from staff
The wide range of events filling the Arena’s calendar – from the Cheetah Girls on Monday to World Wrestling Entertainment on Tuesday – often mean major, albeit routine transformations to the event space.
“It’s just all planning and all coordination and getting one group out and getting the other in,” said Bob Downey, general manager of SMG, the management group that oversees the Arena.
Each show typically has from 8 a.m. to midnight to set up its necessities, perform and leave, according to Robin Timothy, assistant general manager of SMG. Those necessities depend on the performance. Timothy said people have brought in everything from a wrestling ring to an entire pyrotechnic supply and crew.
“Every event has a contract,” she said. “It specifies the size and height of stage, how many seats they’ll need.”
Sometimes, the Arena management arranges certain specifics for performers and/or their setup crew, like transportation. Then, at midnight, the Arena’s work begins in earnest.
“All the shows have to be out by midnight,” said Timothy. “That gives us eight hours to do turnaround. It just depends on what the show is.”
For example, the roughly 84 pieces of “ice deck” that cover the ice have to be replaced after a hockey game. Timothy said they typically have 10-15 technical employees working on tasks like the ice deck or moving seats and 15 or so cleaning up trash.
According to Timothy, the nighttime preparations aren’t as interesting and action-packed as the daytime setup for the next act. She said most performances are busy during the hours between 8 a.m. and the show’s start, typically getting around to a soundcheck around 4 p.m.
Timothy said they average three shows per week, so maintenance is the big concern during downtime.
“It’s not glamourous at all,” she said. “It’s pretty much picking trash.”
Downey said football games at Alltel Stadium tend to pose more difficulty than Arena events because of weather considerations and a larger audience.