Hartford Re-Enters The Spotlight With PeoplesBank Arena

Things are looking up for Ben Weiss, the general manager of PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Connecticut.

Following a major $145 million restoration of the storied arena, Weiss isn’t just optimistic about the future, he’s focused on the ceiling.

“I’m an events, operations guy at heart,” confides Weiss, who has been GM since 2017. “I get excited about the ceiling – especially when I see that beautiful new steel up there, which effectively cuts our rigging time in half.”

The floor to ceiling renovation is the result of a public/private partnership between building operator Oak View Group (Pollstar’s parent company) and the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA), which has oversight of the city-owned arena, which opened in 1975.  

A premier venue into the ‘90s, the renovation is an important step toward regaining the arena’s foothold in the industry by attracting more shows and major sporting events. But OVG and city leaders see it as more than a financial investment in the 16,000-seat arena. The venture is viewed as central to the future growth and vitality of Connecticut’s capital.

“This is fixing up of the crown jewel of this capital city, this capital city that is a crown jewel for this state,” says Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam at the ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 24. “It is a symbol that Hartford is back better than ever, that we are growing, that we are thriving. Every single one of those concerts means tens of thousands of people in our downtown going out to get dinner ahead of time, grabbing drinks afterwards, maybe staying at one of our hotels and checking out our great coffee establishments the next day. It is bringing folks back into the city to have the kinds of memories they grew up with.”

Chris Granger, Interim CEO of Oak View Group shares, “At Oak View Group, our work goes beyond building and upgrading great entertainment venues – it’s about investing in communities and lifting up others. The transformation of PeoplesBank Arena reflects our commitment to creating spaces that drive local pride, economic vitality and lasting civic connection.

“We love Hartford and are proud to invest time and resources in PeoplesBank Arena so people, artists and surrounding neighborhoods all benefit.”

OVG, which assumed operations of the XL Center when it acquired Spectra in 2021, contributed $20 million toward the arena’s rebirth with the state providing $125 million.    

Peter Luukko, Co-Chair of Oak View Group, likened the Hartford investment to the $250 million refurbishment of CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, which has seen a boost from 15 to 20 shows annually pre-renovation to up to 60 a year with 38 sell outs after reopening in 2023. Both cities were underserved markets with aging facilities in need of a jumpstart.

“Hartford was always a staple on routing for tours and tickets did very well,” offers Luukko, who calls Connecticut home. “The market and population here have disposable income. If you look at where the arena is located, we’re basically halfway between Boston and New York. …At the end of the day, it was an underserved market and the facility had the bones to do the renovation – that was very important.”

Current construction costs for a new arena can exceed $1 billion. Renovating the existing structure was the preferred alternative – saving time, money and disruption for anchor tenants the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, 12-time national champion UConn women’s basketball, six-time national champion UConn Men’s Basketball and UConn Men’s Ice Hockey.

Michael Freimuth, Executive Director of CRDA, says the arena needed attention.

“By the time we took it over in 2012 it had run its life cycle,” says Freimuth. “It was tired. It was out of date. It was unable to attract certain shows. Was unable to reach certain price points. It couldn’t offer up amenities that were critical to performers, as well as the fans. It was leaving money on the table.”

Operating the out-of-date venue was increasingly expensive and the cost to rebuild at the time was projected to be up to $600 million. Instead, CRDA opted to use $40 million from the state to make simple upgrades, which bought them time to explore their options. Finding a private sector partner was key to getting approvals at the state level and Oak View Group stepped up.

OVG “was already doing this in Baltimore – renovating older buildings that were 30 to 40 years old and trying to reposition them,” explains Freimuth. “The fact they were doing that, the fact that they were in the building, the fact that they knew the market all made it pretty straightforward.”

“The arena is a real landmark in the state of Connecticut,” adds Luukko. “Nobody wanted to shutter and nobody wanted to tear it down. It’s just how do we do it the right way and make it feasible? It’s all about the upside and continuing to create great memories for people.”

Deceptive in size from the outside, PeoplesBank Arena is the size of a city block. Once the Hartford Civic Center, the venue had ample space on the event level for construction behind the scenes, which began in August 2024. In May, the venue closed for five months to make major improvements to the lower bowl, concourse and building out premium spaces.

“We were able to shift things around and really manage a full-scale renovation construction project without the general public being impacted at our events,” says Weiss, who credits the construction team with executing the project with precision including SCI Architects and Dimeo Construction Company.

The philosophy was simple: To compete with surrounding venues like the 10,000-cap Mohegan Sun Arena, which opened in 2003, PeoplesBank Arena needed to be a more attractive option for tours.

“We need to be able to bring shows faster and easier,” explains Weiss. “We needed to take care of the artists back of house – star dressing rooms and lounges. We needed to have those spaces we simply didn’t have in the past.”

Purpose built with production in mind, there are five artist dressing rooms with easy access to the stage, dedicated areas for crew, production offices, private showers and other amenities to improve life on the road.

They didn’t overlook the drivers. The backstage corridor is wide enough to drive a bus or truck through with parking for 19 tractor-trailers in the building.

“In all our facilities we try to have an incredible artist compound,” explains Luukko. “And we have that here. This will be as good as there is in any A-market.”

