With 107 events, 491,607 tickets
sold and 793,586 attendees in the building in 2012 alone, you can imagine
things stay pretty crazy around here.
Have you ever wondered exactly what all goes on behind the scenes to
pull off a successful event? Take a step
into our office for the next few minutes, and we will give you a sneak peek of
just how things work around here on a daily basis. We gave you the chance to ask
some of your most burning questions about Gwinnett Center, and selected some of
them to answer below in this blog.
Q: Which tour had the most extensive rider?
A: Riders are strictly
confidential, so we can’t share any specifics. Each tour provides our
operations staff with a rider for the show. These include anything and
everything from artist’s personal preferences to their production needs. Some
of the longer riders we receive can be upwards of 60 pages, while others are
under 10. It just depends on the tour
and their needs.
Q: How much equipment does a tour typically bring?
A: It varies by tour, but some of
them travel with a lot of gear! The
largest was the Lady Gaga tour in April 2011. She traveled with thirty-two 45’ trailers and eleven 45’ busses. Other tours that come close: The pairing of
Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood in 2008 and Cirque du Soleil in 2011.
Q: How long does it take to set-up/break down the staging for concert
tours?
A: Again, this varies by
tour. Some tours have very extensive
staging and lighting. Depending on where
the show is coming from the day before, and how extensive their stage set-up
is, they can arrive at our venue anytime between 5:00am and 8:30am, and can
last until 3:00pm or 4:00pm. Fortunately
for the tours, break down/load-out is usually a lot quicker than load-in, and
can last anywhere between 2-3 hours depending on their stage set-up.
Stage and lighting set-up for Lady Antebellum "Own The Night" World Tour
Stage and lighting set-up for Carrie Underwood "The Blown Away Tour"
Q: How many people typically travel with a tour?
A: This also depends on the size
of the tour. Most tours have a crew of
10-20 that will assist local staff in staging and production set-up. Many tours also bring security, managers, promoters
and their label executives on the road with them as well.
Q: What is a typical show day like for your staff?
A: There is no "typical" day for our staff! There are a variety of different show day responsibilities for our staff depending on their department. Our operations team works closely with the tour crew to ensure everything is set up and running smoothly. They are involved from the moment the trucks arrive for load-in, until the last crew members leaves after the event. Our marketing team primarily handles all media outlets on-site for the event, whether that be TV, radio, photographers, writers or a combination of all of those. They also assist as needed with any VIP artist events such as meet and greets. The box office team helps distribute tickets left at will call, assist patrons needing to purchase any remaining tickets or who have questions, and help pull various reports for the tour manager. As you might guess, our event staff works to ensure a safe and secure environment for all attendees.
American Idol LIVE! Tour post-show meet and greet.
Beginning the set-up for the One Direction meet and greet.
Q: Why do we not have big screens up during some concerts?
A: As you’ve probably learned by
now, each tour has different production requirements, and most typically bring
all of their own staging. Therefore, it
is not a venue decision on whether or not big screens will be included in an
artist’s staging set-up or not.
Q: Why does the sound vary?
A: Each tour/event brings in ALL
of their own equipment, including sound equipment. Depending on what that tour uses, it can
cause the sound to vary performer by performer.
Q: How are ticket prices set?
A: Each tour and event uses a
scaling map of our facility to set prices and seat locations, both on the floor
and in the lower and upper bowl of the arena (those are the different levels of
the arena). Some shows choose to do
General Admission floor, while others prefer to offer reserved seats.
Q: Which artist has played The Arena at Gwinnett Center the most?
- Vicente Fernandez – 7 times
- Bill Gaither – 6 times
- George Strait – 5 times
- Kid Rock, Martina McBride – 4 times each
Q: How
do I find out about upcoming events at Gwinnett Center?
A: There are several ways to stay
up-to-date on all of the latest events here at Gwinnett Center.
- Social Media: We do post all events to social media, including an announcement post and an event page where you can R.S.V.P
- Be a Gwinnett Center INSIDER (it’s FREE!): This is our email database that we send out every Tuesday, so you can get email updates about our upcoming events. You can also get access to exclusive pre-sale offers and discount opportunities, when available.
- The best way to make sure that you don’t miss your favorite concert/event is to check our website regularly- www.gwinnettcetner.com. We post all public events to this website, including all of the events for our campus (The Arena at Gwinnett Center, Gwinnett Performing Arts Center and the Gwinnett Convention Center)