, Nuccio will lead Ungerboeck’s continued focus and customer expansion in the entertainment venues market.

Brad’s depth of experience and breadth of knowledge further deepens Ungerboeck’s commitment to deliver world-class venue management software to the market,” said Eric Kaser, Ungerboeck Vice President of Sales. “We are excited to have Brad engaged in this important market segment, helping us add to the list of clients we currently serve in the NBA, NFL, MLB, as well as arenas, stadia, performing arts and non-profit organizations in the U.S. and abroad.”

Prior to joining Ungerboeck, Nuccio enjoyed a variety of marketing, sales and leadership roles at high-profile entertainment organizations, including Ticketmaster, AEG, SFX, Ogden Entertainment and Clear Channel. His recent position as the Senior Vice President of Museum Enterprises at the Saint Louis Science Center adds to his diverse experience with various segments of the market including arenas, stadia, performing arts and ticketing.

I’ve been very fortunate in my career to have had experiences that offer me a unique vantage point on the business processes, objectives, and metrics of entertainment venues,” Nuccio said. “I’m thrilled to have found an organization so well-suited to delivering tailored solutions for our industry and I look forward to putting my diverse experience to use in helping Ungerboeck better serve our clients.”

Nuccio holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Northern Colorado and an Executive MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University. He resides in Glendale with his wife, Susie, and their four teenage children.

Keri Parker Berry has been named Assistant Director of Convention & Event Services with the City of Arlington, TX. Prior to joining the team at the Arlington Convention Center, she held event and facility management positions with the Irving Convention Center and the Hurst Conference Center.

In her role as assistant director at the ACC, she will oversee day-to-day event and facility operations at the venue, will be responsible for project planning and execution, and will manage continuing renovations and upgrades to the almost 33-year-old facility. Parker Berry will work with city administration with an eye on continued growth in the Entertainment District, including the Live! by Loews hotel, the Texas Live! entertainment complex, and the new Texas Rangers baseball stadium, each currently under construction, as well as the anticipated openings of the Aloft and Drury Plaza hotels, all of which will certainly affect business in and around the Convention Center.

“I am excited to join the team at the Arlington Convention Center and the City of Arlington,” Parker Berry said. “I’m coming into a very stable situation and successful venue model with lots of long-term employees who have worked hard to bring the Arlington Convention Center to where it is today. My hopes are to add to the existing success of the building, and with all the exciting developments in the Entertainment District to take our product to the next level. I am excited to be in a position to help move us further in that new direction.”

Parker Berry resides in Denton with her husband, Sean, and their two young daughters, and has also previously worked on the IAVM staff.

AEG Presents Rocky Mountains in partnership with DDM Presents announced a new collaboration with the Vail Valley Foundation to book the legendary Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater for the Whistle Pig Vail concert series.

The Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail, Colorado, is a spectacular outdoor venue that seats 1,265 guests in covered seating and an additional 1,300 on its expansive grassy hillside with a breathtaking view of the Rocky Mountains.

Each summer for the past 30 years, the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater has hosted an array of cultural and entertainment offerings, ranging from internationally renowned dance and music presentations, courtesy of the Vail Dance Festival, GoPro Mountain Games and Bravo! Vail, to the free weekly concerts of the Hot Summer Nights series. In addition, local chorale and theater presentations annually grace the Amphitheater stage, while headlining concerts round out the summer calendar.

Now, the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater will host headliner rock and pop music all summer long as the new Whistle Pig Vail concert series launches in 2018, with more detail on the artists and dates coming soon.

“Our Vail Valley community loves music, and we couldn’t be happier to be bringing incremental, great music offerings to the beautiful Ford Amphitheater with the help of a legendary group like AEG Presents Rocky Mountains,” said Mike Imhof, President and CEO of the Vail Valley Foundation. “Vail in Summer 2018 is going to be better than ever before, and will set the bar for many years to come in the mountain music scene.”

AEG Presents Rocky Mountains and its principals have a proven reputation of creating strong partnerships and developing successful content in venues including Red Rocks, Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, 1STBANK Center, Ogden Theatre, Bluebird Theater, Gothic Theatre, and more.

“The Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater is one of the most beautiful venues in the world and we can’t wait to help bring more world class music to the Colorado mountains with the Whistle Pig Vail concert series,” said Don Strasburg, CO-President, AEG Presents.

GuestX 2018 is proud to welcome Ruby Newell-Legner, CSP, a Fan Experience Expert with 7 Star Service in Littleton, Colorado to its Speaker Spotlight.

Founder of RubySpeaks (1994), Newell-Legner had a singular mission: to provide the hands-on training employees need to create a more customer-focused work environment where everyone can excel on the job. Over the last decade, she has presented more than 2300 programs in nine countries and has shown tens of thousands of participants how to quickly improve workplace performance. Now, with over 23 years as a fan experience expert, Newell-Legger will bring her experience in staff development programs from over 1000 businesses, including over 29 professional sports teams, to the table as she speaks on how Employee Engagement Comes Before Guest Experience at GuestX in Minneapolis, February 20-22.

“One of the most important elements that I do is start at the leadership level and help them identify their vision, making sure that they are very clear on what they want to stand for in regards to the customer connection experience,” stated Newell-Legger when asked how she would describe her roll as a fan experience expert to someone who may not be familiar with her field. “With that comes a framework that I have developed of seven things that lead into a high service level. The framework covers everything from understanding your customer to making sure that you have a really good onboarding program to orient your staff and invite them to be a part of that consumer experience. We start at the top so that everyone is on the same page, and then work with managers and directors to create a fan experience program for the primary staff. “

One of the things that attendees can expect to walk away with from Newell-Lenger’s session is the that motivating and engaging staff are the first steps to meeting organizational goals and ensuring guest satisfaction. ““Your staff are going to treat your customers as you treat your staff,” she stated. “So, if you want to show appreciation to your fans, you better show appreciation to your employees as well.”

Newell-Lenger finds that one way to show appreciation to your employees is to make sure that all staff are afforded professional development opportunities, like that which is provided by GuestX. “Customer service is the bread and butter of our field,” she noted. “GuestX will help to open them to new ideas. Expand upon what they have already learned, while also filling their knowledge buckets with more tools that they can take back to their employer to further develop and grow themselves and their organizations.”

In addition to her session on employee engagement, Newell-Legner will also lead a round table discussion at GuestX, as well as host a Guest X webinar on January 9^th at 4:30 EST on building a recognition program to motivate staff.

It’s not to late to register to see Newell-Legner at GuestX! Register today!