BOK CENTER NOMINATED FOR ARENA OF THE YEAR AGAIN BY POLLSTAR
| (Tulsa, Okla.) November 11, 2016 – Oklahoma’s marquee concert venue continues to generate national industry recognition. Last month in Nashville, BOK Center was awarded “Arena of the Year” by the International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA). This morning, Los Angeles-based Pollstar announced that the Tulsa arena has also been nominated for their prestigious 2016 “Arena of the Year” award. In addition, BOK Center General Manager, Jeff Nickler, was nominated for national Facility Executive of the Year.
BOK Center joins a distinguished group of nominees for Arena of the Year including Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY), Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, TN), The Forum (Inglewood, CA), Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) and Staples Center (Los Angeles, CA). Pollstar is an industry trade publication covering the worldwide concert industry. Each year the publication hosts the Concert Industry Awards. The nominating committee is comprised of industry leaders in all facets of the entertainment business including arena managers, artists, artist managers, agents and promoters from across the country and abroad. Winners are determined by votes from international readership and will be announced on February 2, 2017 at the 28th Annual Pollstar Live! Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles. “Eight years ago, no one thought about Tulsa as a must play market…now, we are at the top of a lot of agents and promoters lists,” said Nickler. “It’s incredible to be recognized as one of the best venues in the world by our industry peers with other iconic venues like Madison Square Garden and Staples Center.” Nickler, who was nominated for Facility Executive of the Year, was also previously nominated for Venue Executive of the Year by IEBA. Nickler joined the SMG Tulsa team in 2008 as Premium Services and Sales Manager and was an integral part of the Grand Opening team for BOK Center. He also served as Special Events Manager and later Director of Booking and Special Events. In 2011, he was promoted to Assistant General Manager and was then promoted to General Manager in February of 2014. Nickler plays a critical role in the concert booking at the venue and through his efforts helped bring Madonna, Iron Maiden, Justin Bieber, Mumford & Sons and Billy Joel to Tulsa this year. “BOK Center is one of the country’s highest performing venues,” remarked Lon Rosenberg, Regional Vice President for SMG. “Tulsa has all the right pieces in place for success – a supportive city, outstanding corporate partners and an extremely talented local staff.” |