AEG Facilities has launched a group to provide consulting services for teams developing new arenas and stadiums.
The new division, called AEG Facilities Global Solutions, provides pre-construction and pre-opening services covering vendor selection, sponsorship and premium-seat development, financial modeling, sustainability planning, risk management and security assessments.
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COOPER
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Jay Cooper has been promoted from regional vice president to senior vice president for AEG Facilities to head the consulting effort. Cooper has 35 years of venue management experience and has worked at AEG for 11 years after coming over from Nationwide Arena in 2005.
“As AEG Facilities has grown over time, we developed a lot of initiatives for our own properties,” Cooper said. “What we haven’t done to date is consult on projects. We have a library of resources to consolidate under one program.”
Bob Newman, president of AEG Facilities, said that teams were reaching out to AEG for assistance in facility development, leading to the new piece of business. For the new group, its goal is to get involved much earlier in the process of design and construction when critical decisions are made.
AEG’s divisions in global partnerships, energy services, guest services, supplier management, community relations and real estate/master planning are among the services being offered to potential clients.
“We’re in the unique position of owning teams and facilities worldwide,” he said. “We can offer these services a la carte and in some instances roll them into larger deals.”
SMG and Spectra are among competitors in the field.
The global solutions group’s first two clients are the Milwaukee Bucks and Italian soccer team AS Roma. Both teams are building new facilities, as well as entertainment districts tied to their respective venues.
In both cases, AEG Facilities Global Solutions is consulting on the mixed-use projects through its experience developing L.A. Live, next to Staples Center, and the O2 entertainment district in London, Cooper said.
In addition to consulting for the $500 million arena in Milwaukee, the global solutions group is helping the Bucks select tenants to form the retail, office and entertainment elements as part of the downtown development, he said.
AS Roma, owned by Jim Pallotta, a Boston Celtics minority shareholder, is building a $390 million stadium in Rome, and AEG’s deal extends to a long-term agreement to operate the 52,000-seat facility after it opens in 2019, Newman said. No decisions have been made for who will run the Bucks’ new arena.
