Last month INTRUST Bank Arena announced and sold out another concert, the March 16 Jason Aldean show. While a handful of people still stood in line at the Arena to buy tickets in person, the majority of buyers purchased tickets online or by phone… probably while at work hoping their boss wouldn’t catch them.

It was a reminder of how much the process of buying concert tickets has changed since I first got into the business.  

In 1997, my first year at the Kansas Coliseum, Garth Brooks was scheduled to come to town. Without the internet, fans actually lined up outside the Coliseum and all the Dillons outlets waiting for tickets to go on sale. We knew going in that we could get up to five shows based on the number of tickets we could sell, but no one knew how great the demand actually was.

When we went on sale, we had all ten windows open at the Coliseum and 30 people on the phones taking orders. The lines were huge, wrapping all the way around the Coliseum and out the doors at the Dillons stores. We were in constant contact with Garth’s management feeding them information about how many tickets were being sold and how many people were still in line.

As each show got close to selling out, we would take it off sale and count the number of people still waiting in line to decide if we should put another show on sale. In six hours, we sold more than 55,000 tickets, selling out all five of the shows.

Back then, the on sale was an event upon itself. Nowadays, it’s the presales that are highlighted. Whether it’s an artist’s Fan Club, VIP packages, Radio or the Venues list, everyone has an opportunity to purchase tickets before the event goes on sale to the public.

We get lots of phone calls from people wondering how to get the presale information. The easiest way is to sign up for INTRUST Bank Arena’s e-news at www.intrustbankarena.com. If you are a big fan of a particular act, you probably are already a member of their Fan Club and receive pre-sale info. If not, you should be. In the era of social media, Facebook and Twitter are also great places to get pre-sale information. You should follow Arena pages, artist pages and radio station pages for all the latest info.

With so many questions and concerns regarding ticketing, it’s impossible to answer all questions in one blog. Future blogs are coming on scalping concerns and third-party ticket resellers. In the meantime, remember that Select-A-Seat is the only authorized ticket outlet for INTRUST Bank Arena events. Visit our website at www.selectaseat.com to purchase tickets.

It had been a much-anticipated concert since the day it was announced back in October. Not only was the King of Country George Strait making his return to Wichita, he was bringing with him Kansas native, Martina McBride. Talk about two major country powerhouses, on one stage, in one night.

Reigning from Sharon, Kan., a town only ninety minutes west of Wichita, this show was as close to a hometown reunion as possible for Martina. On Saturday morning, Martina tweeted how glad she was to be home in Kansas.

So happy to be home in KS!

— Martina McBride (@martinamcbride) February 18, 2012

According to Denise Neil of the Wichita Eagle, Martina even made a special request for doughnuts from the Donut Whole: 6 Sunshine Citrus Crunch doughnuts. After her first song, Martina proclaimed how good it was to be in Wichita, Kansas, playing our brand new arena for the first time. In the first half of her set, she acknowledged her Kansas roots, letting the audience know her mom and several other family members were in the crowd. She then sang “At Last” by Etta James, at mom’s request, a song she hadn’t sung in concert in more than five years.

After singing her classic “Broken Wing,” Martina received a standing ovation from the entire arena. The next day, she even retweeted the picture of the crowd on their feet, originally tweeted by our arena’s twitter account (@INTRUSTarena).

Just had 2 share.Wow! RT INTRUST Bank ArenaThe entire arena giving @martinamcbride a standing ovation after Broken Wing twitter.com/INTRUSTarena/s…

— Martina McBride (@martinamcbride) February 19, 2012

Visibly overwhelmed by more than 13,000 cheering fans, she took a minute to talk more about her upbringing in Kansas. “I have to say that growing up here was the best thing that ever happened to me,” said McBride. She continued on about going to the Kansas Fair in the summer, which led perfectly into her smash hit “Independence Day” to close the show. At the conclusion of the song, she once again had every person in the arena on their feet.

Back home n Nashville.SUCH a great week of shows.Topped off w/an awesome hometown show n Wichita. Saw family. Sang my heart out. #lovemylife

— Martina McBride (@martinamcbride) February 19, 2012

One last tweet from Martina came on Sunday, expressing how fun her last week of shows had been, including a hometown stop in Wichita. On behalf of everyone at INTRUST Bank Arena, come back anytime Martina!

