JULY's LATEST NEWS
BIG LAUGHS, BIGGER LEGENDS
If laughter is the best medicine, then the Pensacola Civic Center provided major triage services on July 16th.D.L. Hughley proved to be a hilarious headliner, with jokers Earthquake and Arie Spears kicking off the “Salute to the Troops” comedy jam. Flags from every branch of the military flew over the stage while the performers paid tribute to the hundreds of service men and women in the audience. Tributes were also in order on July 27th, this time for two of the most legendary artists in music history. Bob Dylan and Leon Russell teamed up for an intimate jam session that captivated the diverse crowd.
Teenagers and tweens joined their parents and grandparents, singing along to “It Ain’t Me, Babe” and “Like a Rolling Stone” like the tunes debuted yesterday. The eclectic group was thrilled with the Dylan/Russell match-up, many commenting to building staff that it was a once-in-a-lifetime concert experience. The show was also an opportunity to show off the arena’s “Theater Set”, which provides guests an up-close and personal view of the stage. With a capacity of about 4,000 seats and a curtaining system that closes off half of the lower bowl, there isn’t a bad seat in the house!
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
SMG employees at the Pensacola Civic Center are committed to giving back to the Pensacola
community, logging extra hours in with various philanthropic organizations. Event Manager
Michael recently graduated from the 2011 Leadership Pensacola (LEAP) class. LEAP’s mission is to foster community minded leaders who inspire positive change. Michael served as the Marketing Chairperson for this year’s “Let’s Grow” project and will continue serving as an alumnus on LEAP’s curriculum committee.
Catering Sales and Event Manager Jan is also a community stand-out. Jan has been a Sertoma member for 8 years, most recently with Liberty Sertoma. The “Service to Mankind” organization named Jan its 2011 Sertoman of the Year in honor of her outstanding service to the community and the club.
JUNE's LATEST NEWS
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BIG LAUGHS, BIGGER LEGENDS
If laughter is the best medicine, then the Pensacola Civic Center provided major triage services on July 16th.D.L. Hughley proved to be a hilarious headliner, with jokers Earthquake and Arie Spears kicking off the “Salute to the Troops” comedy jam. Flags from every branch of the military flew over the stage while the performers paid tribute to the hundreds of service men and women in the audience. Tributes were also in order on July 27th, this time for two of the most legendary artists in music history. Bob Dylan and Leon Russell teamed up for an intimate jam session that captivated the diverse crowd.
Teenagers and tweens joined their parents and grandparents, singing along to “It Ain’t Me, Babe” and “Like a Rolling Stone” like the tunes debuted yesterday. The eclectic group was thrilled with the Dylan/Russell match-up, many commenting to building staff that it was a once-in-a-lifetime concert experience. The show was also an opportunity to show off the arena’s “Theater Set”, which provides guests an up-close and personal view of the stage. With a capacity of about 4,000 seats and a curtaining system that closes off half of the lower bowl, there isn’t a bad seat in the house!
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
SMG employees at the Pensacola Civic Center are committed to giving back to the Pensacola
community, logging extra hours in with various philanthropic organizations. Event Manager
Michael recently graduated from the 2011 Leadership Pensacola (LEAP) class. LEAP’s mission is to foster community minded leaders who inspire positive change. Michael served as the Marketing Chairperson for this year’s “Let’s Grow” project and will continue serving as an alumnus on LEAP’s curriculum committee.
Catering Sales and Event Manager Jan is also a community stand-out. Jan has been a Sertoma member for 8 years, most recently with Liberty Sertoma. The “Service to Mankind” organization named Jan its 2011 Sertoman of the Year in honor of her outstanding service to the community and the club.
