Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Hugh Morton RFP Response - Live Nation - Port City Daily
Hugh Morton RFP Response - Live Nation - Port City Daily
Hugh Morton RFP Response - Live Nation - Port City Daily
VENUE MANAGEMENT
THE HUGH MORTON AMPHITHEATER
It is with great pleasure that Live Nation submits the enclosed response to the Request for Proposal for venue management
of The Hugh Morton Amphitheater. We believe that we are the best qualified company to handle all aspects of this venue
including concert promotion and scheduling, marketing, and ticketing, to maximize show count and attendance with world
class artists. In addition, we believe we are the most experienced venue manager to create the best culinary plan for our
guests, while providing excellent production and operational services, in a safe, clean and friendly environment.
As the industry leader in live entertainment and venue management, Live Nation is uniquely qualified to not only program,
produce and promote events, but also to manage venues in a way that consistently maximizes our audience, and provides
the best experiences for the guests and artists alike. We are excited about our existing partnership with the City of Wilmington
on the future concert venue at North Waterfront Park and believe this partnership best positions Live Nation to utilize our
resources in the market to provide a streamlined service between both venues. Having a booking team, general manager,
box office manager, marketing manager, and operational support already dedicated to our operation in Wilmington gives Live
Nation the opportunity to provide the best possible experience at the Hugh Morton Amphitheater to the City of Wilmington
and the hundreds of thousands of guests who will attend a show at this great venue. This team is in addition to our regional
offices throughout the Carolinas in Raleigh, Charlotte, and Columbia.
Live Nation has worked closely with Beau Gunn Presents to book, produce, and promote over forty concerts during the 2019
concert season. We have secured a wide variety of national and regional headliners across many genres to bring the best
music to the loyal fans of Wilmington. We would be honored to receive the responsibility of managing The Hugh Morton
Amphitheater, having a first-hand understanding of the truly unique, and one-of-a-kind nature, of this intimate venue. We
currently program into five “boutique” amphitheaters in the Carolinas and believe The Hugh Morton Amphitheater would
perfectly complement our venue portfolio in the region.
Thank you for the opportunity to submit our proposal. We look forward to working more closely with The City of Wilmington
and growing Wilmington as a national entertainment destination.
Below summarizes our response to the Request for Proposal, highlighting our experience and capabilities to satisfy the
requirements and objectives of the City of Wilmington and The Hugh Morton Amphitheater. This proposal shall remain valid for
a period of 90 calendar days from the date of submittal.
Sincerely,
“You couldn’t find a partnership more suited for the job at the Greenfield
Lake Amphitheater than Beau Gunn and Live Nation” - Michael Franti
B. BUSINESS PLAN
EXPERIENCE MANAGING SIMILAR VENUES
Our team has the experience, and is uniquely qualified, to manage The Hugh Morton Amphitheater.
Live Nation owns, operates and/or programs over 200 venues throughout the world, including over 50
amphitheaters in North America.
Live Nation is the largest producer of live music concerts in the world, connecting nearly 93 million
fans to 35,000 events for over 4,000 artists in 2019. Live Nation’s global network is the world’s largest
music marketing network for corporate brands and includes one of the top 5 e-commerce websites.
Live Nation’s primary business activities include producing concerts, operating entertainment venues,
providing an industry-leading ticketing platform, managing over 400 artists and creating national and
local sponsorship and advertising partnerships with over 1,000 corporate partners. The company
operates through the major segments of Concerts, Ticketing, Artist Nation and Media and Sponsorship.
The North American Concerts Division, an operating division of the concerts segment, is the driving
force behind all amphitheater development/operations and is responsible for all areas of execution
within these facilities. This scale and breadth of expertise ensures that Live Nation is well-positioned for
our continued success in the live entertainment industry and to manage and operate The Hugh Morton
Amphitheater. Live Nation owns, operates, leases and or exclusively books over 200 entertainment
venues across the world, including over 50 amphitheaters in the United States. Live Nation’s venues
are always at the cutting edge of industry trends and are leaders in developing and setting industry
standards and best practices in the areas of event management, production, financial management,
ticketing, sales, VIP experiences, marketing, food and beverage operations, maintenance and capital
management. Live Nation’s expertise in venue operations produces well-run events, first-class customer
service, significant operational efficiencies and profit maximization, all of which would benefit The
Hugh Morton Amphitheater.
