CIC 2008 Keynote Speaker

Stadium Tours - Dead or Alive

Moderator: Jeff Apregan, Apregan Group
Shea Guinn, SMG Stadiums
Louie Messina, The Messina Group / AEG
Jimmie Sacco, Heinz Field
Bruce Schulze, Dolphins Stadium
Brad Wavra, Live Nation Touring

Bruce Schulze, Jimmy Sacco, Louis Messina, Brad Wavra, Jeff Apregan and Shea Guinn

Stadium tours continue to thrive thanks to partnerships between stadium reps and promoters but the panelists agreed this part of the industry is not for the faint of heart as the shows become more elaborate and more expensive to manage. Moderator Jeff Apregan, the longtime vet who, for all intents and purposes, is currently getting his paycheck from the Gridiron Sta-dium Network, kicked things off by asking fellow vet Louis Messina how he determines when it makes sense for an artist to play a sta

dium. "Megabands can command any type of ticket price that they want," Messina answered. "So instead of doing three arenas at a high ticket price, they can do one stadium at a high ticket price and sell 50,000 or 60,000 tickets.

Jeff Apregan

"But for the things I'm doing, like with Kenny Chesney, we keep our ticket prices down whether it's in an arena or a stadium. I think the highest ticket is $101 and we go down to $49 or $59. ... Some people do it for the money but in Kenny's case, he does it because he just enjoys the thrill of the event. His profile in the industry has become huge because of the stadium shows."

Apregan asked Jimmy Sacco, GM of Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, what factors determine when, as a venue operator, he'll step up and take the risk on a show. "We're responsible for the day-to-day operations and upkeep of everything at Heinz Field so with that and a football team, we need to create addi-tional revenue streams," Sacco said. "The door is open all the time for a rental to come in but without that, we have to step out of the box and go the next level by entertaining offers to take on the responsibility of a show.

Bruce Schulze, president of Dolphins Stadium, said that his facility's South Florida location is a plus and a minus when it comes to hosting concerts.

"We have a great location for mega-events but people are really going to have to want to come to that show," Schulze explained. "We're also trying to think outside the box in creating content for our facility.

It has to be good and it has to sell. Our last and most successful one so far was The Police this past August."

Shea Guinn, VP of SMG Stadiums, agreed that partnerships between venues and promoters are key nowadays because "the days of getting the keys, opening the doors and taking rent are long gone."

Brad Wavra, senior VP of Live Nation Touring, said stadiums are also good sites to film television shows or videos, such as when Janet Jackson's 2002 tour stopped at Aloha Stadium, because it benefits both the city and the artist.

Apregan then asked Messina how his early experiences with stadium shows compare with today's stadium shows. Messina said it's like day and night.

Louis Messina

"When I started doing major events in the '70s, the stadiums were old and weren't that comfortable to do shows. But rock shows were OK because the kids didn't care," Messina said, laughing. "All we did was get the keys to the gate and we had to do everything.

"But with today's new stadiums and new management young guys don't have the old school mentality. They realize it's not a pain in the ass to have a show come to town. The stadiums are incredible and have everything you can ask for."

From there, the discussion turned to how stadiums that use their open fields for events such as the Warped Tour really help create incremental revenue for performers.

It's great for concertgoers, too, because they can spend many hours at a venue and go home more than satisfied.

"Stadiums provide the opportunity to make it much more of an event, not just a concert coming to town," Guinn said. "When Jimmy Buffett plays a stadium, it's not just him coming in, setting up the stage and getting out.

"It's setting up areas outside for all his product placement and a tailgate party for the parrotheads.

I think you see some of that at a Chesney show as well.

"When you go to a concert, you're going to experience something special with 60,000 of your closest friends."

Apregan raised the topic of using soccer stadiums for concerts instead of NFL-sized facilities. Is it any different that staging a regular show? Not really, Messina said.

"Well, they're smaller but it's just like doing a arena or an amphitheatre show. We play a lot of them with Kenny," he said. "Today's soccer stadiums are built with a built-in stage, so it's easier. And you have like 28,000 tickets to sell, so that's a plus. I love the soccer stadiums, to be quite honest."

As to whether stadium tours are dead or alive, Messina summed things up concisely.

"Going to a stadium is risky and it takes guts to do it, but it's an amazing experience for the artist and me as a promoter when you see 60,000 people out there just screaming. It's all about the creativity of the event," he said.

