Spring, summer shows to fill calendar

Many Chevy Centre events will be announced soon, the interim director said.

By GUY D’ASTOLFO

VINDICATOR ENTERTAINMENT WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — To the casual observer, it may appear that little is happening at the Chevrolet Centre on Front Street downtown.

But the man charged with bringing quality entertainment to the facility says to be patient. The acts are coming, especially in the spring and summer.

The city gave Eric Ryan, head of JAC Management Group, the reins of the center Nov. 1 after Global Entertainment Corp. departed.

He is serving as interim executive director until the city hires a new management firm.

Ryan has been on the job less than 90 days.

Ryan — a Struthers concert promoter, restaurateur and nightclub owner — said his work will soon become apparent to everyone, however. “I am working on spring and summer shows now,” he said.

A number of concerts, trade shows and other events will be announced in coming weeks, he said. Among them are golf, motorcycle and recreational vehicle shows, six major concerts and some smaller ones, a rib festival and the Collide Festival (Christian rock).

Contracts for a number of big-name family shows also are being finalized, he added.

More will likely be added to that list. “We have a ton of offers on the table,” Ryan said. He pointed out that the arena is booked every Friday and Saturday through April, largely with sporting events.

Of the first three months of the year — traditionally a slow period — there are at least 13 events scheduled per month, which is above the industry standard, Ryan said. In fact, booking for 2008 is running considerably ahead of last year, he added.

The Youngstown SteelHounds hockey team played mostly road games in the first part of its season in the fall, so as not to clash with high school football, and now has a lot of home games.

Global stopped booking shows in September, and the industry basically shuts down during December, Ryan said.

But even though he had to start with a blank slate, Ryan said it doesn’t make sense to book shows that will not sell a lot of tickets just to fill up the schedule. “You wind up losing money,” he added.

Not pleased with how Global managed the center, the city parted ways with the company Oct. 31.

The city’s major bone of contention with Global, a subsidiary of Phoenix-based International Coliseum Co., was its failure to not turn a profit at the center and with its inability to meet its financial projections for the building.