The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo was the first big, national client for Greg Flakus’ GF Strategies. He was hired in 1997 to wean its 110 commercial concessionaires from the historical flat rate per foot charge for space to 15 percent of the gross, using a sales tracking system he had refined for fairs. The […]
On Oct. 4, 1979, Pope John Paul II visited Living History Farms, Des Moines, Iowa, and Chris Bigelow was there. It was the largest crowd in Iowa history. It was a cold and rainy autumn day. Bigelow, who now has his own consulting firm, The Bigelow Companies, tells it like it was: In 1976, Bigelow […]
The Rolling Stones were playing JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, now site of the Wells Fargo Center, in 1981. Per the contract and per usual, the Stones wanted to collect all their merchandise money in cash that night from Nilon Brothers, the stadium merchandise and food service purveyor. Peter Luukko was regional VP for Spectacor Management Inc. […]
Robyn Williams had returned from a performing arts industry conference full of ideas. The late, great Rodney Smith had done the unthinkable by allowing water into his theater. “I remember him sending me all the hate mail he was getting from symphony musicians and stuff. We thought that was so bold and brave,” Williams recalled. […]
Allen Bloom, famed booker and negotiator for Irving Feld’s Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, is a legend in the entertainment industry. He helped orchestrate the circuses’ big ancillary income flow — popcorn, sno cones, cotton candy and souvenirs. Linc Cavalieri is also a legend in the industry, having run several buildings in Detroit, […]
When the hottest band on the road insists on a sweetheart merchandise deal, a venue manager has to build his case thoughtfully, always assuming reasonable people will be reasonable. It was 1985 and Van Halen was playing the Houston Summit. At the time, it was standard for major arenas to ask for 40 percent of […]