Casey Sparks Named BOK Center General Manager

Courtesy BOK Center – Casey Sparks

Casey Sparks has been named to replace Jeff Nickler as GM of the city-owned and SMG-managed BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. She’s served the venue as assistant general manager for the past five years. She will also run Tulsa’s Cox Business Center.

“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,” Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said in a statement. “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.”

The 19,199-capacity BOK Center ranked No. 50 on Pollstar’s Top 200 Worldwide Arenas chart for 2018, with 414,942 tickets sold. It’s been nominated multiple times as Pollstar’s Arena of the Year, including in 2018 when BOK Center was also nominated for “Best Hang” and booking director Joe Giordano Jr. was considered for “Rising Star.” 

Cox Business Center has a capacity of 8,900 and in recent years has hosted acts like #IMomSoHard, Life In Color with Zeds Dead, Brian Regan, and Tommy Emmanuel.

Sparks began her career in Columbia, S.C., at the Colonial Life Arena after graduating with a degree in Sport and Entertainment Management. Since then, she was recruited to the 18,500-cap AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. From there she moved to Tulsa to become 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, according to the venue. 

Sparks continued her career in Charlottesville, Va., 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, Fla., 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 more than 100 full-time staff 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,” Thierry Gray, SMG regional vice president said. “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.“