GRANT LYMAN
16 years in the music business
President - Carolinas, Live Nation
Grant started his career at Live Nation in the Detroit office after graduating from Michigan State University.
In the spring of 2009, he relocated to Charlotte to help open The Fillmore Charlotte and Charlotte Metro
Credit Union Amphitheater, new venues with which he was charged with booking. Today, Grant oversees
the day-to-day business of our US Concerts division in North and South Carolina, including its arena and
amphitheater portfolio. He is very proud to be part of the team that will be booking and managing the
amphitheater at North Waterfront Park in Wilmington when it opens in 2021. Grant is a proud father of two.
WILSON HOWARD
50 years in the music business
Chief Operating Officer - DC, VA, MD & Carolinas, Live Nation
Wilson Howard has been with Live Nation and the company’s predecessors for more than four decades.
Wilson held senior roles with Beach Club Promotions and Cellar Door Concerts before heading Live
Nation’s business in the mid-Atlantic region starting in 2006. Howard was instrumental in the opening
and success of an assortment of Live Nation venues including Coastal Credit Union Park at Walnut Creek
(Raleigh, NC), Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater (Virginia Beach, VA), Jiffy Lube Live (Bristow,
VA), MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre (Tampa, FL), Coral Sky Amphitheatre (West Palm Beach, FL),
The Red Hat Amphitheater (Raleigh, NC) and many more.
MATT ROGERS
25 years in the music business
Senior Vice President of Operations - Live Nation
Matt oversees Live Nation venues in Virginia Beach, Raleigh, Charlotte, and Baltimore. Matt also serves
as the General Manager of the 22,5000 seat Jiffy Lube Live amphitheater located in Bristow, VA. Matt has
been in the facility management business for over 20 years. During his career, he has been involved on
the development and operations team of the following properties: Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden,
NJ, The Fillmore Charlotte and Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre in Charlotte, NC, Red Hat
Amphitheater in Raleigh, NC and most recently Pier 6 Pavilion in Baltimore, MD.
BEAU GUNN
16 years in the music business
3rd Party Consultant - Beau Gunn Presents, Wilmington, NC
Beau received his degree in Communications Studies in 2004 from UNCW and upon graduation started
to program WUIN-FM The Penguin, becoming the youngest Triple A radio programmer in the country. In
2008 he launched Beau Gunn Presents, the area’s premier concert production company. In the fall of
2016, he partnered with Live Nation, and together they have produced over 90% of the concerts at the
Hugh Morton Amphitheater in recent years. Above all else, his proudest accomplishment is being a dad.
JARED STONE
25 years in the music business
General Manager - Live Nation
Jared oversees the day to day operations of the Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre in and is also
responsible for the future amphitheater at North Waterfront Park. Jared joined the US Concerts division
of Live Nation after serving as the Director of Operations for Ticketstoday, a Ticketmaster subsidiary.
While at Ticketstoday, Jared oversaw the festival, venue, and artist ticketing operations which included
Bonnaroo, Faster Horses, Ultra Music Festival, Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Sprint Pavilion and more.
Jared is currently a resident of Wilmington. He is also a United States Marine Corps combat veteran and
an active member of the Winter Park Optimist Club.
KIM SHIVER
Vice President - Marketing, Live Nation 27 years in the music business
With almost 30 years of experience in the entertainment business, Kim has seen music go through vast
changes and understands the need to change marketing tactics to best hit target audiences from event
to event. She has led the marketing for the opening of The Fillmore Charlotte, amphitheaters in West Palm
Beach, Charlotte and Raleigh, plus many venue name-in-title rebranding efforts. From promoting shows
as small as hundred-seat clubs to stadiums and multi-day festivals, with all genres of music, comedy, and
other live performance events, Kim has a vast knowledge of how to reach fans in economically creative
ways, using the tools that fit best for that particular event.
