Calling All Outdoorsmen & Fishing Fanatics!

It seems there is a championship for everything these days, and bass fishing is no different.  With the help of Lake Lanier, Gwinnett Center will host the Forrest Wood Cup &Outdoor Expo August 9^th-12^th.  This tournament is designed for fisherman to have an affordable way to hone their skills and advance in the sport of fishing.

During the day, the fisherman will fish on Lake Lanier and then bring the fish – alive – to Gwinnett Center for the big weigh-in.  This is my favorite part, as some of these fish are huge!  Outdoor enthusiasts can head over to our Convention Center to tour through the Outdoor Expo before the big weigh-ins begin at 5:00pm. You might even have the opportunity to interact with some of the sport's biggest names!

What’s the best part of this event?  It’s FREE!!  So grab your friends, neighbors, kids and co-workers and come experience the magic of the great outdoors right here in Gwinnett County.

May is for Moms, Milestones and Mobile Mania!

Can you believe it's May already? 2012 is flying by, and between Mother's Day and graduations, things have definitely been busy around here. Congratulations to all of the Gwinnett and Forsyth County students who have already, or will be graduating this month!  Also, a huge shout out to all of the Mom's out there - your hard work doesn't go unnoticed and we hope you felt very celebrated on your special day.

May is about to get even more exciting because we have some BIG NEWS to share with all of you!  We are very excited to announce the launch of our very own mobile app!  The official app for The Arena at Gwinnett Center is available right now for a free download in the iTunes App Store or you can Get it on Google Play (I am assuming you are on your phone now downloading away...right?). For those of you who are like me, and love anything technological, this is almost as exciting as Christmas morning or my birthday!

So, what's so cool about this app?  Well in my opinion, everything, but here are just a few of my favorite features:

1. I love being able to have easy, quick access to information - and that is exactly what this app is designed for.  From notifications regarding upcoming events, to special offers and promotions, to event seating charts and direct access to social media, there is no way you will miss out on any of the happenings around our venue.  
2. Coupons! Who doesn't love a good coupon? Especially when you get to use a QR code to receive the coupon (here we go again with my obsession with technology!). 
3. I'm sure I am NOT the only one who has accidentally missed a ticket on-sale and then been disappointed with the remaining seat selection. With the app, this will not happen to you! You can customize your settings so that your phone will send you reminders when events (like Carrie Underwood) go on sale.

 Look, I've even made it easy for you - just click one of the images below to download the app:
 

 

Now that you know how cool our new app is, show your friends and family how tech savvy you are by telling everyone you know, and I mean EVERYONE (this includes your mom, dad, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, neighbors, grandparents, Facebook, pets, etc.) to visit the iTunes App Store or Get it on Google Play!!

Then you can come back and tell me what your favorite feature of the new app is...now get to it!

hAPPy Friday everyone :)

Not Your Typical Brunch

If you haven't heard already, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey "Fully Charged" circus is in town and we had a very special event in front of our box office this morning.  The team brought 6 of the Asian elephants out to feast on a delicious brunch in front of a crowd of about 250 people.  What a fun event!!  I was totally amazed - elephants are such cool animals.  The famous pachyderms were treated to a buffet of bananas, apples, melons and their favorite – loaves of bread.  I loved how they walked up with each elephant holding the elephant in front's tail with its trunk - just like holding hands. 

A couple of cool facts I learned during the event:

• The elephants are VERY smart. They respond to their names, and even remember the faces of their handlers and caregivers!
• These 6 elephants range in age from 28-55 years old.
• They get a bath EVERY DAY (imagine bathing 6 elephants daily!), and regular pedicures for their toes/feet. Sounds pretty nice to me!

I cannot wait to see the elephants in the show.  If you missed the elephant brunch this morning, take a look at some of our pictures, and don't miss out on one of our 8 circus performances beginning tomorrow and running through Sunday.  We do still have some tickets available! Click HERE to buy.   

Thanks to everyone who came out to the event!  We can't wait to see you at one of the performances!

