Monday, Nov. 7, 2005 | 8:42 a.m.
The stars must be in alignment for the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
"We've had an unprecedented string of successes," arena manager Mark Prows said.
The Eagles and Jimmy Buffet were sold out at the 14,000-seat venue last month.
U2 sold out Friday and Saturday.
The Rolling Stones are expected to sell out Nov. 18.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship 56 "Full Force" could sell out the following night.
Paul McCartney's two concerts on Nov. 25-26 have sold out.
And advance ticket sales are doing better than expected for Bon Jovi, who will perform March 11.
These are some of the highest-priced concerts and events in the country -- to see the Stones, you will pay $130 to $472 or more; for McCartney the range is $105 to about $260.
"A lot of the ticket price is driven by bench marking techniques," Prows said. "Knowing what the Rolling Stones are getting on their tour in major markets around the country, and given the time frame, and given their history and how they are selling on the tour, these are valid bench marking techniques."
Success in booking the most popular performers is part luck and part preparation.
"In this case, a lot of it had to do with the artists all touring at the same time," Prows said. "They all just happened to be on the West Coast in the same time frame."
The preparation is by a team that includes Prows and Richard Sturm, president of entertainment and sports; Joseph Santiago, vice president of booking entertainment; and Chris Baldizan, who recently became entertainment director for MGM Mirage subsidiary Mandalay Bay.
"We work very closely together in procuring entertainment," Prows said. "The four of us work hand-in-hand, tracking tours, finding new entertainment, evaluating proposals that come to us."
Sometimes the acts rent the arena. Sometimes the arena buys the acts.
"More often we purchase the act and provide a guarantee," Prows said.
The team tries to look two years ahead in finding the acts it wants, though booking is generally six months in advance.
"But the plans don't always come to fruition," Prows said.
The team is now working hard on spring concerts. The shortest lead time is about six weeks.
"We hold a lot of dates open (for last-minute bookings)," Prows said.
Not everyone can get booked into the MGM.
"We very carefully look at our image," Prows said. "We're very sensitive to our brand.
"We are part of a complex, we're not a stand-alone arena, and because of that we have a lot of other synergies we are sensitive to. The type of acts, the demographics that profile our brand -- all become important decision factors."
It generally isn't too difficult to book the "A-list" of entertainment here.
"Las Vegas is the entertainment Mecca of the United States," Prows said. "It is a 'must-play market.' "
The others are New York and Los Angeles.
"Other major cities around the country are part of the tour routing, but these are the premium must-play markets."
Vegas is hot with tours because performers can command the highest ticket prices, and sell the most number of tickets.
"We have the most number of arenas per square mile, that I'm aware of, anywhere in the country," Prows said.
They include, in addition to MGM, the Mandalay Bay Events Center (12,000 seats), the Orleans Arena (8,000) and the Thomas & Mack Center (the largest facility with about 18,000 seats).
The number of seats varies with the events. At Thomas & Mack, if the event is set up with round seating, it is about 18,000. If it is a concert with a stage at one end of the arena, seating is closer to 16,000.
Being on the Strip is important to acts because of the tourists, and since MGM has the most number of seats on the Strip it is more likely to have first crack at the major acts.
"Major acts want as much money as they can get," Prows said, "and the Strip is a premium location that caters to a broader demographics than venues off the Strip, say at the Orleans or Thomas & Mack."
Prows said performers at MGM command higher ticket prices because "it is a premium-type experience.
"We don't have an upper deck. We don't have suites to break up the venue."
In addition to being able to make more money, Prows said acts like the MGM because it is well-run.
"It really comes down to operational excellence," he said. "If you don't service your clients and provide what the touring acts need and want -- they have other options.
"I, as vice president of the arena and having operational responsibility, am focused on delivering operational excellence."
That requires a good staff.
"From the ushering staff to the operations team to the technical team -- our people are second to none anywhere in the country," Prows said.
Orleans Arena General Manager Steve Stallworth, who formerly worked at the Thomas & Mack, is friends with Prows and others involved with Vegas arenas.
"MGM is No. 1," he said. "Clearly they've branded themselves as the 'city of entertainment' -- they go after the 'A' shows aggressively and because of their capacity they have the potential to create higher gross revenues."
Stallworth notes that the MGM seems to go for quality rather than quantity.
"If you look at their events schedule, they don't do a huge quantity of shows like we do," he said. "We did 120 events this past year, and they did 30 or 40."
Stallworth said the MGM probably wouldn't be charging the high prices for tickets if they didn't have to.
"It's all derived through the agents," he said. "Our business is so crazy for music. When the performers come to Vegas they get two or three times what they would get in other markets.
"Everybody is coming for that business, which usually goes between the MGM and Mandalay Bay."
The Orleans Arena lowers its sights.
Among past performers were Van Halen, REO Speedwagon and Brooks & Dunn.
"We're just a different model," Stallworth said. "We're focused on locals -- if you spend $20 here at the Orleans you're a high roller.
"(Owner) Michael Gaughan doesn't like to have high ticket prices."
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