Dane County hires national firm to run events at Alliant Energy Center

The national entertainment group SMG will be working with Dane County to bring more concerts and shows to the Alliant Energy Center, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced Thursday.

SMG was selected through a request to be the new sales team for the arena. The deal is the first of its kind in Dane County, according to a press release.

“This partnership will bring more events and concerts to the Coliseum, and result in more top level shows for Dane County,” Parisi said in the release. “This demonstrates the vitality of the Coliseum and the market. We look forward to working with SMG to make the Coliseum more active than ever before.”

Dane County has installed upgrades in the arena including new carpeting, new seat upholstery and Wi-Fi upgrades. The county also installed two loading docks at the direction of Frank Productions, a locally based concert promoter. The loading docks, which were completed in September, cost the county approximately $550,000 for design and construction.

“We are pleased and excited to welcome the Veterans’ Memorial Coliseum to our family of SMG-managed arenas and are confident the facility will thrive within SMG’s booking network, client base and other resources,” SMG Senior Vice President for Entertainment Jim McCue said. “Together with Dane County and the Coliseum staff, SMG will stimulate more event activity and attendance for the Coliseum.”

SMG already provides services for 233 public assembly venues. The Alliant Energy Center currently hosts around 500 events a year, according to the report.