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City working on deal for promoting center
Ticketmaster takes over the center’s ticketing Thursday.
YOUNGSTOWN — The city finalized a contract to have Ticketmaster handle ticketing at its Chevrolet Centre and should have a deal in place within two weeks with a national firm to help with booking acts and promoting the facility.
Negotiations with Global Spectrum and SMG, both of Philadelphia, for the latter responsibilities are productive, Mayor Jay Williams said Thursday.
The mayor said he spoke to officials from both companies on separate occasions in the past week and is discussing the two firms with city administrators and members of city council.
“They’re both still in play,” Williams said. “We want what’s best for the facility. Both bring a certain level of expertise.”
The city wants to keep JAC Management Co., a Struthers company run by event promoter Eric Ryan, as the center’s manager handling the facility’s day-to-day operations. He’s run the center since October, when the city ended its two-year agreement with Global Spectrum Co., an Arizona company not affiliated with Global Spectrum.
Initially Ryan was hired as an interim director, but city officials pleased with his performance plan to keep him in that post permanently.
The national company would provide support for the center in marketing, event booking, risk management and insurance, administration and financing.
Officials with the two companies have told the city they can work well with Ryan.
The city’s board of control — consisting of Williams, Law Director Iris Torres Guglucello and Finance Director David Bozanich — approved a five-year contract Thursday with Ticketmaster, the nation’s largest event ticketing agency.
Ticketmaster has spent the past few weeks familiarizing itself with the center’s ticketing operations.
The West Hollywood, Calif., company officially takes over the center’s ticketing responsibilities Thursday.
The company is guaranteeing $125,000, paid in equal amounts of $25,000 each year.
The company also expects to generate $942,000 in royalties on ticket surcharges over the life of the contract.
Ticketmaster will give the city between 25 percent and 40 percent of its surcharges, which range from $3 to $6 a ticket.
The 40-percent surcharge is for more expensive tickets as well as for the $4 handling fees paid per order by customers for telephone and Internet purchases.
Tickets bought at the center’s box office don’t include ticket surcharges or handling fees.
skolnick@vindy.com