Gymnast Corner

We are so excited to have a special feature for our blog from Parker, a fifth grade gymnast who is looking forward to the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions on OCT. 27.  Parker has shared what she is most excited to see at the event, and some of the reasons she looks up to each of the gymnasts on the tour. Thanks for sharing, Parker! 
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Hi! I’m Parker.  I’m a fifth grader and a level 6 gymnast at Georgia Gymnastics Academy.  I’m so excited for the Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champions.  I can’t believe I will get to meet the gymnasts who were in the Olympics!   They are all amazing! Jordyn is a fabulous all around gymnast who I think is like America’s sweetheart.  I love that Gabby is always smiling no matter what happens!  But McKayla Maroney is my favorite!  She rocks the vault and I thought it was really cool that she and Kyla were friends from the start.   Speaking of Kyla, she has great focus.  I hope I can be like that one day! Aly has great form on floor which is so fun to watch.  I’m so glad Nastia is coming too.  She has shown America great strength and a great attitude – oh and phenomenal skill on bars!  I wish Shaun Johnson were part of it.  She rocks the beam.  She’s a beam queen, just like me.   I’m about to start reading her book!  I love meeting famous gymnasts!  It shows me that they are just like me and I can make it to the top too! 

Parker

Parker and her coach, Cathy Mauro

Parker and three friends at Firecracker Camp in Cincinnati, OH

From L-R: Parker, Madeline, Kelsey and Kennedy

From London 2012 to The Arena at Gwinnett Center

Is there anyone else out there totally obsessed with the Olympics? I am definitely one of those people.  I love the fact that every four years the whole world can become united for one event, and the talent of the athletes is truly amazing.  

The Olympics this year were especially exciting for me for two reasons: 1) I actually had the opportunity to spend some time in London during the games and 2) many of the faces of the Olympics will be here at Gwinnett Center during the coming months.

Wait...what did I just say??  You heard me right.  Many of the faces of the 2012 Olympic games will be RIGHT HERE at Gwinnett Center. How cool is that? The games are not over just yet!

The U.S. Olympic gymnasts, including the GOLD medal winning women's team, will be here OCT. 27 for the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions.  All of your favorites such as Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber, Kyla Ross, John Orozco, Jonathan Horton and more will be putting on a star-studded exhibition sure to dazzle you with their medal winning flips and tricks.  

At last night's Closing Ceremonies, The Who rocked the crowd and the world with their performance. They will be bringing their Quadrophenia tour right here to Gwinnett on NOV. 5.

The fun continues with legendary tennis player John McEnroe, who you might have seen on TV throughout the Olympic games providing commentary on the tennis events.  John will be joining fellow tennis legends Jim Courier, Mats Wilander and Jimmy Connors for the PowerShares Series Champions Shootout on NOV. 10! Jim Courier is actually a former Olympian himself, competing in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.   

As you can see, we are continuing the excitement of the London 2012 Olympics well into the fall, and I hope you will be out to join us for some of these exciting events! 

 

Feels Good To Be On Top

Well, we did it! We are thrilled to announce that two top entertainment publications, Venues Today and Pollstar, have ranked The Arena at Gwinnett Center 4^th and 14^th, respectfully, as a top national venue. Also, Venues Today ranked us in their Top 10 best arena venues in the world (yes, you read correctly… I said WORLD)!

Our staff here at Gwinnett Center would like to thank the incredible acts and artists, promoters, sponsors, community partners, and most importantly, all of YOU for making Gwinnett Center a top arena venue WORLDWIDE! Don’t just take my word for it…pick up a copy of Pollstar or Venues Today which hit newsstands July, 2012 and see for yourself!

 

The Arena at Gwinnett Center has hosted a variety of events during 2012 from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey and Disney On Ice, to a number of sold out performances including stars like Blake Shelton, TOOL, George Straight & Martina McBride, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lady Antebellum, and One Direction!

And…guess what? The year isn’t over yet, and we want you to know that we will continue to bring top-notch acts and events here to Gwinnett County! Some of our upcoming events to round out 2012 include the Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastic Champions, The Who, Eric Church, and Carrie Underwood.

Remember, stay up to date and gain the most exclusive access with our brand new mobile app.  Click here for more information and to download. 

--Anonymous guest blogger… over and out.

One Direction Mania

If you were at the One Direction concert on Tuesday night, and you have regained your hearing, I would like to know your secret.  That was hands down the LOUDEST concert I have ever witnessed.  Imagine 10,000 teenage girls screaming at the top of their lungs, multiply that by about fifteen and you will get an idea of the pure pandemonium that went down at this show.

Fans started showing up at 8:00am, and no, I am not kidding. We even had girls come in wedding dresses.  I tell you, it was unlike anything else I've ever seen before (and I was a teenage girl once upon a time)!

Check out what our guest blogger, Bailey, had to say about her One Direction experience:

"Honestly, the best, and WORST day of my life. The concert itself was the best day of my life by far! The worst part was knowing that they were leaving and wouldn't be back until next year :( But the boys had so much fun on stage and put on such a great show, it brought me literally to tears! I would like to say a  huge thank you to the opening act OLLY MURS for putting on such a great opening act! I can't express how emotional the whole experience was... it was a great GREAT great time. Thank you boys putting on the show of a lifetime." - Bailey M. 

Bailey shared some of her personal photos from the show with us, and we'd like to share them with you too.  Thanks, Bailey!

The boys just coming out on stage! They said Atlanta was the loudest city by far! From left to right Zayn, Niall, Louis, Harry, and Liam are singing their opening song Na Na Na! - Bailey M.

Niall Horan (furthest left, holding guitar), and Louis "the Tomo" Tomlinson (furthest right) play together on stage! - Bailey M.

Not even the full crowd! It was jammed pack! All the Directioners were ready to hear some 1D! - Bailey M.

For those of you that would like to re-live the experience, or are just curious about the sheer chaos that surrounded the entire day, check out this video we put together to commemorate the sold-out event:

Thanks again to Bailey, and all of you Directioners for helping make One Direction's first stop in Georgia a smashing success!

Own the Night

We welcomed two of our very own back to Georgia last Friday as Lady Antebellum brought their Own The Night World Tour to a sold-out crowd here in Duluth.  Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood didn't forget their roots, thanking fans for their support, and paying tribute to their Alma mater with an enthusiastic "GO DAWGS!"

Although the band's only female member, Hillary Scott, doesn't hail from the Peach State, she certainly received a warm welcome from all of you in the crowd.

Looking back on the night, I think there were two things that impressed me most - the stage set up & their appreciation for the fans.

You can tell Lady A really appreciates their fans and welcomes the opportunity to interact with them during their live shows. They proved this with their really unique set design that came complete with an "inner circle" built into the middle of the stage. How cool is that??  Lady A also threw a L.A.D.P. (Lady A Dance Party) before their set, giving fans even more of a reason to get up, get loud and get excited!  There was one particular gentleman with dance moves so suave he found himself on the big jumbo-tron screens not once, not twice, but three times.

Opening acts Thompson Square & Darius Rucker did a fantastic job, and one of my favorite parts of the entire show was the jam session between all three during the middle of Lady Antebellum's set.

Some of you may know that we often present the artists with appreciation gifts, and we wanted to let the Lady Antebellum fans help us say thank you to the band for bringing their Own The Night World Tour to Duluth.  We created a one-of-a-kind photo mosaic gift using pictures you submitted, and the end result turned out really well - they loved it!  Check out the photo of their reaction below.   

 

Photos courtesy of Kate Awtrey

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 :)