“The $145 million that Oak View [Group] and the state of Connecticut put in will change the landscape dramatically,” says Jimmy Koplik, President of Live Nation Connecticut. “And we’re already finding a lot of artists are choosing to play PeoplesBank Arena instead of Mohegan Sun because of the development. You have much better artist dressing rooms, much better load in, much better fan experience.”

Koplik, who has promoted 400 shows at the venue over the past 50 years calls the arena his “second home” and he’s bullish on Hartford.

“The Hartford market is strong,” he says. “It’s always been strong. I’ve always compared it to Cleveland or Buffalo. When I look at how artists do in those markets, they do generally the same in Hartford. Cleveland and Buffalo are considered bigger markets, because they have major league sports teams. We don’t have a major league sports team, so I think we suffer because of that, but the attendances are certainly equal to those markets.”

Headlining the inaugural concert at PeoplesBank Arena on Oct. 25 was Stevie Nicks – the only women inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice as a solo artist and with Fleetwood Mac. It was Nicks’ third appearance at the venue and Koplik read a proclamation from Governor Ned Lamont at the ribbon cutting making it “Stevie Nicks Day” in the state.  

Nicks swayed at the altar of rock in black lace and flowing shawls. She captivated the sold-out venue with a velvet tsunami of hits and studio stories about encounters with Tom Petty and Prince. The audience responded with overjoyed ovations. Moved by the night, Nicks told the Hartford crowd, “Tonight was one of the great nights. So, take that with you.”

Sara Ferrero, 48, a former Hartford resident who now lives in Columbia, South Carolina, was enthralled.

“I’ve never been here for a concert before,” she enthuses. “I love it. I love it. I was just remarking to my friend that I love the sound, the lighting in there. That’s one of the best attractions so far.”

Upcoming concerts at the arena include Bert Kreischer (Nov. 13), Pentatonix (Dec. 6), Andrea Bocelli (Dec. 13), Ricardo Arjona (Feb. 6), TobyMac’s Hit Deep Tour (March 27) and Cardi B (April 3).  

The athletes were as important as the artists. The resident teams received new offices for the coaches, a players’ lounge, medical treatment facilities and locker rooms that meet NBA standards. Mayor Arulampalam is in hopes of attracting a future WNBA franchise, but in the meantime, the improvements are good for team morale and recruitment.

“Almost overnight or over the course of the summer, we went from a place where they would not take recruits to now, we’re one of the first places they’re going to take a recruit,” offers Weiss.

“The team loves it,” adds Erik Hansen, Vice President of Business Operations for Hartford Wolf Pack. “At the end of the day I think they are really proud when they’re bringing people here – to really show it off to their friends and family. Now we have a place to show off.”

In June, OVG and CRDA announced a 10-year, $20 million naming rights partnership that renamed XL Center the PeoplesBank Arena. The deal was executed by OVG Global Partnerships, the sponsorship and naming rights division of Oak View Group.

“Our commitment to Hartford is really the No. 1 thing,” says Tom Senecal, CEO and Chair of PeoplesBank. “We have been actively growing in the Connecticut market and this was a way for us to one, support the city of Hartford and two, get our name out there and who we are.”

“They had the same vision we do,” affirms Luukko. “They are building their business in Connecticut and what better place to get that exposure than a real Connecticut landmark and be part of the revitalization of a very important state asset that has a big place in the hearts of the people of Connecticut?”

The upgraded fan experience was appreciated by Wolf Pack enthusiast Colin Kuzia, 25, of Bloomfield, Connecticut, who was having a beer with friends in the new Fan Club, a spot to socialize off the main concourse overlooking the ice.

Kuzia, who says he’s attended 150 Wolf Pack and UConn games at the arena, praised the renovations.

“It’s so much better,” he says. “Way easier to walk around and all the seats are extremely comfortable. It makes it way more fun for all the fans who get here early. The fan environment is really good for UConn basketball games and Wolf Pack games. It’s a really important thing to have here.”

The fan-facing upgrades are most apparent in the lower bowl with all new and retractable seating installed by Irwin Seating Company that will make changeover from ice to court to concerts seamless.

“This building is extremely active,” explains Weiss. “We’re constantly flipping the building over to different modes and configurations, and the infrastructure within those as an example, the retractable seating, was just failing. It was time for those things to be upgraded.”

As with most venues in the U.S. premium was a priority. Until the renovation, suites were only located on the upper bowl. The renovation added 50 loge boxes and a brand new 750-cap private VIP club that has easy access to the bowl as well as five bunker-style, ultra-premium clubs for up to 18 guests, with private restrooms, high-end hospitality, luxe details and direct access to the VIP Club and event level.

“We started the process of selling six months now, and it’s been quite effective,” offers Weiss. “We had to build up our existing sales apparatus and sales team, so we staff up, and, you know, it’s so far so good.”

For Hansen, having premium spaces is a game changer. “With more to offer on the premium side, it gives us a wider range of people to go after,” he says. “We’re big on the group side and a lot of these companies were looking for something to do with their groups and a place where we could put them. We didn’t always have that in the past. This opens up a lot of different avenues that we can go after.”

With PeoplesBank Arena officially re-opened, Hartford is poised to reap the benefits resulting from attracting new shows and concert goers to the reimagined arena and the subsequent impact on the local business community for years to come..