BROOMFIELD — A joint venture between two companies with national experience in sports and entertainment ventures is the lead candidate to run the struggling Broomfield Event Center.
The move to sign Anschutz Entertainment Group/Kroenke Sports Enterprises will bring more visibility to the 6,000-seat center, which has struggled to draw crowds for concerts, family events and its sports teams, Broomfield officials say.
“This is huge for us,” said Broomfield’s city and county manager, George Di Ciero. “It is a positive testament to the value of the center, that this partnership of two of the leading organizations in the field of event promotions and management would seek to invest their resources in this venue and in the city of Broomfield.”
Broomfield began looking for a new manager for the $43 million center in January after its operator — Broomfield Sports and Entertainment — asked to be released from its contract because of financial woes.
Construction of the arena, built in 2006 just off U.S. 36 in Broomfield’s Arista development, was largely funded by the sale of $60 million in urban-renewal bonds.
On Tuesday night, the Broomfield Urban Renewal Authority chose AEG/KSE as its top management candidate. A 45-day negotiation period follows, with hopes a contract can be signed by early August, city spokesman David Ehrlich said.
The effort by AEG/KSE is led by long-time local promoter Chuck Morris and Paul Andrews, who leads Kroenke Sports Enterprises, according to the city.
Morris — president and CEO of AEG Live — has been a music promoter in the Denver area for almost 40 years, booking and promoting artists such as the Rolling Stones, The Who and Willie Nelson.
AEG, based in Los Angeles, oversees facilities including the Staples Center in Los Angeles and the Target Center in Minneapolis.
Andrews is executive vice president of KSE and oversees the day-to-day business operations of the Pepsi Center, the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and the historic Paramount Theatre along with KSE president Stan Kroenke.
“We’re excited to get the bid,” said Andrews, who is in London meeting with the Arsenal Football Club. “We think it’s a fantastic opportunity — both AEG from a booking standpoint, and us from an operational/running of the arena standpoint, to kind of join the two together and get the best of the both worlds out there at the Broomfield Event Center.”
It seems unlikely that the arena will continue with tenant sports teams, however.
The NBA Development League’s 14ers is expected to be bought out by the Dallas Mavericks today and moved to Texas. A decision about about the Central Hockey League’s Rage is expected by the end of this week, according to CHL Commissioner Duane Lewis.
Neither team fits AEG’s focus on marquee sports. Neither team drew well, although the Rage did better, averaging around 2,300 fans per night. The 14ers, who won the D-League championship, drew just 1,175 on average and under 1,000 seven times.
Runner-up to AEG/KSE is VenuWorks, based in Ames, Iowa. It manages 30 arenas, theaters and convention centers — mostly in the Midwest.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
