New management at Independence Events Center hopes to increase bookings

The Independence Events Center soon will be under new management.

As of July 1, Global Spectrum, a venue management company based in Philadelphia, will operate the facility. Independence officials voted unanimously Thursday to approve the deal.

The company will book, schedule, market and maintain the 5,800-seat facility that opened in 2009 just southeast of the intersection of Interstate 70 and Interstate 470.

Global Spectrum representatives announced a partnership with Live Nation Arenas, a division of Live Nation Entertainment, to provide further booking services.

Although Global Spectrum representatives announced no concerts or acts Thursday, the agreement with Live Nation Arenas will enhance its ability to schedule such events, said Hank Abate, senior vice president for arenas and stadiums for Global Spectrum.

“The partnership with Live Nation is unique,” Abate said.

Global anticipates a “diverse” mix of events ranging from concerts to family-oriented attractions such as ice shows and circuses, Abate said.

Independence City Manager Robert Heacock said he also hopes to see other community events, such as a barbecue cookoff, held in and around the building.

Negotiations are continuing on a possible naming rights partner for the facility, Heacock said.

Though Global Spectrum has partnered with Live Nation Arenas, it also maintains a relationship with AEG, the company that operates and books concerts at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Abate said. That arrangement doesn’t mean that Global Spectrum considers AEG a competitor in the Kansas City regional market, he added.

“AEG could have certain shows, and Live Nation could have certain shows,” Abate said.

The city has a 10-year agreement with Global Spectrum, with the possibility of a 10-year extension.

Though the Missouri Mavericks hockey team and the Missouri Comets soccer team have been the building’s anchor tenants, the new management arrangement probably will result in more events being scheduled, said David Ehrlich, a Denver-based venue consultant who helped negotiate the agreement.

“The only thing that has been missing has been the national acts,” Ehrlich said.

This story was originally published June 19, 2014 at 3:21 PM with the headline "New management at Independence Events Center hopes to increase bookings."