By StadiumBusiness.com

The Kansas City Royals have maintained that a new ballpark is required, as opposed to renovation of Kauffman Stadium, while stating they are committed to remaining in Kansas City.

The Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise recently held its first public community meeting following last month’s announcement from chairman and CEO, John Sherman, that it had identified several sites to develop a proposed $1.62 billion downtown ballpark and mixed-use development that would be the largest public-private project in Kansas City history.

“We know this is a big, big decision and it’s one we aren’t taking lightly,” said Sherman. “We know making a decision for the next 50 years is the key thing. We want the Royals and Major League Baseball to thrive in this community for years to come.”

While there is no firm timetable in place for the project, Brooks Sherman, Royals chief operating officer, stated the earliest a stadium could go to a vote in Jackson County would be August 2023. Some 14 sites have been assessed in downtown Kansas City, with Sherman pledging that the team would not leave the city.

Populous has been engaged for the project and the Royals outlined that it would cost more to renovate Kauffman Stadium than it would to develop a new ballpark. Renovations are also projected to take a further two years to complete, with 70% of the stadium needing to be replaced.

The new stadium is expected to have around 35,000 seats with a capacity of 38,000, including standing views of the game. The Royals expect the projected $2 billion total cost to be split roughly 50/50 between the stadium and the mixed-use development, with the majority of this to come from investors and the team’s ownership group.

“The bulk of the capital will come from private investors and this ownership group,” Sherman said. “We’re still early on in this process, but all of that will be shared in great detail. It will be a far better investment to build new. Developing a new ballpark with high energy will bring many benefits to this community.”

Sherman acquired the Royals with a group of investors in 2019. In September 2021, he confirmed that the Royals were considering a move to downtown Kansas City, with the team conducting an internal process to evaluate its options of where to play.

The Royals have played at Kauffman Stadium since it opened in 1973 and the team’s current lease at the venue expires in 2031. Kauffman Stadium forms part of the Truman Sports Complex, which also includes GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are also currently weighing their stadium options.

From PR Newswire

The Las Vegas Raiders and Allegiant Stadium have named CLEAR an Official Fan Experience and the Official Secure Identity Partner. These designations reflect a new innovation partnership between CLEAR, the Las Vegas Raiders, and Allegiant Stadium.

CLEAR’s mission is to create frictionless experiences – transforming the way people live, work and travel. Over the next three years, CLEAR, the Raiders, and Allegiant Stadium plan to develop and roll out a series of integrations to heighten the fan experience. Current CLEAR-powered experiences at Allegiant Stadium include CLEAR entry lanes and advanced age verification for in-seat mobile ordering. Fans can download the free CLEAR app, sign up, and enter through the designated CLEAR entrance at Ford North Entry Lanes 49 and 50 for Raiders’ home games and select concerts and events. Continuing the age verification deployment from last season, fans seated in the Modelo Cantina Club and Twitch Lounge can verify their age with CLEAR from their seat while placing a mobile order.

“The Las Vegas Raiders and Allegiant Stadium are at the leading edge of meeting sports fan expectations. CLEAR is proud that our platform is powering a new generation of these enhanced fan experiences. From expedited stadium entry with our CLEAR lanes, to advanced age-verification technology for in-seat mobile orders, we are creating the best-in-class game day experience for Raider fans and visitors to Allegiant Stadium,” said CLEAR CEO Caryn Seidman-Becker.

“We welcome CLEAR as an Official Fan Experience and the Secure Identity Partner of the Las Vegas Raiders and Allegiant Stadium,” said Raiders Vice President of Corporate Partnerships Christian Howard. “Last year, when the Raiders became the first team in the NFL to announce a vaccine/no mask policy, we implemented CLEAR’s Health Pass technology to facilitate proof of COVID-19 vaccination. We are pleased to now offer additional CLEAR-powered experiences to augment the Allegiant Stadium experience for our fans and guests.”

By R.V. Baugus

I met Jana Brooks, CVP, for the first time two years ago in Chicago at VenueConnect. To say I was impressed with this young lady would be a huge understatement. Vivacious, curious, driven are just a few words I can immediately think of to describe Jana. Oh, and maybe “fast-track,” as in someone who is going places in the world of public assembly venue management.