General Manager A.J. Boleski announcing the first annual Wichita Ribfest to the attendees of the free rib lunch

Is there anything scarier than planning a big event not knowing if anyone will show up? Thursday, INTRUST Bank Arena held a press conference to announce the 2012 Wichita Ribfest. We could have just sent out the news release and hoped for a couple of mentions in the media, but what fun is that? Since we are in the business of selling fun, we decided instead to throw a party, OK a luncheon, and invite the public to join us.

Great idea in theory… very scary in reality.

There are three possible outcomes to a situation like this:

1)      Nobody shows up. (My personal fear)
2)       Thousands of people show up and we run out of food. (General Manager AJ Boleski’s fear)
3)      It goes off without a hitch, the perfect number of people show up and everyone is happy. (I’m not sure anyone expected this.)

As we prepared for the luncheon, we ran the gamut of concerns. We held several planning meetings and staff briefings on the possible outcomes. We even had friends on stand-by in case we needed some bodies in the building.

In the end, the event came off flawlessly. The guests who joined us for the luncheon raved about Chef Kasey’s fixin’s and were very appreciative of the effort. I can’t say we will plan this type of event again. I’m not sure my stomach can handle the stress, but we definitely consider the press conference luncheon a home-run. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the event.

Keynote Session at Pollstar Live!

On Tuesday of this week, our Director of Sales and Marketing, Sarah Haertl, and I traveled to Los Angeles for the Annual Pollstar Live Conference.  This is the first of three annual booking conferences that our staff attends each year, the others being in Nashville and New York.

The 3-day Pollstar Live conference attracts more than 1,200 building managers and staff, promoters, agents, and other industry professionals.  Industry analyst and well-known blogger, Bob Lefaetz started the conference by serving as the moderator for the Keynote session, which featured the author of the book, “Moneyball:  The Art of Winning An Unfair Game”.  The book was made into a movie featuring Brad Pitt.  Billy Beane, the Oakland A’s General Manager was on hand to discuss the story and how it applies to the concert business, as smaller markets and venues look for unique strategies in competing against larger ones.

In addition, sessions were held on such topics as promoter partnerships, comedy shows, social media marketing, managing event calendars, information overload, event safety, trends in touring concerts, and selling tickets via social media.  We were also able to gather leads on several shows that may be hitting the road later in the year.

Opening Night Reception at Pollstar Live! 2012 Conference

This conference was a great opportunity to meet face-to-face with many of the agents and promoters that we work with on a daily basis in effort to bring the top concerts and family shows to INTRUST Bank Arena.  In addition, we were able to attend an SMG reception that allowed for much more interaction with agents and promoters.  The networking and resources that we receive through Pollstar Live and similar conferences allows us to bring back ideas and trends from some of the industry’s leading venues and professionals, as we strive to be a Top 25 venue in the country.

We had the chance to ask Buckets Blakes of the World Famous Harlem Globetrotters some questions while he was in town Monday, January 30 for PR appearances. Buckets will return to Wichita this Friday, February 3 for the Harlem Globetrotters game. Check out this video Q&A and then come see him live this Friday. Tickets are still availale via Select-A-Seat at www.selectaseat.com, 316-755-SEAT, the INTRUST Bank Arena box office and all Select-A-Seat outlets.

A.J. Boleski, General Manager of the SMG-managed INTRUST Bank Arena

As Managers of INTRUST Bank Arena, SMG very much realizes the desire of guests to see a wide variety of acts in Wichita, and we are constantly working to bring the biggest names in the music industry to the our City.  As part of our ongoing efforts to attract a variety of entertainment we are in contact with agents and promoters to stay on their radar for their top acts.  Our communication occurs via phone, email, advertisements in industry publications, and through attendance at annual touring conferences in L.A., New York, and Nashville.  In addition, our best advertising comes in the form of strong ticket sales for similar shows that have occurred at our venue.  Usually, a successful show with one type of music, will lead to the booking of another big name.

Country music concerts continue to take place on a regular basis in our market because they consistently sell a large amount of tickets.  As a facility, we do not buy shows, therefore, we must find promoters to purchase a show and take the financial risk.  Promoters obviously want to minimize their risk and thus, tend to buy shows that have a proven successful history in the Wichita market.  This is the reason why Country shows play Wichita on a very regular basis.  We also pursue rock and pop shows, but due to the higher expenses associated with these types of shows they tend to play bigger markets and venues where there is a larger revenue potential and more proven track record in selling tickets.  In addition, we continue to seek out acts that target minorities; however, the minority populations in Wichita are smaller than those populations in bigger markets and thus, promoters tend to book these types of shows in the larger Cities, such as Denver, Houston, and Kansas City. 