ROB MANLEY
40 years in the music business
Senior Production Manager – Live Nation
Rob started working in the music business close to 40 years ago while in high school in Virginia Beach
as a stagehand and eventually joined Cellar Door Concerts in 1985. He has produced thousands of
concerts in stadiums, arenas, amphitheaters, multi-day outdoor festivals, and clubs across the country,
and is viewed as an expert in his field. He was instrumental in the opening of Walnut Creek Amphitheater
in Raleigh, and aided in the design, build, and production of the Virginia Beach Amphitheatre in 1996.
Diversified and memorable programming is the heart and soul of any successful venue. Live Nation
has built a talent buying network that is unparalleled in its ability to book, produce and promote events
that consistently maximize our audiences and provide the highest utilization rates in the venues in
which we operate. This strategy has seamlessly carried over into the programming of The Hugh Morton
Amphitheater, as evidenced by the success we have had together in 2018 and 2019.
We enter this opportunity with a great baseline, as the Carolina’s largest producers of live events.
CALENDAR MANAGEMENT
In order to have a fair and organized way of booking and contracting events, Live Nation uses the
industry standard “hold” system in the calendar management of a venue. To maximize potential events
and organize various outside users that may be qualified in booking an event, our calendar management
system initially positions the users who “hold” the date in sequential order. Our system, additionally
requires an outside user’s capacity to fund a deposit.
Furthermore, if awarded the contract, Live Nation would evaluate combining the concessionaire contracts
for the North Waterfront Park Amphitheater and The Hugh Morton Amphitheater to realize any operating
and financial efficiencies that would benefit all parties involved.
On October 23rd, 2018 Live Nation and acclaimed country rockers Lukas Nelson & Promise
of the Real teamed up to create a benefit show in Wilmington, NC to raise funds for North
Carolina’s hurricane relief effort. The immediate response was incredible, and the event sold
out all 1,200 seats in only eight hours raising over $62,000. The proceeds were donated to
the following charities in the Hurricane Florence Relief initiative: Nourish NC, Salvation Army
of Cape Fear, Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC at Wilmington, Good Shepard Center,
Cape Fearless Challenge, and The Harrelson Center. Additionally, the evening kicked
off with Wilmington’s mayor Bill Saffo presenting Lukas Nelson with the key to the city.
C. PROPOSAL
Live Nation is honored to have the opportunity to respond to the City of Wilmington’s Request for Proposal
(RFP) for the Venue Management at The Hugh Morton Amphitheater. The continued show success
between Live Nation and the city will only further enhance the development and growth of Wilmington.
Live Nation is the industry’s most innovative and respected company in the fields of live entertainment,
artist relations, and facilities management. As further described in our response to the Qualifications
Section of the RFP, our company brings together a unique combination of experience and expertise in
the management of amphitheaters within public spaces and parklands alike. We are prepared to dedicate
the full scope of our ideas, resources, and personnel to exceed the expectations of the City of Wilmington
and expand upon our already successful relationship at The Hugh Morton Amphitheater and the to be
built North Waterfront Park.
In an effort to demonstrate our qualifications, we will highlight our team’s knowledge and understanding of
the overall scope of venue management, our company’s related experiences in managing similar venues
and demonstrate our financial and human resource capacity to perform all aspects of the work requested.
We will also comment on current litigation status and define our team’s organizational structure including
responsibilities of key staff and subcontractors.
We offer the following descriptions of our core business disciplines as a response to your request.
We are a leader in the promotion of concerts in North and South Carolina by virtue of our strong artist
relationships and our experience working with many of the Region’s entertainment venues. Live Nation
plays a preeminent role in the economic and cultural life of the region through our roles in artist management,
concerts and touring. Live Nation’s role, and our commitment to the Carolina community, is showcased
through a wide variety of our efforts. Our impact and contribution to the region is demonstrated through
the following highlights:
We will work closely with our counterparts at the City of Wilmington to ensure The Hugh Morton
Amphitheater is properly positioned as part of the park’s overall mission.
