The Iowa-based venue management company VenuWorks announced the hire of Seth Greenberg for the role of Executive Director of the Pelham Civic Complex and Ice Arena in Pelham, Alabama.

“I am pleased to welcome Seth to the VenuWorks family and our team in Pelham. Seth’s extensive ice facility management, ice programming, and hockey experience is the ideal combination for the new leader of the Pelham Civic Complex and Ice Arena,” said Steve Peters, CVE, President of VenuWorks. “I am confident Seth will bring a new level of excitement to the community and venue, and I look forward to working with him to continue to grow the business in Pelham.”

Greenberg joins VenuWorks with a wealth of relevant industry experience in event programming and ice facility management. Most recently, he served as General Manager for the Alice Noble Ice Arena in Wooster, OH, but he began his career as Assistant Arena Manager & Program Director at Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, OH in 2002, overseeing operations and staffing for two ice sheets, event programming, and creating and directing youth hockey clinics, camps, and tournaments.

“Joining the VenuWorks family is a dream come true. I am truly humbled for the opportunity to work with one of the top facility management companies in the country,” Greenberg said. “Being able to tap into and learn from VenuWorks’ vast resources and experiences will only make me a better, more effective leader.”

“The city is thrilled to have Seth join the VenuWorks team. Seth’s expertise working with ice arenas and his commitment to customer service and quality in operations are going to greatly benefit the citizens and visitors of Pelham,” added Pelham City Manager Gretchen DiFante.

Greenberg started his new position at the complex on Monday, April 3rd.

From Tacoma Weekly

On April 21, 1983, the Tacoma Dome officially opened as a premiere events center in the Pacific Northwest and remains the largest indoor venue in the state. That means the Dome’s 40th birthday happens this month, and Tacoma Venues & Events invites the community to take part in marking the occasion.

On April 28 and 29, “T-Town: Play. Explore. Learn. – City Services Expo” will take over the Dome for a free, family-friendly event offering a unique, hands-on experience for the community to engage with City of Tacoma departments, celebrate the Tacoma Dome’s birthday, and learn about career and trade opportunities with the new “Work” element added to this year’s “T-Town.”

Departments from the City of Tacoma and Tacoma Public Utilities will provide interactive experiences including an opportunity to Touch A Truck with vehicles from Environmental Services, Tacoma Police Department, Tacoma Fire Department, Public Works, Tacoma Water, Rail and Power, and many more. Activities include backstage tours, live demonstrations, job and opportunities, and Tacoma Rainiers’ mascot Rhubarb the Reindeer will make a special appearance on Saturday at 11 a.m.

Fan favorite concession food and beverage, along with entertainment, will be provided as part of the Dome’s 40thanniversary celebration. On Saturday, the entertainment stage will feature music from throughout the Dome’s history with bands Radio 80, Night Fever, and Sin City. Backstage tours will take guests through the history of the Dome, one decade at a time. Guests will also receive a free clear bag courtesy of Pepsi, and other giveaways.

Tacoma Public Schools (TPS), in partnership with Korsmo Construction, enhance 2023’s T-Town with the Tacoma Public Schools and Korsmo Construction Trades & Hiring Fair. Up to 2,000 students from TPS will visit the Trades & Hiring Fair. With over 100 booths, there is something for everyone in the family – career exploration for high school students, summer job opportunities with higher paying careers in the trades for 16-18-year-olds, and job opportunities for adults considering a new career.

The Trades & Hiring Fair will have representation from maritime, transportation, logistics, and construction, to name a few. Trades-related companies, local educational and apprentice-related exhibitors will be present.

The Dome has an illustrious history from its construction to the international superstars who entertained audiences over the years. One of the largest wood domed structures in the world, it was built 152 feet high using 1.6 million board feet of lumber and enough concrete to build a sidewalk 70 miles long. The construction cost then was just $44 million, which pales in comparison to what it would cost today.

The dome portion of the building was created through a framework of 288 prefabricated triangular units each weighing approximately 5,000 pounds. The entire Tacoma Dome is 530 feet in diameter with more than 275 support points, and its grid includes an estimated 2.5 miles of welding.

Seating in the Dome’s arena can accommodate up to 21,000 people and it has met that number in its day thanks to world-class concerts and events. Its first sporting event was the World’s Toughest Rodeo held one week after its grand opening and the first music event welcomed David Bowie that summer. The Dome quickly turned Tacoma into the music capital of the Northwest with stars such as Dolly Parton, Prince, Willie Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Diamond, and Elton John who played there first in 1995, then again in 2019, then he returned in 2022 for what he says was his last tour, aptly named the “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” tour.

After a COVID closure and completed renovations inside and out, today the Dome remains a one-of-a-kind venue for community events, state and regional high school sports, and world-renowned entertainment.

By Cara Vanderhook

On Saturday, April 8th, Crypto.com Arena celebrates and completes its 250th Doubleheader conversion when the Clippers host the Portland Trailblazers at 1:00 p.m. and then the LA Kings host the Colorado Avalanche at 7:30 p.m. This is an incredible accomplishment for the legendary arena and below is a break down by the numbers is below.

