#13 ARENA IN THE UNITED STATES

Venue is SMG’s highest ranked arena in the Continental U.S.

(Tulsa, Okla.) July 15, 2016 – As the venue approaches its eighth birthday, BOK Center continues to maintain its status as one of the world’s busiest concert arenas. Earlier today Pollstar announced their 2016 Mid Year Top 200 Arena Venues based on ticket sales and BOK Center finished #13 in the United States and #36 in the world.  BOK Center was also the highest ranked arena in the Continental United States managed by SMG, the Philadelphia-based venue operator that manages over 230 facilities,  nearly 70 arenas, and over 1.75 million seats worldwide.

“We couldn’t have this sustained success without the support of the loyal fans along with the agents and promoters who continue to believe in the Tulsa market,” said BOK Center General Manager Jeff Nickler.  “This honor doesn’t belong to SMG, but also to our regional ticket buyers, sponsors and corporate partners that have supported this venue from day one.”

The Tulsa venue made the #13 spot on the list, between Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena and The Forum in Los Angeles and ahead of venues in much larger regional metropolitan areas like Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Phoenix, Denver, Austin and Minneapolis.

The second quarter of 2016 was highlighted by folk rock group Mumford & Sons and their first ever appearance at BOK Center in front of a sold-out crowd on April 6. The acclaimed pop superstar Justin Bieber returned to rock BOK Center for his third sold-out show in support of his new album Purpose on April 7.

“Congratulations to BOK Center staff, all local music fans and our promoter partners for achieving such a high ranking for U.S. ticket sales,” said Doug Thornton, Executive Vice President for SMG. “This shows that Tulsa continues to be a strong market for live entertainment and we are thrilled to be a part of that success story.”

The O2 (London) topped the overall rankings and Barclays Center (Brooklyn) garnered the top United States spot. Several other SMG facilities made the top 200 including Wichita’s INTRUST Bank Arena (ranked 89th in the world) and Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena (ranked 104th in the world). The rankings are determined by tickets sold worldwide for concerts from January 1, 2016 to June 30, 2016. Pollstar totals do not include tenant sport team ticket counts, some family shows, or SMG-produced special events.

Pollstar is a weekly trade publication covering the worldwide concert industry.

BOK Center has already announced a stellar line-up for the remainder of 2016. Coldplay will rock BOK Center on August 25, Oklahoma native Toby Keith will perform for the first time ever at BOK Center on October 14 and legendary singer and songwriter Billy Joel will visit Tulsa on November 11 for one of only four arena shows this year outside of Manhattan. Other recently announced acts include Dolly Parton, Dixie Chicks, Korn & Breaking Benjamin and Black Sabbath.