WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2014 - (Oshawa ON) – Eight Global Spectrum-managed venues ranked amongst the top 100 busiest arenas in the world, according to concert industry publication Pollstar Magazine. The General Motors Centre in Oshawa, Ontario finished 79th in the world with 37,500 guests. Rankings are based solely on ticket sales to concerts and family shows in the first quarter of 2014. Rankings do not include sports ticket sales from the Oshawa Generals or the Durham TurfDogs.

The General Motors Centre was last ranked by Pollstar Magazine for the 2013 third quarter year to date report where they held the 166th position in the world for the Top 200 arena venues.

“What a great way to start 2014” said Vince Vella of Global Spectrum, General Manager of the General Motors Centre. “Climbing to #79 in the world overall is indeed very special but this accomplishment is truly made remarkable by the fact that we are competing against major urban facilities; in most cases at least three times our size. I couldn’t be more proud of our Global Spectrum team who have all worked so very hard; and a huge thank you to Riley O’Connor and everyone at Live Nation Canada for their friendship and for being our biggest supporters.”

The year started off strong with The Band Perry in January followed with a record-breaking month of February which featured Barenaked Ladies, Jason Aldean, Dean Brody, Elton John, Blue Rodeo, Goo Goo Dolls and Hedley. The venue then hosted Disney Live! and Yes in March to finish the quarter. There were six sold out events during this run including Jason Aldean, Dean Brody, Elton John, Hedley, and two Disney Live! performances.

The General Motors Centre has also just learned that it was also nominated for the fifth straight year for Major Facility of the Year (under 8,000 capacity) for the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards (fellow Global Spectrum venue, Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre in Abbotsford, British Columbia was also nominated) and is ranked fourth in the world for venues 5,001-10,000 capacity in Gross Ticket Sales for the January 16 – February 15 reporting period as per Venues Today Magazine.

Global Spectrum continues to fill the 2014 event calendar with events such as Varekai by Cirque du Soleil which will be coming to Oshawa for eight performances in May. Other special events include:

 

Cirque du Soleil Varekai – May 21-25 – 8 performances

Il Divo – Tuesday, May 27 – 8:00pm

Summer Circus Spectacular – Sunday, June 8 – 2 performances

Heart – Tuesday, June 17 – 8:00pm

Queens of the Stone Age – Saturday, July 5 – 8:00pm

 

To be notified of future events at the General Motors Centre, be sure to join the Backstage Pass e-Newsletter at www.gmcentre.ca/backstagepass

 

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ABOUT GENERAL MOTORS CENTRE AND GLOBAL SPECTRUM

The General Motors Centre is Durham Region’s premier sports and live entertainment facility and is managed by Global Spectrum. The General Motors Centre is home to the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League, Durham TurfDogs of the Canadian Lacrosse League and a myriad of events including concerts, circuses, ice skating and family shows. Global Spectrum® (global-spectrum.com) manages more than 115 public assembly facilities around the world. Nearly 20-million people attended more than 11,000 events in Global Spectrum venues last year. Based in Philadelphia, PA, Global Spectrum is part of Comcast-Spectacor, one of the world’s largest sports and entertainment companies. Comcast-Spectacor also owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage services provider, New Era Tickets, a full-service ticketing and marketing product for public assembly facilities, Paciolan, the leading provider of venue establishment ticketing, fundraising and marketing technology solutions, Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company, and Flyers Skate Zone, a series of community ice skating rinks.

Venue PR/Marketing Contact:
William Balfour, Marketing & Group Sales Manager
Global Spectrum at the General Motors Centre
wbalfour@generalmotorscentre.com