In addition to managing over 50 Amphitheaters throughout the United States, Live Nation has extensive
experience in working with municipal, state, and national parks in our day-to-day operations. Many of our
venues enjoy the same spectacular settings that reside within, or adjacent to, wonderful parklands and
public spaces. Live Nation brings a specialized understanding of producing commercial events in public
park spaces. Here is a list of those venues:
FUTURE
My name is Michael Franti and I’ve been an internationally touring musician for 32 years. I’m very
excited to hear of your consideration to allow Beau Gunn and Live Nation to run the Greenfield
Lake Amphitheater. I’ve performed shows there for the past 7 years and during that time I’ve
found it to be among the premier venues in the nation. Beau and his team have worked tirelessly
to make sure that the artists are treated to the best facilities and production quality, all in an
effort to give fans who attend the events the best possible experience.
What makes Beau and Live Nation’s partnership unique is Beau’s emphasis on creating a family
atmosphere with a wide range of music and partnerships with local businesses and community
service groups, coupled with the global organization of Live Nation, who have who have
esstablished relationships with the best touring acts in the world.
On a personal note, through the years I’ve witnessed Beau’s passion for music, the power of
his enthusiasm and his love for the Wilmington community, especially in times of the great
challenges the city has faced in recent years. His grace, grit and infectious smile have endeared
him to the people of Wilmington and to hundreds of touring artists like myself.
In my opinion, you couldn’t find a partnership more suited for the job at the
GLA than Beau Gunn and Live Nation.
Michael Franti
Live Nation’s most recent financial statements and notes were prepared in conformity with U.S. Generally
Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The financial statements have been audited by our independent
auditors, Ernst & Young LLP, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight
Board (United States).
As reported in Live Nation’s most recent Form 10-K, the Company has total assets of $8.5 billion including
cash and cash equivalents of $2.4 billion, as of December 31, 2018. For full year 2018, the Company
generated $941 million of cash flow from operations.
As a publicly traded company in the United States, Live Nation files its annual financial statements,
along with any other required filings, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
The Company’s Form 10-K for fiscal year 2018 can be found on the Company’s website at
investors.livenationentertainment.com if the City of Wilmington requires additional financial information.
For an outdoor amphitheater, the staffing needs vary significantly throughout the year. Therefore, Live
Nation employs hundreds of part-time and/or seasonal employees at each amphitheater to perform the
incredibly important roles of ushering, taking tickets, providing security and cleaning services, as well as
other roles throughout the venue. Live Nation employs as many as 29,000 seasonal employees annually
during peak periods of the year, primarily in the summer months.
LITIGATION STATUS
As part of an organization that is the leading concert and tour promoter, live music venue operator,
ticketing service provider, and artist management firm in the world, Live Nation, is occasionally party to
the normal levels of litigation, all of which being appropriate given the size and breadth of operations of
the company.
As this disclosure relates to our North Carolina operating offices there are no current on-going
litigation issues to list. For additional information, the City of Wilmington can also refer to Live
Nation’s latest Form 10-K filing for fiscal year 2018 which can be found on the Company’s website at
investors.livenationentertainment.com.
The organizational chart below illustrates the proposed staffing structure, identifying existing staff, staff
to be hired and applicable sub-contractors / sub-consultant. Our existing staff is comprised of industry
veterans who have decades of combined experience and expertise in venue management and live
entertainment production. In addition, we have a history of identifying and working with very capable sub-
contractors / sub-consultants with the ability to undertake assignments.
TBD Subcontractors
MARK CAMPANA
COO - US CONCERTS
MATT ROGERS JARED STONE JORDAN BENGHIAT KIM SHIVER ROB MANLEY SUSAN GRAHAM
SVP OPERATIONS GENERAL MANAGER TALENT BUYER VP MARKETING PRODUCTION MANAGER BOOKING MANAGER
DC, VB, CAROLINAS WILMINGTON CAROLINAS CAROLINAS CAROLINAS CAROLINAS
SPONSORSHIP & EVENT PRODUCTION FINANCE / FOOD & BEVERAGE BOX OFFICE POLICE, EMS, FIRE
VIP SALES MANAGEMENT MANGER ACCOUNTING
Government Relations
Philanthropy Efforts
Festival Development
Booking and Event Scheduling
Services
Event Marketing
Ticketing
Event Production
Finance
Backstage Catering
Venue Consulting
Facility Maintenance and
Management
Janitorial Services
Event Security
Landscaping
GRIZ
July 26 & 27, 2019
E. FINANCING PROPOSAL
In preparing our financial proposal for the management of The Hugh Morton Amphitheater, our team has
used our existing historical success to project the amphitheater’s future success. We have taken into
consideration a number of key factors, including but not limited to: the number of annual event dates, the
existing capacity of the venue, revenue opportunities for key areas, anticipated fixed operating expenses,
and all projected variable costs, including talent.
