In recent weeks, Oak View Group (OVG), a venue development and investment company for the sports and live entertainment industry, has been making moves throughout the industry, including several new hires and partnerships with technology companies and venues across the United States.
Founded in 2015, OVG already oversees operations in places like Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center and UBS Arena in Belmont Park, New York. And its developments are going beyond the U.S., developing projects in Sao Paolo and Manchester, England.
Increasing Security
A new screening technology will be seen in multiple properties soon, in partnership with Patriot One Technologies. Its SmartGateway solution is claimed to allow guest entry to occur at 10 times the rate than has previously been possible, detecting guns, knives and other potential weapons, all without being intrusive or requiring the removal of items from your pockets.
Read More: Beware the Public Wi-Fi Network: 6 Ways to Practice Cybersecurity While Traveling
“On behalf of professional sports leagues, we test arenas and stadiums continually to identify potential gaps in their security operations and systems,” said Chief Security Officer Mike Downing at Oak View Group’s Prevent Advisors in a press release. “We’ve seen all brands of gateway screeners and security systems as part of our red-team tests and are thrilled to partner with Patriot One, as SmartGateway delivers the best security balanced with patron ingress and experience.”
Patriot One’s SmartGateway is currently used at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, and Moody Center in Austin, Texas and is available for OVG-owned and -operated venues, OVG360-managed venues and Arena Alliance members.
Sustainability Is the GOAL
OVG hired its first director of sustainability, Kristen Fulmer, who will lead OVG’s new Green Operations and Advanced Leadership (GOAL) efforts with Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena, Fenway Sports Group and author and founder of McLennan Design Jason F. McLennan.
“By focusing our mission on operational sustainability, GOAL has the unique opportunity to redefine the priorities within our industry, which is up against intersecting climate and social crises,” Fulmer said in a press release. “We want to work with leading, like-minded venues to determine the most feasible, yet ambitious sustainability solutions. I am committed to prove that any venue can integrate win-win sustainability solutions that reduce the operating costs of the venue while avoiding negative environmental impacts and increasing positive social impacts.”
Read More: Sustainability Is Center Stage in Greater Phoenix
These GOAL-collaborated venues will be able to track their performance in environmental and social categories, like energy and water use, greenhouse gas emissions, waste management, indoor air quality and health and well-being.
Planting a Foot in Sin City
Earlier this year, OVG unveiled plans to create the OVG Las Vegas Hotel and Casino project, a $3-billion entertainment district and arena on 25 acres, slated to begin construction in 2023 and to be completed in 2026. It will include a 20,000-seat arena, 2,000-room hotel, casino and amphitheater.
Selected to lead this development is Chandra Allison, the organization’s new senior vice president of strategy and growth for meetings, convention and exhibitions, who comes from a 24-year tenure with The Venetian Las Vegas.