JUNE's LATEST NEWS
When the last caps were tossed in the air on June 7th, staff at the Pensacola Civic Center had congratulated over 3,300 high school graduates, looked on with over 40,000 proud parents and family members, and continued on-going relationships with administrators and teachers at 9 local schools. An estimated 80,000 graduates
have crossed the stage at the Pensacola Civic Center since 1985, displaying gowns in every color and all sorts of motivational messages for the packed arena. Congratulations to the graduating classes of Pine Forest High, West Florida High School of Advanced Technology, Tate High, Escambia High, Pensacola High, Washington High, Gulf Breeze High, Pace High, and Navarre High.
Another historic commemoration blew into the building with just as much pomp and
circumstance on June 10th. In what has become a Pensacola Civic Center tradition, a
new Don Tristan DeLuna was crowned at the Fiesta Coronation Ball. The colorful
ceremony also recognized DeLuna LXII’s Queen and Court. Guests always include
former DeLunas and dignitaries from around the state. Building staff were responsible
for treating the 900 attendees like kings and queens for the night, capping off the
festivities with a celebratory breakfast at 10pm.
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In addition to commencement celebrations, since the beginning of 2011, the Pensacola Civic
Center has hosted 20 arena events and 16 hockey games, drawing in excess of 150,000
people to the downtown area. The crews alone for touring shows account for over 500 visitors
to the area, that number does not count the fans that travel to watch their favorite artists
or participate in sporting events and conferences. Thanks to every restaurant, retailer, and hotelier that takes care of our visitors!
MAY's LATEST NEWS
Drop by the Pensacola Civic Center on any given day, and you’ll always find something special going on, sometimes at different times on the same day! One of those “double-duty” days was May 7th, when staff hosted the Pensacola State College commencement in the morning and WWE Smackdown Wrestling in the evening. By the end of that one night, over 8,400 people had visited the venue. The crowd could not have been more different on May 10th, when Avenged Sevenfold slammed into town with Three Days Grace and Bullet For My Valentine in tow. Over 6,000 fans turned out for the “Welcome to the Family” concert, many of them camping out in front of the building from 8am until the doors opened at 5:30pm. Hard rock devotees traveled from towns all across the south for a Tuesday night party. Some of the top ten areas for tickets sales were Houston, TX, Montgomery, AL, and Birmingham, AL. Travelers continued to factor into preparations as building staff geared up for a very diverse Memorial Day Weekend. Local promoter Island Fights VII kicked off the official start of summer on May 28th, celebrating their biggest event in Pensacola to date. The Abracadabra Party bounced in hot on the heels of the fighters, featuring dance diva Wynter Gordon.
OUR COMMUNITY’S FUTURE LEADERS GRADUATE HERE!
UWF Grads! It’s diploma season again at the Pensacola Civic Center! The University of West Florida kicked off spring commencement on April 30th, followed by Pensacola State College on May 7th. Three Santa Rosa County High Schools celebrate on June 4th. Six Escambia County High Schools close out the festivities on June 6th & 7th. An estimated 80,000 students have donned a cap and gown at the venue over the past 26 years.
APRIL's LATEST NEWS
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Extraordinary Visitors and Sweet Debuts
For the third year in a row, the Pensacola Civic Center welcomed the Extraordinary Women conference on April 8th and 9th. Over 4,000 visitors enjoyed a powerful weekend with leading women’s ministry speakers, award winning Christian artists in concert and fellowship with thousands of girlfriends. Thousands of area girlfriends were also on hand for Sugarland’s April 14th headlining debut, a sweet treat since they haven’t performed in the building since opening for Kenny Chesney in 2006. The duo invited country super-band Little Big Town and up-and coming crooner Matt Nathanson along for the ride.
DISNEY ON ICE! Sweet little princesses were everywhere for the Disney on Ice Presents: Let’s Celebrate performances on April 19th and 20th. Over 10,000 Mickey fans packed the building for three shows celebrating special holidays. World renowned for holiday shows, Trans-Siberian Orchestra made its Pensacola debut on April 27th with Beethoven’s Last Night. The arena rock/theater light show extravaganza was a major hit with attendees, causing a flurry of “best concert ever” comments on the building’s Facebook page.
