BOK CENTER FINISHES 2016 AS ONE OF NATION’S TOP ARENAS FOR TICKET SALES
| (Tulsa, Okla.) January 6, 2017 – BOK Center continues to maintain its status as one of the world’s busiest concert arenas. Earlier today, Pollstar announced their 2016 Year End Top 200 Arena Venues based on ticket sales and BOK Center finished #24 in the United States and #49 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 only 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 sold more concert tickets than arenas in several larger regional markets including Houston, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Austin, San Antonio and St. Louis. The 2016 calendar year was highlighted by a dozen blockbuster concerts that included Madonna’s first visit ever to the state of Oklahoma, Iron Maiden, Mumford & Sons, Justin Bieber, Carrie Underwood, Coldplay, Toby Keith, Black Sabbath and Billy Joel. The sold-out concert by the “Piano Man” in November was one of only six arena shows in 2016 that he played outside of Manhattan. “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.” In addition to garnering a high ticket sales ranking, BOK Center was also named “Arena of the Year” in 2016 by the International Entertainment Buyers Association. The industry trade group and its voters selected the Tulsa venue for the prestigious award over Madison Square Garden (New York City), Barclays Center (Brooklyn), T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas) and The Forum (Los Angeles). The O2 (London) topped the overall ticket sales rankings and Madison Square Garden (New York City) garnered the top United States spot. The rankings are determined by tickets sold worldwide for concerts from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 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. |