City of Tucson Selects SMG to Manage Tucson Convention Center

WWE Raw event held in the Tucson Arena in 2007

Tucson Convention Center along with its three major performance venues, the 8920-seat Tucson Arena, the 2289-seat Tucson Music Hall and the 511-seat Tucson Leo Rich Theater, is now part of SMG’s management portfolio following a “request for proposal” process conducted by the City of Tucson, the company announced. The contract took effect on Oct.r 1^st.

Founded in 1977, SMG is a global leader in venue management, marketing and development. It specializes in convention centers, exhibition halls and trade centers, arenas, stadiums, performing arts centers, theaters, and specific-use venues such as equestrian centers. For the management of its more than 50 convention centers worldwide, SMG partners with local Convention and Visitors Bureaus and hotels in order to promote regional attractions and demonstrate the advantages of such facilities in conducting business. The company currently manages convention facilities ranging in size from 30,000 to 2,000,000 square feet.

“We are pleased to welcome SMG as the new facility management company, and we look forward to enhanced business activity in our facilities as well as a renewed focus on customer service for our guests,” said Greg Jackson, contract administrator for the City of Tucson.

Located on 28 acres in downtown Tucson, the Tucson Convention Center is the largest multi-purpose facility in southern Arizona. Opened in 197, it incorporates the three aforementioned venues along with 205,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space. In the following months, the Tucson Arena will undergo an $8.8 million series of renovations funded by Rio Nuevo and the City of Tucson, that includes new seats, updated concession stands, a new sound cluster and video board.

The grand opening is slated for Jan. 3, 2015.

Photo courtesy of user JBZA2003 via Wikimedia Commons