Community Spotlight
Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital
Everybody loves Mickey Mouse! The stars of Disney on Ice Presents: Let’s Celebrate had a very busy day on April 19th. After a whirlwind of media interviews, Minnie dropped in to welcome Pensacola Chamber of Commerce members at the Hospitality Round Table Luncheon. Four lucky participants walked away with tickets to the show. Just a few minutes away, Mickey entertained some of Pensacola’s smallest fans at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital.
MARCH's LATEST NEWS
March is always an exciting month at the Pensacola Civic Center, with successful
annual events returning “home” and hockey fans taking advantage of their last chance
to check out the team before the SPHL playoff season begins. Long-time friends of the building, Krewe of Lafitte and Revelers of Ariola invited local Mardi Gras devotees to the biggest parties in town on March 4th and 5th. Each ball has become a Pensacola Civic Center tradition, featuring the best food and festive mood leading into Fat Tuesday.
When the last king cake was demolished, Monster Trucks rolled in the following weekend with its own brand of destruction. Over 10,500 fans caught both racing and freestyle action with a stellar line-up that included Grave Digger, Mohawk Warrior, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. A long-standing tradition was honored this year with a come-one-come-all autograph session after each show. Fans love the opportunity to take pictures and collect autographs, with lines snaking from one end of the concourse to the other and spilling into the arena. Watching the smallest monster truck fans waving their checkered flags and getting their pennants signed is one of the highlights of the event. Pensacola’s smallest “spirited” fans also had a golden opportunity during the last weekend in March. The WSA Emerald Coast Beach Blast Cheerleading Competition drew over 4,000 participants and spectators to Pensacola, giving local hotels, restaurants, and retailers something to cheer about!
Community Spotlight
With superstars like Carrie Underwood and Kid Rock dropping by, it would be easy to forget
that the Pensacola Civic Center also hosts 55-65 meetings per month, resulting in constant activity in the building. The SMG staff and management would like to recognize some of the community groups who have become a part of our family over the years. All meeting room clients are appreciated; however, a special thanks is warranted for these “frequent meeters”!
that the Pensacola Civic Center also hosts 55-65 meetings per month, resulting in constant activity in the building. The SMG staff and management would like to recognize some of the community groups who have become a part of our family over the years. All meeting room clients are appreciated; however, a special thanks is warranted for these “frequent meeters”!
FEBRUARY's LATEST NEWS
An amazingly diverse line up drew more than 30,000 fans to the Pensacola Civic Center in February, including a seven day stretch that featured 6 arena events! TNA wrestling kicked off the first busy weekend, with wrestlers sticking around to offer autographs and photos long after the matches were over. Continuing the sporting theme, the World Famous Harlem Globetrotters dribbled in the following Saturday. Players hung out after that game too, offering fans an up close & personal experience with the talented athletes. Fans lined up for photos with Big Easy and Flight Time, current stars of the hit show Amazing Race. Only 2 days after the Globetrotters painted the town red, white, & blue, Kid Rock rolled in to deliver the building’s first sold-out show of the year. Jamey Johnson joined the party, adding his own avid fan base to the screaming crowd.
Rounding out a very eclectic schedule, Celtic Woman waltzed in to Pensacola on February 16th, performing their signature brand of Irish standards, contemporary classics, and original compositions.
Community Spotlight
BIG EASY VISIT
As part of the very successful Globetrotters visit, star player Big Easy Lofton hit the town on February 7th. Students at Lincoln Park Elementary School celebrated with a luncheon and a gathering in the school’s cafeteria. Big Easy also had time to drop by Pensacola Naval Air Station’s Radford Center, where local media participated in a 4-point shoot out. Team members from WEAR, Pensacola News Journal, and Cat Country wowed the kids and military members with their ball-handling skills. Congratulations to WEAR for taking home the gold!