Jana’s new move on January 3, 2023, as Operations Manager of Baltimore’s CFB Bank Arena and the Oak View Group is proof positive and validates what I already knew. She will not be moving far after serving as Manager of Events and Tenant Services for the Maryland Stadium Authority – owner/operators of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, M&T Bank Stadium, the B&O Warehouse in Baltimore.

Jana, in her own social media words, shared the following under the title of “End of an Era.”

I don’t even know how to describe the past nine years of games, special events, long hours, conferences, tours, relationship building, travel, meetings, logistical planning, meeting coordination, dignitary visits, reports, site maps, walk throughs, contracts, golf cart rides, certifications, and personal growth, but here we are.

My time as the Event and Tenant Services Manager for the Maryland Stadium Authority has come to an end. There is SO much gushing I can do about a position that has brought me such incredible joy and excitement, but we would be here all day. As with anything in life, there are highs and lows; however, my accomplishments with MSA have been some of the greatest achievements of my life and career and for that I am forever grateful. I have grown in ways I could have never imagined. This is not a goodbye, just a ‘see ya later.’

I am looking forward to moving onto the CFG Bank Arena and the Oak View Group as their Operations Manager on January 3, 2023. I am thrilled to learn the intricacies of arena life, gain exposure to new events, and leading a team in a completely renovated building! Let’s goooo!

Oak View Group, providers of venue management to the St. Charles (MO) Convention Center, has promoted Mark Tenholder to General Manager. Tenholder will oversee all functions of the building at the award-winning facility.

Tenholder joined the team in July of 2021 as Director of Sales and Marketing and has been serving as Interim General Manager since February 2022.

Prior to joining the Convention Center, Mark was the Corporate Director of Sales Task Force for
Crescent Hotels and Resorts, building teams at hotels across the country. Mark is a veteran of the
hospitality industry with over 27 years in hotels, most of those in the St. Louis area.

By VenuesNow and R.V. Baugus

The VenuesNow Hall of Honor celebrates industry professionals who have reached the highest level across all sectors of the business during their long and distinguished careers. A small number of honorees whose professional lives exemplify excellence, integrity, ingenuity, and a passion for the business are selected by VenuesNow editorial staff and inducted each year.

This year’s class is made up of legends in their respective fields.

Peggy Daidakis was the first woman to run a major American convention center, and her tenure lasted through nine Baltimore mayors. Daidakis retired on September 1.

Daidakis joined the staff of Mayor William Donald Schaefer in 1973 and served in his administration for over four years. She began her career in the convention industry in 1978 when Schaefer assigned her to be part of the team that opened the BCC in 1979. In July of 1986, Daidakis was appointed by Mayor Clarence “Du” Burns as the first female director of a national convention center. She was instrumental in planning the BCC’s expansion, which tripled its size to be the largest public assembly meetings and exhibition venue in the State of Maryland.

In 2013, Daidakis was honored by the Convention Industry Council (CIC) as an inductee to the CIC Hall of Leaders, one of the highest honors in the hospitality industry. That same year, she also received the International Association of Venue Managers’ Convention Center Leader of the Year Award. The BCC serves as a model to facilities around the country and has been honored to receive numerous industry awards for excellence.

Dot Lischick, after 26 years at Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, this year celebrated her retirement, which came after COVID as she was dedicated to getting the venue through the difficult period before moving on to her next chapter.

Lischick has been as much a part of the roughly 8,000-seat World Arena as the thousands of concerts, trade shows and sporting events that the venue has hosted since it opened near Interstate 25 and Circle Drive on the city’s south side.

Originally called the Colorado Springs World Arena, the $57.2 million venue was financed largely with private donations, along with infrastructure contributions by the city and El Paso County.

Lischick worked for a Florida company that was hired to run the World Arena and its adjacent Ice Hall, and she oversaw operation of the facilities when they opened. When a local nonprofit that owns the World Arena took over its day-to-day operation in 2002, Lischick joined the organization as an employee.

Ken Young over the past 50 years has owned three concessions firms and continues as an owner of multiple minor league baseball teams.

A food service legend from hot dogs to the Super Bowl to ‘The Simpsons’ Ken Young may be the most unassuming executive in sports and entertainment. Over the past 50 years, Young has owned three concessions firms and six minor league teams, but you’d never know it at the Super Bowl, where he could be seen hawking official game programs. Working basically around the clock on game days, Young and his crews ran 400 to 600 workers, generated more than $900,000 from selling game programs and merchandise at 16 Super Bowls, plus 26 Outback Bowls and seven national championship football games.