ASM Global strike it rich with NCAA events

Image: ASM Global

Expanding its standing as the country’s leading host of major collegiate sporting events, ASM Global, in March, attracted a record 500,000 fans and set food and beverage marks across multiple sports, including basketball, hockey and wrestling in multiple Cities including nine National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (US) conference championships, NCAA championships and NCAA tournament sites.

‘ASM Global’ stated that ASM Global’s remarkable month was highlighted by the 72,220-capacity NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas (US) hosting the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four and Tulsa’s (Oklahoma, US) 19,199-capacity BOK Center hosting the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship.

Los Angeles (US)-based ASM Global is the world’s leading producer of entertainment experiences. It is the global leader in venue and event strategy and management – delivering locally tailored solutions and cutting-edge technologies to achieve maximum results for venue owners. The company’s elite venue network spans five continents, with a portfolio of more than 350 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums, convention and exhibition centers, and performing arts venues.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student-athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and universities in the United States and Canada and helps over 500,000 college student- athletes who compete annually in college sports. The organization is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, US.

Last year, the ASM Global became the first to host both the NCAA men’s and women’s college basketball finals in its 76,468-capacity Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the 20,000-capacity Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

‘ASM Global’ further stated that ASM Global’s auspicious March is part of a streak that began in 2022 and will continue through 2028 in ASM Global-operated facilities around the country, which is a result of being selected by the NCAA to host a total of 30 preliminary rounds and championships in Division I, II and III athletics over the six-year period.

The NCAA Division I is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States, which accepts players globally.

The NCAA Division II is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment offered in Division III.

The NCAA Division III is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States. The D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their student-athletes.

The number of events over the five-year period is unprecedented for a single-facility operator. ASM Global will host the next two Final Fours (the final round of both the men’s and women’s NCAA Division I basketball tournaments), the next two Women’s Volleyball Championships and next year’s NCAA Wrestling Championship:

• The 18,000-capacity T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri – 2024 Wrestling Championship;
• The 63,400-capacity State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona – 2024 Men’s Final Four;
• The 22,090-capacity KFC YUM! Center in Louisville, Kentucky – 2024 Women’s Volleyball Championship;
• The 64,000-capacity Alamodome F&B in San Antonio, Texas – 2025 Men’s Final Four;
• T-Mobile Center – 2025 Women’s Volleyball Championship; and
• The 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada – 2028 Men’s Final Four.

 
Over $10M gross food and beverage revenue was generated by ASM Global with many venues setting individual records for gross food and beverage (F&B) compared to previous years when hosting the same event.

Said Ron Bension, ASM Global President-cum-head honcho, “We’re very appreciative of this recognition by the NCAA of our unique capabilities to integrate our global knowledge of best practices gleaned from our portfolio of the world’s most recognized and iconic venues combined with insights and sensitivities to each market in the United States in which we present these events. We are also proud of the economic benefit these iconic events bring to the communities we serve.”

Stated Doug Thornton, ASM Global’s Executive Vice-President of Stadiums, Arenas and Theaters, “Of course, each year is a little different than the previous one, but the ASM Global team’s experience is unparalleled and invaluable to events of this nature. Our staff has worked closely with the NCAA officials now for years to plan these events, and it certainly helps that our team has had a great deal of experience with past Final Fours.”

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