Management ace to run MSG Sphere show

Article posted by Coliseum, October 31^st, 2022

Image: Madison Square Garden Entertainment

A former executive at the 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium and the 20,000-capacity T-Mobile Arena – both in Paradise, Nevada (US) – has been appointed the Senior Vice- President and General Manager of the MSG Sphere at The Venetian.

‘Las Vegas Review-Journal’ stated that Raul Gutierrez, who has more than 30 years of experience in management, was named to the position recently and will be responsible for the oversight of the 17,500-seat facility, currently being built just East of The Venetian Expo.

The 17,500-capacity MSG Sphere at The Venetian is a sphere-shaped music and entertainment arena being built in Paradise, Nevada, near the Las Vegas Strip (US) and East of the Venetian resort.

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The Venetian Convention and Expo Center is a convention center located in Paradise, Nevada, near the Las Vegas Strip. The Venetian Expo is owned by Vici Properties and operated by Apollo Global Management, and is frequently used for conventions booked at the company’s adjoining Venetian and Palazzo resorts.

‘Las Vegas Review-Journal’ further stated that Gutierrez will oversee event production, guest relations, food, beverage, and merchandise operations as well as ticket and cash room operations and technical operations.

Gutierrez said on his appointment, “Throughout my career, I have focused on delivering exceptional experiences for guests, but the opportunity to be part of redefining the venue experience with the MSG Sphere is truly thrilling. This is an exciting time to both join and help build the team, and I am eager to work with talented colleagues across MSG Sphere to deliver the next generation of entertainment right here in Las Vegas.”

The $1.9 billion entertainment venue, owned by the New York-based Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp., is expected to open in the second half of next year. It will be the first of several similar entertainment venues built around the world.

When completed, the Sphere will have a high-resolution display plane larger than three football fields, the world’s largest beam-forming audio system with more than 160,000 speakers and it will deliver superior sound to every seat in the house.

The Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. is an American entertainment holding company based in New York City, US. The company was established in 2020 when The Madison Square Garden Company spun off its non-sports assets as an independent, publicly-traded company.

Gutierrez will report to Rich Claffey, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operations Officer (COO) at the MSG Sphere.

Stated Claffey, “I am pleased to welcome Raul to MSG Entertainment, where his expertise in venue management and operations will be vital as we prepare to open our first MSG Sphere next year.”

When at the Allegiant Stadium, Gutierrez was the Vice-President of Operations and oversaw the Operations, Maintenance and Engineering Departments.

Prior to that, he was the Executive Director of Arena Operations at the T-Mobile Arena, where he was responsible for all front-of-house operations such as guest services, box office and facility presentation, among other departments.

He has also held roles at the 19,000-capacity Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and the 22,039-capacity BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Gutierrez started his career with the Major League Baseball (MLB) team Los Angeles Dodgers, where he held a variety of roles over a 20-year tenure with the organization.

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