We pursue every act that is planning to tour arenas and whether or not we get a show is usually related to timing, routing, and whether or not promoters and agents think a particular show will sell tickets in our market.  If promoters don’t think a show will fare well, they won’t take the risk.  With most acts, it is not a question of ‘if’, but rather ‘when’ they will play INTRUST Bank Arena, so the key is really staying in contact with agents and promoters and making sure that when a tour does confirm new dates, that Wichita is on their list.

Ever wish Walt Disney World was in your own backyard? Guess what, you’re in luck! Disney Live! Three Classic Fairytales is on its way bringing fairytales and wonder to Wichita, KS. In this interactive stage show, Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy discover a magical storybook that brings the magic of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast to life right in front of your eyes. With beautiful costumes, cheerful songs you will sing along to and over 25 of your favorite Disney characters, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

In the show, I portray the role of Snow White, which is something I have dreamed about since I was a little girl. In fact, when I was three, my mom thought I looked just like the princess and made me a Snow White costume for Halloween! I guess its proof that dreams come true, right!?

This opportunity has been such a wonderful experience as I have had the chance to travel the world and perform in over 20 countries. I love that I can familiarize myself with various cultures and foods although, its a bit tough to fit all my souvenirs into only two suitcases! A favorite destination of mine would definitely be London because of all the rich history that feeds directly into many of our lives here in the USA! Also, its seeded with castles, what better place for a princess to live!?

I’m grateful to say that I am living out my dreams each and everyday!  I highly encourage you to bring your little princes and princesses to come see Disney Live! Three Classic Fairytales so they too can learn that their dreams will come true!

Brad Paisley, during his 2010 concert which opened INTRUST Bank Arena

Prior to opening the building in January 2010, one of my favorite questions to ask was “What artist do you want to open INTRUST Bank Arena?”  I heard a variety of answers, but the most common name was U2. At that time, U2 wasn’t even touring in the United States, and the tour consisted of a stage so large that some football stadiums couldn’t even accommodate it, so there was never even a chance they would open our Arena. But when people are wishing, the sky is the limit, so U2 became the band many Wichitans hung their hopes on.

My personal choice to open the building was Bruce Springsteen. Nothing against Paisley, but anyone other than the Boss would have been slightly disappointing for my music taste. Once again, when you are wishing, the sky is the limit.

Wishing aside, I set my mind on everything Brad Paisley and all of the public’s expectations about their shiny, new Arena. Who would have guessed that looking back two years later, I would come to the conclusion that Brad Paisley was the perfect fit to open INTRUST Bank Arena?

My first concert was Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers Band when I was nine years old, but since that time I haven’t paid money to see a country concert. Since working for the Arena, I have come to appreciate not only country music, but also the laid back atmosphere of country artists and their genuine love of their fans. Maybe there is something to southern hospitality, or maybe it’s just that country artists realize the importance of their fans.

This could not have been more evident than in 2010 when Paisley became an impromptu INTRUST Bank Arena spokesperson to the siege of local media who covered the first show. Media coverage of concerts at a venue is usually limited to a couple of camera guys from local TV stations, a reviewer from the local paper and a couple of photographers, and that’s considered a large turnout. Specifics vary from tour to tour, but typically include shooting video or photos of the first two songs of the concert and then a quick exit before things really get going.

For the 2010 Paisley concert, every local TV station requested an interview with Brad and permission to do live shots from the Arena for their 5, 6 and 10pm newscasts. When we sent the requests to tour representatives they thought we were joking. They hadn’t been through the process of a failed Arena vote, years of tax collection, even more years of construction, non-stop bickering back and forth between Arena supporters and Arena naysayers and story after story about the lack of available parking for the “white elephant” ready to open downtown. But those of us on the inside knew how important this building and opening concert were and begged and pleaded on behalf of the media for access to Brad.

He could have said “no” and most artists probably would have. But, with a southern drawl, a cowboy hat and as much charm as you can squeeze into tight jeans, Brad Paisley answered question after question from our local press.

He talked about the honor of being the first to play in the building and thanked the community for coming out to support the show. He joked about the price tags still hanging on the furniture in the dressing rooms noting that the chairs in his room were $125.99. He mused about what a funnel cake would taste like with new grease. Little did he know, we didn’t even sell funnel cake at the Arena back then. We’ve since added them to the menu, and I plan to offer him a sample on Friday when he returns.

