KFC Yum! Center Attracts Nearly 100,000 Guests During Six Events in Seven Days
AEG Facilities’ KFC Yum! Center continues to provide a plethora of entertainment options, and the community and surrounding areas continue to respond. During the third week of February, the venue successfully held six events in seven days, making it one of the busiest weeks in the arena’s history. Among the highest grossing stops on both tours, Blake Shelton and Bruce Springsteen’s sold-out concerts entertained audiences while University of Louisville basketball fans cheered on the Cards for two women’s and two men’s games, including the sold out men’s game against Duke.
The impact reached far beyond the arena’s walls as downtown and surrounding areas experienced a huge financial gain—71 percent of Bruce Springsteen’s and 47 percent of Blake Shelton’s attendees came from outside the Louisville/Southern Indiana region, filling area restaurants and hotels. During the seven-day span, total attendance reached more than 95,000.
Conversion crews and other staff at the arena worked around the clock to ensure a smooth transition from one event to another. The conversion process to transition between a concert set up to basketball or vice versa can take up to eight hours. With tours leaving the building as late as 4 am, the conversion staff is often left with a daunting task to have the building ready for early basketball games when they occur on consecutive days.
General Manager for the arena, Dennis Petrullo, said his staff was prepared for the seven-day run well in advance. “It takes a lot of work from a very capable staff to ensure that weeks like these run as flawlessly as possible. We have a team who knows what they’re doing, and takes a great deal of pride in their work,” said Petrullo. “I was thrilled with the positive response from our community, the hard work and dedication of our employees, and the financial outcome for the arena and surrounding businesses.”
“The people of Louisville and those who visit our community love this venue; it truly has become the place to be if you want to see a concert or watch a basketball game,” said Petrullo. “While we celebrate our successes, we also continue to work to provide more great entertainment options for the city.”
The next event being hosted at the arena is WWE Live Road to WrestleMania on Saturday, February 27. For more information on this or other upcoming events, please visit kfcyumcenter.com.