Slow July isn’t anything to be concerned about, Rogers Arena operator says
Posted July 22, 2018 10:35 am.
Last Updated July 22, 2018 12:26 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – If you’ve tried to figure out what’s on show at Rogers Arena this month — you’ve probably been a bit underwhelmed.
However, the folks who run that stadium are insisting this month doesn’t represent the sort of year this has been for ticket sales.
In July of last year, there were 10 different events as opposed to just two this year. According to Canucks Sports and Entertainment, which owns and operates the building, the same month last year was an outlier.
“It was the anomaly, last year, and really not what’s happening this year or what we’re seeing,” Chief Operating Officer Jeff Stipec says.
You might think a slow month would inspire a bit of sweating, but Stipec claims this month is an exception when you look at a complete 2018.
“We closed our books June 30th for the year and it was our busiest year that we’ve ever had here at Rogers Arena for non-hockey events since the Grizzlies left us,” he tells NEWS 1130. “We don’t control when the artists go on tour, and we’d love to have them spread out evenly through the summer, but last year they all seemed to want to be here in the month of July and this year they’re spread out a little more.”
Pollstar Magazine found Rogers Arena was the busiest stadium in the country for the first half of this year. Stipec says this year is a little more typical of what you would see in the summer.
“You know we set records last year with events and we’re going to better than this year as we go forward,” he says. “If you look at the balance of the year outside of July, it’s going to be our busiest year on record.”
He adds the magazine ranked the arena at number 13 in North America for ticket sales. “So it truly has been a record year for us.”
While things may be a bit quiet now, he points to a fairly packed fall, including concerts featuring the likes of Drake and Justin Timberlake. There’s even an NBA preseason game between the Toronto Raptors and Portland Trailblazers on Sept. 29.
“Sometimes I wish we were slower than we are, and sometimes I wish we were busier,” he admits with a laugh.
–With files from John Ackermann
