New BOK Center Manager

[Conan71]

Anyone else puzzled that out of 375,000 Tulsans, there wasn't a single person qualified to run the new and old arenas?

[sgrizzle]

For those of us without ESP, what are you talking about?

[Conan71]

Must not have been listening to the radio or watching the news last night, eh Grizz?

They hired John Bolton from Evansville, Ind. to run the new center:

http://krmg.com/news/112006newsheads.html

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

Must not have been listening to the radio or watching the news last night, eh Grizz?

They hired John Bolton from Evansville, Ind. to run the new center:

http://krmg.com/news/112006newsheads.html

Who has time for that?

[sgrizzle]

A. He already works for SMG.
B. He seems to have done really good there.
C. People may thing we hired the UN ambassador.

Full story:
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/mar/01/stadium-manager-bolton-leaving/

[Conan71]

I get all that with his credentials, just curious if Tulsa is really that lacking in the talent pool.  It's a facilities management/marketing position not rocket science.  A lot of events are booked via talent booking agencies or negotiated contracts with the local sports teams which is a no-brainer.  There are plenty of qualified property managers around town who would probably love to have that job.

Great possibility our next police chief may come from out of state, we never seem to hire TPS school superintendents from in-state, the city regularly contracts with civil and mechanical engineers from out of state, they employ out of state consultants for a variety of projects.

I'm just trying to figure out why our city seems to have a pattern of snubbing local talent.

[Double A]

Good question.

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

I get all that with his credentials, just curious if Tulsa is really that lacking in the talent pool.  

yes.   they all moved away.  just us suckers left.
we've got the mexican food and lawn care markets covered though.

[Double A]

Anybody up for a flashback and flashforward  about the SMG contract?

[TheArtist]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

I get all that with his credentials, just curious if Tulsa is really that lacking in the talent pool.  It's a facilities management/marketing position not rocket science.  A lot of events are booked via talent booking agencies or negotiated contracts with the local sports teams which is a no-brainer.  There are plenty of qualified property managers around town who would probably love to have that job.

Great possibility our next police chief may come from out of state, we never seem to hire TPS school superintendents from in-state, the city regularly contracts with civil and mechanical engineers from out of state, they employ out of state consultants for a variety of projects.

I'm just trying to figure out why our city seems to have a pattern of snubbing local talent.

I definitely get the "pattern of snubbing local talent" thing. There may have indeed been someone here just as talented... But the person they chose has connections with the participants in the industry. An established rappor with the players, events, acts, and organizations that he can then use as leverage to get things to come to Tulsa over someone who doesn't.

[Wrinkle]

Managing an arena, locally, is mostly making sure the trash gets cleaned up for the next act.

A large outfit like SMG has a 'train' of entertainment acts circling the country to hop-scotch sequentially all the venues they manage.

I've looked at the current and year's past schedules for Ford Center (OKC) and AllTel Arena (Little Rock) and both have virtually identical major events a few days apart, and the same huge gaps where nothing occurs except local events like keriokie finals, Eagle Scout Banquets or Bible thumper conventions. If they have local sports teams in basketball or hockey, then those take a night a week during season.

The really surprising thing to me was the complete lack of scheduling further than the current quarter. Nothing seems ever to be planned more than three months ahead.

Just as predicted, the venue sits unused a great majority of the time, less than one event a week on average. So, it makes me wonder about our facility (managed by the same outfit who manages those two), since the economics presented indicate an event about every other day. Something tells me that won't work.

[cannon_fodder]

I think we bought our way into the loop... it wasnt for lack of talent.  Certainly anyone that can run an assembly line or an office, let alone a major oil refinery or a fortune 500 company could handle such a thing.  However, they dont know people that can get acts scheduled in Tulsa or how to play at Madison Square Garden without Paying for the ice underneath the floor (obscure movie reference, sorry).

[Double A]

quote:Originally posted by Wrinkle

Managing an arena, locally, is mostly making sure the trash gets cleaned up for the next act.

A large outfit like SMG has a 'train' of entertainment acts circling the country to hop-scotch sequentially all the venues they manage.

I've looked at the current and year's past schedules for Ford Center (OKC) and AllTel Arena (Little Rock) and both have virtually identical major events a few days apart, and the same huge gaps where nothing occurs except local events like keriokie finals, Eagle Scout Banquets or Bible thumper conventions. If they have local sports teams in basketball or hockey, then those take a night a week during season.

The really surprising thing to me was the complete lack of scheduling further than the current quarter. Nothing seems ever to be planned more than three months ahead.

Just as predicted, the venue sits unused a great majority of the time, less than one event a week on average. So, it makes me wonder about our facility (managed by the same outfit who manages those two), since the economics presented indicate an event about every other day. Something tells me that won't work.

You forgot WWF.

[Conan71]

All it takes is a telephone, money, and a venue to book acts.  As previously mentioned, it's not rocket science.

There is no shortage of booking agencies out there who are responsible for, you guessed it, booking bands.  Either they contact the venue when they are putting a tour together or the venue contacts them to see what acts are available.  It doesn't take clout, just the promise of money and to comply with the sometimes bizarre contract riders.