| (Tulsa, Okla.) March 4, 2019 – SMG has named Casey Sparks as General Manager of BOK Center and Cox Business Center. Sparks most recently served as the Assistant General Manager for BOK Center for five years.
“As Assistant General Manager, Casey’s leadership and dedication have served our city well and I am excited to welcome her as the new General Manager of our BOK Center and Cox Business Center. She has done a tremendous job to elevate Tulsa as a place for internationally renowned concerts and events and we are excited to continue this success under her tenure,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said.
Sparks began her career in Columbia, SC at the Colonial Life Arena after graduating with a degree in Sport and Entertainment Management. Since then, she was recruited to AT&T Center, a 18,500-seat venue in San Antonio, Texas home of the NBA San Antonio Spurs before moving to Tulsa, Oklahoma as the Regional Director of Sales and Marketing for 17 facilities, including BOK Center. Sparks was instrumental in BOK Center’s pre-opening venue development and grand opening plans, where she helped host 184 events in the first 10 months of operation. During her tenure, she led the new arena to be a national and international ranked facility for ticket sales.
Sparks continued her career in Charlottesville, Virginia working for Red Light Management, the largest independent artist management company in the world, whose roster includes Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Chris Stapleton and many more. In 2012, she relocated to to Pensacola, FL to serve as Assistant General Manager for the Pensacola Bay Center for two years.
Since becoming BOK Center Assistant General Manager in 2014, Sparks oversaw all arena business operations relating to booking, event marketing, business development, event management, customer service, media relations, project management, premium seating and employee development.
“It is an honor to continue to be part of this team. Cox Business Center and BOK Center are spectacular facilities with a reputation of being the best,” said Sparks. “People ask me all the time why these venues are so successful. The answer is simple. We have a dedicated staff who love their jobs and a city that continues to support us year after year. With that formula, you can’t go wrong.”
Sparks will oversee over 100 full-time and 500 part-time employees.
“With over 17 years of industry experience, Casey is the perfect fit to lead both BOK Center and Cox Business Center,” said Thierry Gray, SMG Regional Vice President. “She’s been integral to the success in Tulsa since day one and we are excited to see her continue Tulsa’s reputation for excellence.“ |
