By Richard Oliver
Stephen A. Zito, CVE, one of the most respected venue managers in the country, has been promoted to Assistant Director for Convention & Sports Facilities/Alamodome. The City of San Antonio announced the move recently.
In more than 30 years of extensive experience in managing sports and entertainment facilities, Zito has 
managed thousands of events that have drawn millions of patrons. He is the overseer of what has been a remarkable resurgence of the Alamodome, which recognized its 30th anniversary in May.
Zito was General Manager of the Alamodome for more than six years.
“Steve brings a wealth of knowledge and energy to a position that requires both,” said Patricia Muzquiz Cantor, Director of Convention & Sports Facilities for the City of San Antonio. “The Alamodome ranks as one of the most diverse, popular entertainment venues in the country, and Steve’s leadership has been a critical part of that.”
Zito’s promotion was one of several personnel moves recently announced at the Alamodome. Michael Flores, who like Zito first began working at the Dome in 1993, has been elevated from Facility Business Manager to General Manager. Flores has spent most of his professional career at the Dome, including as a Fiscal Officer and Booking and Service Manager.
Other recent hires include Victor “Tito” Caballero as Marketing Manager, Lenzy Mora as Graphic Designer, and Troy Ragland as Manager of Public Safety and Transportation.
Since January 2022, the Alamodome has hosted more than 1.2 million guests, including concerts, sporting events, and other headline moments.
On January 13, the San Antonio Spurs set the NBA record for single-game attendance when 68,323 fans packed the Alamodome for the team’s 50th anniversary celebration game against the Golden State Warriors. Two weeks later, WWE held its Royal Rumble there, and more than 51,000 showed up as the wrestling circuit set records for gate revenues.
The Dome will host its fifth Men’s Final Four in 2025, and recently was selected to host the Women’s Final Four in 2029. On December 29, the Valero Alamo Bowl attracted 63,000 fans.
“None of this would be possible without the countless hours and commitment from the team of the Alamodome,” said Zito, part of the leadership that opened the Dome on May 15, 1993. “We always focus on our ‘One Team’ philosophy, and that team has many players. San Antonio has become a very viable market for all genres of entertainment, and for more than 30 years the Alamodome has been the centerpiece of that.”
Zito previously served as President of Sports & Entertainment for Andy Frain Services, Sr. Vice President of Facilities and Events for the Memphis Grizzlies/FedEx Forum and was Vice President of Facilities and Events for the San Antonio Spurs/AT&T Center (formerly the SBC Center). He has been intimately involved in the design, construction, and operations of several new facilities.
The Alamodome just completed one of the most successful years in its history. In the final five months of 2022 alone, the stadium hosted five headline stadium concerts that drew nearly 230,000 fans and generated more than $31 million in gross receipts. The events included the Motley Crue and Def Leppard Stadium Tour, Bad Bunny, Rammstein, Grupo Firme and Elton John.
Additionally, the Dome saw more than 150,000 spectators attend seven University of Texas at San Antonio football games, including the Conference USA championship on Dec. 2. In total, the Alamodome held 135 event days in 2022, with a similar schedule for 2023, exceeding the average of 115 event dates in previous years.
Coming up on the Alamodome schedule are performances by global superstars Karol G (Aug. 31), P!nk (Sept. 25) and Guns ‘N Roses (Sept. 26). The next UTSA football season kicks off in September.
Zito acknowledged the promoters who have helped make the facility so successful, including the Valero Alamo Bowl, Live Nation, Feld Entertainment, University Interscholastic League, Cheer Power, NCAA, San Antonio Home and Garden Show, San Antonio Sports, the Spurs and AEG, among others.
Richard Oliver is Communications Manager at the Alamodome.
