KANSAS CITY (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The Kansas City Council has voted to turn over management of Kemper Arena to AEG’s Anschutz Kansas City for the next five years, replacing Global Spectrum when its contract expires on December 31st.
AEG also manages the nearby Sprint Center, which many on the Council saw as a advantage.
“I don’t want to get into a situation where we have bidding wards going on for events and the city loses money,” Councilman Terry Riley told the Kansas City Business Journal.
Brenda Tinnen told the paper that Anschutz Kansas City sees Kemper, and its flagship event, American Royal, as an integral component in the downtown revitalization effort.
“We feel the American Royal is one of the cornerstone events for Kansas City and hope to work with them to grow the brand of American Royal and develop some great agri-events,” said Tinnen, the Sprint Center’s general manager. “Sprint Center, Kemper and the American Royal will all complement each other, and I think everyone will be surprised and excited about the new Downtown that will be unveiled.”
Tinnen told the paper that AEG will immediately begin long-range planning for Kemper, and will present the council with a management plan as soon as possible. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