Fun-Filled February

What a week!  We kicked off the first full week in February with a bang bringing in not one, but TWO sold-out shows - Tool and George Strait w/ Martina McBride.  Thanks to everyone who came out to see us last week! 

If you weren't here, never fear, I can give you a little recap of what you missed (but don't miss out on anything in the future - we have lots going on, so make sure you're an INSIDER and getting all the VIP info). 

Tool is a unique bunch that puts on a GREAT show and has an extremely dedicated fan base.  We had a loud, excited crowd and the band didn't disappoint playing a number of their popular hits.  Check out Atlanta Music Scene HERE for some great photos from the show.   

Last Friday, we welcomed both George Strait and Martina McBride back to our venue for a star-studded performance.  Each proved why they are the King and Queen of Country Music delivering hit after hit to a delighted crowd of 12,000+.  I had seen Martina McBride before, but never George Strait.  I loved that they set up the stage in the round (right in the middle of the Arena).  Not many artists do that, and I thought it was a very cool set up.  Still trying to figure out how Martina managed to move all over that stage in 6-inch heels. In case you want to re-live the night, here are some photos to help you out:

Members of our team welcome George Strait with a custom leather guitar strap.

Members of our Marketing team welcome Martina McBride with custom wine courtesy of Chateau Elan.

Martina McBride

George Strait

All photos courtesy of Robb D. Cohen/www.RobbsPhotos.com

We are going to finish up February with two more BIG events:

Tommy Emmanuel

February 28th-29th

Plenty to do around here!  I am looking forward to the circus starting next week.  Fully Charged is going to be a great, high-energy show and I know you guys will LOVE it! 

All About Tonight w/ Blake Shelton!

Friday night was a busy one here at The Arena with reigning CMA Male Vocalist of the Year, Blake Shelton, in the house for a sold-out show.  For those of you who are big fans of Blake, you knew this was probably going to be one big party!  However, with this being only his second show since his father passed, I wasn't sure how difficult getting back on stage would be for him.  Well never fear, our Marketing team got the opportunity to greet him before the show, and I knew at that moment he was ready to give all of the fans in the crowd an awesome show...and that he did!

I've seen a lot of concerts (part of the territory when you work at a concert venue), and even a lot of really great concerts, but not many have the crowd and energy of the Well Lit & Amplified tour.  From the first notes of "Footloose," to the last notes of his current smash "God Gave Me You," the crowd sang along to every word and didn't bother with sitting down.

 Photo courtesy of Raven Nichols

 Photo courtesy of Raven Nichols

One thing that really struck me was how engaging Blake was with the crowd.  Many artists will talk and interact a little bit, but Blake seemed to get a big kick out of telling stories about everything from drinking, to his hit TV-show The Voice, to, well, drinking!

Speaking of The Voice, I would have never expected a Christina Aguilera impersonation from one of country music's golden boys, but he not only gave a spot on rendition of the pop queen, he threw in a little medley of his other Voice co-stars hit songs "Moves Like Jagger," and "Forget You."  I have since learned Blake is going to be teaming up with Cee Lo Green for a song.  Now THAT should be interesting!

Even though Blake has had a slew of hits since "Austin," that song is still my personal favorite.  I really enjoyed the acoustic part of the show where he included this song, and hearing the entire crowd drown out Blake's voice singing along.

I also have to take a moment to congratulate Blake.  Not only did he deliver an awesome, sold-out show here at The Arena, his single "God Gave Me You" earned Platinum status, while his "Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton" and "Red River Blue" albums reached Gold certification.  Industry and label members presented these awards to him in a surprise ceremony at our show.  Way to go, Blake!!

Our Marketing team greets Blake & his promotion staff.

Photo courtesy of Raven Nichols

 
And, of course, we can't leave out his opening acts - Dia Frampton (from The Voice) and Justin Moore who did an excellent job of getting an already fun crowd riled up for Blake's performance.

 

Photo courtesy of Raven Nichols

Robb D. Cohen/ www.RobbsPhotos.com

Alright, Blake Shelton fans, I want to hear from you - what did you think about the show last Friday??