Home Events by the Numbers

Clippers

229

Kings

146

Lakers

120

Harlem Globetrotters

3

Sparks

1

Concerts

1

Total number of Basketball-to-Basketball Double Headers – 104
Total number of Hockey to Basketball Double Headers – 80
Total number of Basketball to Hockey – 65
Total number of Hockey to Concert – 1
Above includes Harlem Globetrotters to Clippers in February 2000, Globetrotters to Kings in February 2004, and Globetrotters to Lakers in February 2022
Concert was Don Henley in March 2001 following Kings Game
Sparks to Kings – September 13, 2015
Most Double Headers in One Season – 15 (2015-2016)
Least Number of Double Headers in One Season – 3 (2020-2021)

NBA Courts by the Numbers

Clippers Court

Court measures 130’ by 62’ by Connor Flooring
Consists of 266 wood panels
During the Clippers 229 Double Header Games Crypto.com Arena conversion crew have moved 60,914 wood panels

Lakers Court

Court measures 120’ by 60’ by Robbins Flooring
Consists of 232 wood panels
During the Lakers 120 Double Header Games Crypto.com Arena conversion crew have moved 27,840 wood panels

NHL Ice by the Numbers

Kings Ice

Ice measures 200’ by 85’
It takes 520 pieces of overlay decks to cover the ice
During the Kings 146 Double Header Games the Crypto.com Arena conversion crew has moved 75,920 overlay decks
Around the rink there are 112 pieces of acrylic shielding
During the Kings 146 Double Header Games the Crypto.com Arena conversion crew has installed a combined 16,352 pieces of acrylic shielding

Amount of Time & Crew Size

Takes approx. 90 minutes to convert from basketball to basketball on a double header day
Approx. 9,360 minutes have been spent converting from basketball to basketball

Takes approx. 120 minutes to convert from hockey to basketball or vice versa
Approx. 17,400 spent converting from hockey to basketball or vice versa

Total crew size is 50 (Basketball to Basketball) and 60 (Basketball to Hockey) people for a conversion, which includes conversion crew, event crew, maintenance and engineering

Numbers by the Years

YEAR

# DOUBLE HEADERS

1999-2000

7

2000-2001

7

2001-2002

11

2002-2003

9

2003-2004

12

2004-2005

4

2005-2006

13

2006-2007

11

2007-2008

10

2008-2009

11

2009-2010

10

2010-2011

13

2011-2012

14

2012-2013

10

2013-2014

10

2014-2015

13

2015-2016

15

2016-2017

11

2017-2018

11

2018-2019

12

2019-2020

8

2020-2021

3

2021-2022

11

2022-2023

14

Total

250

Four times in the history of Crypto.com Arena, teams from the same city have played on the same day:

January 12, 2008 – Kings vs. Dallas and Clippers vs. Dallas
September 15, 2013 – Sparks vs. Phoenix and Kings vs. Phoenix
January 2, 2016 – Kings vs. Philadelphia and Clippers vs. Philadelphia
January 21, 2018 – Lakers vs. Knicks and Kings vs. Rangers

Three Times in the history of Crypto.com Arena, the Clippers, Lakers and Kings have all played on the same day.

December 12, 2006 – Clippers vs. Lakers & Kings vs. Anaheim
February 23, 2008 – Clippers vs. Lakers & Kings vs. Chicago
January 14, 2017 – Clippers vs. Lakers & Kings vs. Winnipeg

Cara Vanderhook is Vice President, Communications for Crypto.com Arena.

PNC Arena, home of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes and the N.C. State men’s basketball team will remain “PNC Arena” for at least two more years after the Canes and bank officials announced an agreement.

At a special board meeting of the Centennial Authority, which officially owns and oversees the arena and its operation, the group agreed to the new agreement, which includes a two-year extension of the building’s naming rights, and a seven-year agreement overall between Gale Force Holdings — parent company of the Hurricanes — and PNC Bank. In addition to two years of building naming rights, PNC will have sponsorship of the previously unsponsored club level at the arena for seven years — a term that matches the currently agreed-to lease between the Centennial Authority and the Hurricanes.

No financial terms have been disclosed.

The original 20-year deal between the Hurricanes and what was originally RBC Centura Bank, worth $4 million per year, expired at the end of August, but the two sides continued to extend the negotiating window to pursue a long-term extension. Any naming-rights revenue is divided among the Hurricanes, N.C. State and the Centennial Authority.

The most recently negotiated lease agreement between the Hurricanes and Centennial Authority runs through Sept. 30, 2029, though longer-term deals have been discussed in conjunction with a major renovation project that would transform the 24-year-old arena into a more modern event venue.

The Centennial Authority and N.C. State receive a flat fee for naming rights, per the lease agreement, even if there is no naming rights sponsor. The Centennial Authority receives about $1.7 million, and N.C. State about $300,000 annually for naming rights.

By Bill Smith

When Major League Soccer’s newest team, St. Louis CITY SC, hosted its inaugural game at CITYPARK on March 4th, fans enjoyed a seamless fan experience thanks to SKIDATA’s groundbreaking Connected Stadium technology. The technology allows fans to use a single credential on their smart phones to access everything the stadium has to offer. When fans arrive at the stadium, they use their phones to access and pay for parking, enter the stadium, and even pay for concessions and souvenirs.

“The connected stadium is the future of venue management, providing complete access to an event and all the associated services with a single credential,” said Andrew Feffer, Head of Venues and Events for SKIDATA. “St. Louis CITY SC’s fans are going to enjoy the convenience and benefits provided by this technology.”

The credential connects the fan’s device to an enterprise platform that manages all elements of an event. The platform also provides rich data to stadium operations managers so they can better understand individual fan preferences and behaviors. This will allow the team to send personalized promotions, offers, and added value benefits directly to fans.

“As one of the few professional sports teams with our new stadium, offices, practice facilities, and parking structures all located within one urban setting, we chose to invest in campus-wide technologies that support a seamless and fully connected fan experience,” said Matt Sebek, St. Louis CITY SC Chief Experience Officer. “This approach allows us to manage the entire guest journey from parking to ticketing to multi-channel commerce while also simplifying the operational management of many roles and permissions on our campus.”

Bill Smith is with Smith-Phillips Strategic Communications.