‘Open For All’: Nelson Albareda Enters Venue Operations Biz And Aims To Provide Inclusive Space For Promoters Of Any Size

Miami may have dropped out of the top 10 in Pollstar’s most recent Concert Market Rankings, but it could make its way back with the introduction of a new venue and the efforts of indie promoter Loud And Live.

The entertainment and marketing company has added a venue for the first time to its portfolio, having won a bid to manage South Florida’s Doral Amphitheater, which is located just minutes away from Miami International Airport. It’s a major move for Nelson Albareda, president and CEO of Loud And Live, one that he’s been eyeing for years.

Albareda envisions Doral Amphitheater as an inclusive venue capable of hosting just about any event, from intimate concerts to festivals to haunted houses, giving the west side of Miami a much-needed space for live music. The amphitheater’s opening season currently includes two major Latin artists. Justin Quiles, a Puerto Rican singer who has collaborated with stars like Myke Towers and Bad Bunny, will perform on Oct. 31, and Venezuelan artist Nacho will grace the stage on Dec. 13.

The veteran Latin executive spoke to Pollstar about his latest venture and what it means for the future of Loud And Live and the city of Miami.

Pollstar: Congratulations on Doral Amphitheater. What made you want to get into the venue operating business?

Nelson Albareda: As a global entertainment and marketing company, Miami is our own backyard, and I think Miami has a lack of venues. It’s been part of our master plan to get in. I think this is the first, but it might not be the last.

This is a great opportunity because it is a venue on the west side of the county. If you know Miami — the Kaseya Center, the James L. Knight Center and the Fillmore — they’re all on the east side of the county. This is the first new major venue in Miami-Dade County in probably the last 25 years or so.

It was the right size. That sweet spot now for venues is 4,000-6,000, and this is approximately a 4,700-capacity amphitheater. It also sits in the park called Doral Central Park, which is the newest state-of-the-art park in South Florida. The city put in about $100 million, so there’s ample parking, and it’s very centrally located.

It sounds like a win for everyone.

It helps us not only with music acts but also to expand into other genres, whether it be festivals and creating IP concert series and comedy events. We’re really excited to launch this venue.

We’ll actually be hosting a private event on Oct. 14, which is a Tuesday. We’ll be doing a private industry event for agents and artists and the industry to showcase the venue. We’ll be having a major act performing. So, that is the official inauguration by invitation only.

Since we announced it, we have gotten calls from multiple promoters. It is an open venue. Though Loud And Live is managing and operating the venue, it will be open to any promoter who would like to book it.

How did this opportunity come up for Loud And Live?

Our main headquarters is about a block away from the venue. We’re actually in Doral. The city started planning this about five years ago.

They issued an RFP [Request For Proposal] early last year, of which we competed. We got awarded the RFP bid, but we have been looking at it carefully over the last five years. We were very happy that the city selected us as an independent and local company.

Did the city finance the amphitheater? I know they had big plans for the park, but what about the venue?

It was financed 100% by the city, and they were looking for an operator. We do plan to add different capital expenditures and improve the venue beyond what it is today, but it is ready to open as is. We’re looking forward to our partnership with the city.

While the city was planning the project, did you have input on the design?

The city did have meetings with not just us but other prospective industry leaders as they were building it. At that point, we didn’t know if we were going to get selected, but we did provide input on the build-up.

When did you find out you won the bid, and when did you start getting to work?

We got a note of the selection late last year, and then we were negotiating the agreement and came to terms in July of this year.

When it comes to touring, a lot of the business is top-heavy at the moment with stadiums and arenas dominating, and it’s been tougher to sell at smaller venues. How do you feel about the state of the business as you move forward in operating this venue in this market? How can it thrive, considering all the challenges that are out there?

I think the amphitheater business is tough because of weather and seasonality, specifically in Miami, with the summer months and the possibility of rain. At the same time, we think it’s the right size, the right location, and there are a lot of shows, and I’m talking about all genres that would participate in a venue this size with the location.

I think it also allows us to not just add content but experiences, which is one of our strengths. How do we tie this to experiential? How do we make it interactive? How do we incorporate concessions? How do we work with sponsors? The fact that this venue is also situated in the middle of a park, we could add festivals that are not just using the amphitheater, but also in the surrounding areas.

For example, with the [FIFA] World Cup coming next year, how do we use the amp as an anchor, but expand within this park, which has soccer fields, a lot of green space, and it has a beautiful lake. We’re really excited. We think it’ll be a unique venue, and there’s nothing really like it currently in South Florida.

That idea of multiple events within a large park reminds me a lot of a similar park in Mexico City. Maximizing those spaces really allows fans to choose how to experience the main event.

Exactly. Since we announced it, we have had a lot of activity for booking, so our idea is to do a soft opening and then full speed.

What doors do you hope this opens for Loud And Live, and what does it say about your company to add a venue to your portfolio?

Personally, separate from Loud And Live, I have a real estate holding company. I think we understand real estate, and the idea is to bridge the gap of our content IP in terms of festivals.

We’ve been involved in concessions as well for all of our events in South Florida. We have a large footprint in Miami festivals. We own this event called House of Horror, which is the largest independent Halloween event in the country and does about 150,000 people a year. We also run an event called Christmas Wonderland, which is a holiday festival and has about 380,000 people. We also manage the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, which is the largest and oldest arts festival in South Florida and has been around for over 60 years.

I think it makes sense for us, with my background in real estate and the company’s intersection in culture, music, sports and festivals, to get into the venue business. It has always been our point, and I don’t think we’ll stop with just one. We have plans to expand. What we’re looking for are niche venues. Where can we compete by offering niche venues like this that are not your typical four walls?

That’s smart. You now have a place that can serve as a home for all of these Loud And Live properties and build on them.

That’s correct. More concert series, more festivals and other IP we can develop. But I want to stress, and you can quote me, that unlike other competitors, we really do mean that this will be an open venue. We encourage all promoters, big and small, to reach out to us because we want to make sure this is about inclusiveness and not exclusivity.

We want to make sure it’s open to any promoter that would like to come and book it. That’s part of our ecosystem: the entire industry thriving, not just Loud And Live.