PEORIA, Ill. — The Peoria Civic Center has gone Global.
SMG, the venue management company that, for many years, oversaw the venue, announced Tuesday it merged with Los Angeles-based AEG Facilities to form ASM Global.
The merger creates a facility management company in ASM that’s responsible for over 300 venues and over 60,000 employees across five continents.
Peoria Civic Center General Manager Rik Edgar said locally, that merger will mean a bigger arsenal of possibilities, because the connection to AEG venues is like a pipeline when it comes to booking talent.
“Our scope and reach in the entertainment industry just grew exponentially,” he said.
“AEG is the number two buyer with their live division, so that gives us more opportunities to bring more shows here.
“Now, instead of having a handful or ten venues to call, I have an exponentially greater amount. So with shows like Luke Combs, which was an AEG-produced show and fastest sell-out in our venue’s history, we get a good crack at bringing those shows to town.”
Edgar explained the impact the merger could have on the local economy.
“In the concert industry, we use the term one plus one equals three. If you get one good band and another good band, together they make a phenomenal concert and you see your ticket sales grow.
“The reality is, if we’re doing more business, then we’re going to need more local help to help us run our business.”
Other facilities managed by ASM include Chicago’s Soldier Field and Los Angeles’s Staples Center.