3OHDVHUHIHUHQFHVHSDUDWHFRQÀGHQWLDOÀQDQFLDOSURSRVDO
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the Request for Proposal, the cover letter to this proposal or the terms of this proposal,
this proposal is for discussion purposes only and does not contain all of the material business or legal terms of the proposed transaction and
is merely intended only as the basis for preparation of a draft agreement between Live Nation and the City of Wilmington North Carolina
and subsequent negotiation by the parties. The parties mutually intend that neither shall have any binding contractual obligation or liability
to the other regarding this matter (including, without limitation, any obligation to negotiate concerning this matter) unless and until formal
documentation has been prepared, duly approved and fully executed and delivered by the parties in their sole discretion. Neither party makes
any warranty or representation to the other that acceptance of this document will guarantee the execution of an agreement. All costs incurred
by either party prior to the full execution and delivery of an agreement by the parties shall be at the sole risk of the party incurring such costs.
Live Nation has a strong desire to work extremely hard on behalf of the City of Wilmington toward its MBE
/ WBE goals. We are aware of the City’s commitment of inclusion and will work tirelessly to exhibit our
understanding of that goal.
Through our strategically planned outreach efforts, Live Nation will endeavor to partner with diversity
business enterprises that include small, minority, women, and locally-owned business enterprises in an
effort to echo the City of Wilmington’s commitment to inclusion of Diversity Businesses. Live Nation’s
policies, procedures and practices are quantifiably consistent with the City of Wilmington’s commitment
to maximize such opportunities.
Live Nation will enhance supplier diversity with respect to its contracting and purchasing, and will work
tirelessly to assure that all of its contractors, subcontractors, and vendors abide by the spirit and intent of
this commitment statement.
It is the policy of Live Nation not to discriminate against any person because of race, color, religion, national
origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identification, marital status, age, disability, or veteran status and
to take action to ensure that applicants and employees are treated fairly. Live Nation will comply with all
applicable federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, orders, and rulings governing equal employment
opportunity. The Live Nation Diversity Plan will emphatically support the economic development of the
City of Wilmington, and the vital role diversity plays in the state, national, and global marketplace.
DIVERSITY PLAN
Live Nation is committed to ensuring equal opportunity for the vendors, suppliers, service providers,
consultants, and contractors who compete for business within the City of Wilmington. We understand our
responsibility to reflect the diversity goals and objectives of the City of Wilmington business community
while meeting our day-to-day challenge of providing quality entertainment services with care and attention
to unparalleled customer service in the entertainment environment. Similar high standards will also be
brought into action in efforts related to enhancing economic opportunity and participation by minority-
owned and woman-owned businesses. (MBE/WBE).
Live Nation understands that supplier diversity should be an essential element in any development
process, and we will establish and implement a rigorous, progressive and innovative supplier diversity
program that serves appropriate sectors of the City of Wilmington Community.
Business diversity helps strengthen the economic development and viability of local businesses and
helps to ensure that the City of Wilmington receives quality goods and services at competitive prices.
Live Nation propose to file annual MBE / WBE Utilization Reports. Each MBE / WBE Utilization Report will
reflect the current status of actual payments to MBE / WBEs. Such reports shall include the following:
1. Business Name, address, telephone number and contact person of each MBE / WBE involved in
the performance of the contract
2. Description of the work performed and/or product or service supplied by each MBE / WBE.
3. Summary of payments to MBE / WBE vendors
4. Such other information as may assist in determining compliance with the provisions of the
program
DIVERSITY PLAN
The following chart is an example of Live Nation’s MBE / WBE Utilization Report template which identifies
vendor categories of Minority and Woman-owned businesses who may serve as subcontractors along
with the nature and estimated value of the work they may perform and the percentage of the discretionary
operating budget that it represents. In addition, we have estimated the balance of the plan of non-MBE /
WBE subcontractors and the portion of total estimated discretionary costs they will perform.