Last updated March 26, 2008 Click to go back to Schedule Page


	Stadium Tours - Dead or Alive Moderator: Jeff Apregan, Apregan Group Shea Guinn, SMG Stadiums Louie Messina, The Messina Group / AEG Jimmie Sacco, Heinz Field Bruce Schulze, Dolphins Stadium Brad Wavra, Live Nation Touring Bruce Schulze, Jimmy Sacco, Louis Messina, Brad Wavra, Jeff Apregan and Shea Guinn Stadium tours continue to thrive thanks to partnerships between stadium reps and promoters but the panelists agreed this part of the industry is not for the faint of heart as the shows become more elaborate and more expensive to manage. Moderator Jeff Apregan, the longtime vet who, for all intents and purposes, is currently getting his paycheck from the Gridiron Sta-dium Network, kicked things off by asking fellow vet Louis Messina how he determines when it makes sense for an artist to play a sta dium. "Megabands can command any type of ticket price that they want," Messina answered. "So instead of doing three arenas at a high ticket price, they can do one stadium at a high ticket price and sell 50,000 or 60,000 tickets. Jeff Apregan "But for the things I'm doing, like with Kenny Chesney, we keep our ticket prices down whether it's in an arena or a stadium. I think the highest ticket is $101 and we go down to $49 or $59. ... Some people do it for the money but in Kenny's case, he does it because he just enjoys the thrill of the event. His profile in the industry has become huge because of the stadium shows." Apregan asked Jimmy Sacco, GM of Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, what factors determine when, as a venue operator, he'll step up and take the risk on a show. "We're responsible for the day-to-day operations and upkeep of everything at Heinz Field so with that and a football team, we need to create addi-tional revenue streams," Sacco said. "The door is open all the time for a rental to come in but without that, we have to step out of the box and go the next level by entertaining offers to take on the responsibility of a show. Bruce Schulze, president of Dolphins Stadium, said that his facility's South Florida location is a plus and a minus when it comes to hosting concerts. "We have a great location for mega-events but people are really going to have to want to come to that show," Schulze explained. "We're also trying to think outside the box in creating content for our facility. It has to be good and it has to sell. Our last and most successful one so far was The Police this past August." Shea Guinn, VP of SMG Stadiums, agreed that partnerships between venues and promoters are key nowadays because "the days of getting the keys, opening the doors and taking rent are long gone." Brad Wavra, senior VP of Live Nation Touring, said stadiums are also good sites to film television shows or videos, such as when Janet Jackson's 2002 tour stopped at Aloha Stadium, because it benefits both the city and the artist. Apregan then asked Messina how his early experiences with stadium shows compare with today's stadium shows. Messina said it's like day and night. Louis Messina "When I started doing major events in the '70s, the stadiums were old and weren't that comfortable to do shows. But rock shows were OK because the kids didn't care," Messina said, laughing. "All we did was get the keys to the gate and we had to do everything. "But with today's new stadiums and new management young guys don't have the old school mentality. They realize it's not a pain in the ass to have a show come to town. The stadiums are incredible and have everything you can ask for." From there, the discussion turned to how stadiums that use their open fields for events such as the Warped Tour really help create incremental revenue for performers. It's great for concertgoers, too, because they can spend many hours at a venue and go home more than satisfied. "Stadiums provide the opportunity to make it much more of an event, not just a concert coming to town," Guinn said. "When Jimmy Buffett plays a stadium, it's not just him coming in, setting up the stage and getting out. "It's setting up areas outside for all his product placement and a tailgate party for the parrotheads. I think you see some of that at a Chesney show as well. "When you go to a concert, you're going to experience something special with 60,000 of your closest friends." Apregan raised the topic of using soccer stadiums for concerts instead of NFL-sized facilities. Is it any different that staging a regular show? Not really, Messina said. "Well, they're smaller but it's just like doing a arena or an amphitheatre show. We play a lot of them with Kenny," he said. "Today's soccer stadiums are built with a built-in stage, so it's easier. And you have like 28,000 tickets to sell, so that's a plus. I love the soccer stadiums, to be quite honest." As to whether stadium tours are dead or alive, Messina summed things up concisely. "Going to a stadium is risky and it takes guts to do it, but it's an amazing experience for the artist and me as a promoter when you see 60,000 people out there just screaming. It's all about the creativity of the event," he said. Last updated March 26, 2008 Click to go back to Schedule Page