BOK CENTER NOMINATED FOR MULTIPLE AWARDS BY POLLSTAR

BOK Center joins a distinguished group of nominees for Best Hang including The Forum (Inglewood, CA), Greek Theatre (Los Angeles, CA), Austin City Limits Festival (Austin, TX), Osheaga (Montreal, Canada) and Stagecoach Country Music Festival (Indio, CA).

BOK Center is renowned in the concert industry for its elaborate backstage hospitality, tour catering, and unique dressing rooms and for this reason countless artists have chosen to rehearse and launch their tours in Tulsa.  This year alone U2, Blake Shelton, and Fleetwood Mac have all launched North American tours at the venue. Several recent enhancements have been made backstage at BOK Center highlighted by the addition of three new green rooms commemorating Oklahoma musicians Woody Guthrie, Garth Brooks and Leon Russell. The arena has also added a trendy private gym for artists and crew, a ‘Super Secret Speakeasy’ to host post-concert parties, and several new art installations celebrating Bob Dylan, Bob Wills, and Historic Route 66.

General Manager, Jeff Nickler, was nominated for the fourth time for “Venue Executive of the Year,” an award that recognizes the top venue professional in the industry. Nickler helped open BOK Center in 2008 and was 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 ten blockbuster shows to Tulsa in 2018 for BOK Center’s “10 for 10 Concert Series.” Artists included George Strait, P!nk, Blake Shelton, U2, Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars, Eagles, Imagine Dragons, Metallica and Elton John.

Director of Booking, Joe Giordano, picked up his second consecutive nomination for the “Rising Star” award. He joined the BOK Center team in 2016 after serving as Director of Marketing & Booking for three years at the Santander Arena and Santander Performing Arts Center in Reading, PA.  Giordano worked to deliver a compelling line-up of artists for the commemorative “10 for 10 Concert Series” and also contracted the first-ever NHL pre-season game with the Dallas Stars earlier this Fall at BOK Center. In addition to his local responsibilities, he also serves as a Regional Theater Booking Manager for SMG, overseeing and developing business for 25 theater venues nationwide.

Pollstar is an industry trade publication covering the worldwide concert industry. Each year the publication hosts the Concert Industry Awards.  The 2018 Pollstar Award nominees were selected by a panel of more than 2,000 agents, managers, promoters, venue operators and professionals who work in the live entertainment industry. With the largest, most diverse nomination committee in the history of the awards, Pollstar announces several changes to the program for its 30th anniversary event, both in terms of award categories and in the methodology calculating winners. These changes are geared to increase relevancy, recognize the evolution of the industry, and acknowledge the standard bearers from the preceding touring year.

“For 30 years, the Pollstar Awards have been the definitive recognition for achievement in the touring industry, and we are honored and privileged to again recognize the elite artists, venues, and executives in the world of live entertainment,” said Tim Leiweke, CEO of Oak View Group, parent company of Pollstar. “This is a thrilling time to be in the business of live, and we remain inspired by the level of professionalism, creativity and fan engagement exhibited by those who make up our nominees for the 2019 Pollstar Awards, and across the industry.”

In recognition of the 30th anniversary (and in an effort to not take itself too seriously), Pollstar will celebrate the larger-than-life personalities and unique nature of the business via such irreverent categories as The Unavailable, Best Hang, Most Dreaded Phone Call and The Back In My Day. The entire slate of awards is geared toward presenting a compelling ceremony that salutes the touring industry’s illustrious past while celebrating its current vitality and promising future.

Winners are determined by votes from international readership and will be announced on February 13, 2019 at the 30th Annual Pollstar Live! Awards Ceremony in Downtown Los Angeles.