AEG Lands Kemper Arena

Officials in Kansas City, Mo., voted June 7th to turn over management of the Kemper Arena to AEG Kansas City for five years, which will also operate the 15,000-capacity Sprint Center set to open this fall.

Global Spectrum has managed the 19,500-capacity Kemper Arena since 2003 but its contract will end December 31st. City officials were said to be looking for a way to reduce competition between venues by going with AEG.

AEG Kansas City GM/Senior VP Brenda Tinnen said in a statement the company will uphold its commitment to both venues.

"Unanimous endorsements from both the selection panel and City Council affirm AEG’s commitment to the region and 35-year partnership with the city," Tinnen said.

"Sprint Center, Kemper Arena and the American Royal [agri-entertainment facility] will compliment each other and ultimately, fans throughout the region will be excited about the new downtown and entertainment options at all venues."

Global Spectrum COO John Page said the company worked with the city on a new contract but there were contractual issues the parties weren’t able to agree on.

"We understood there was a competitive bid process and we put our best foot forward to show what we can continue to do," Page told Pollstar. "We certainly hoped [the result] would be different but we understand. In markets like Kansas City, it’s very difficult to have two arenas operating.

"We’re very proud of our accomplishments at Kemper Arena. We took over a situation where the arena wasn’t booked or aggressively marketed. The revenue that was generated under our tenure was unprecendented for Kansas City and Kemper Arena."

The Sprint Center will also be home to the Arena Football League team The Brigade, which will move in after its lease with Kemper Arena expires this season.

The venue is also scheduled to host "Disney’s High School Musical: Ice Tour" November 30th and December 1-2.