My favorite quote from Paisley that night was his observation about the lack of beer and vomit smell in the building. No worries, Mr. Paisley, since your first visit we have definitely been able to add those to our list of venue assets, but with the help of an excellent cleaning staff we don’t think you will notice.

As Paisley takes the stage Friday night, I will take a moment to look around the building and watch the crowd as I do at every concert. I’ll take time to reminisce about that opening concert and remember how gracious Brad Paisley was to our staff, the local media and the fans that night.

I hope I speak for all of Wichita when I say, “Thank you Brad for being a part of our history. You’re welcome back any time.”

Hello Winter Jam 2012 Partners!

The Winter Jam 2012 Tour Spectacular got off to a great start last weekend! I went to the Charlotte show and I was truly blown away at how

Crowd shot of the 2011 Winter Jam Tour at INTRUST Bank Arena

amazing and dynamic the show was!  In my over 12 years of working with Winter Jam, it really is the best Winter Jam I have ever seen!

The Artist Q&A for Jam Nation members was very personable and down to earth as Brock Gill emceed and fielded un-edited questions from the audience. This is a great reason for your listeners to invest in a Jam Nation Membership!

Brock Gill had some super cool illusions and stunts. Kari Jobe pierced hearts with her passionate and authentic worship. Peter Furler and Phil Joel had more energy than any teenager as they danced around the stage and brought back many of the great Newsboys tunes we all love! You can’t miss the new opening surprise NewSong has added to their set. Talk about soul-stirring and awe-inspiring! Nick Hall brought a down to earth, relevant and convicting message of truth and energized the youth to take a stand for Christ! Skillet brought down the house and closed the night with an unbelievable show with some incredible production! And did I mention pyrotechnics?! Oh yeah baby! Bring your fire suit! This is a Winter Jam you don’t want to miss!

Eddie Carswell told me last night: “We are really excited about what God is doing with Winter Jam this year!”

Thank you to the following radio stations for supporting this show: WMIT 106.9 The Light, WRCM, His Radio and K-LOVE.

I enjoyed a long conversation with Nick Hall about his passion and his heart for our youth is evident. It is a quite a task for Nick Hall’s PULSE Team on the Winter Jam Tour to do follow-up from events with 30,000+ people.  He has never known of an evangelistic campaign of this scale.  “We are doing everything possible for adequate follow-up, as learned under the Billy Graham and Luis Palau teams and the experience of our PULSE team.” Nick has requested all radio stations pray for innovation for his team of young, passionate leaders on the tour.  Pray that the new technology being used will work effectively to connect every student to Scripture and the local body of Christ.

Next weekend we will roll in to Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa and Atlanta!  Are you guys ready for us!? Let’s hear you guys raise the roof!

 Be sure to check us out at: www.jamtour.com and http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=232272000116782#!/winterjam

Thank you also for your continued prayers! Thank you for all you guys are doing to make Winter Jam a success!

To God be all the glory and praise!

Shannon Habas

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t thank god for the blessings he has given me. For the past 22 years I have been living my dream as an  Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam driver.

Getting to see all of the great cities in America and now getting to travel all around the world! It’s hard to believe that over 4 million fans a year will see us live. We say it on the Speed Channel about how important the fans are to us, and its the truth! We have the best fans in the world and we do what it takes to make them happy. Giving 110% in driving our trucks, doing school and hospital visits, and doing autographs till the last person leaves at an event. And with personal interaction. We answer all of our fan mail and facebook responses. My page, www.facebook.com/johnseasckfans  has almost 1 million views in a years time.

In 2007 and 2008 I had a chance to become the Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam World Racing Champion.. Those titles mean so much. It stood for everyone out there that ever had a dream, everyone that works hard to do what they have to do to provide and get the job done, all the people who helped me out along the way, etc.. I live in a small town in PA, and I remember trying to start out in Monster Jam. A lot of people said that it wasn’t possible. But there were a couple that did believe in me. I get asked all the time about trying to get into the business. The first thing I say is to follow your dreams!!  They can come true if you work hard at it.

I can go on and on about how I feel about Monster Jam and our great fans, but I need to get ready to go to our next event. We will be in your town soon. Make sure you come and check us out.

The trucks are great on television, but you need to see these in action in person. You wont want to miss this!!

Sincerely yours,
John Seasock