All the time the locals and builders of the Belmont/Elmont Area squared off it was about the New York Islanders NHL Hockey team….
Of course THAT was silly and naive…..
The Hockey team plays like 80-90 game a year and up to half of them could be on the road….
Anybody with a a half of business brain could figure out that the REAL money was gonna come from ‘events’ in the area that can hold up to 19,000 people at one time…
The name of the place now has nothing to do with hockey even…
(The Islanders ARE doing fine…The place isn’t done and the Islanders games tickets for seats are sold at 80%…)
But the Governor wanted this and it WILL provide jobs for those local and in the metro area….
Morning Consult has taken a look at the entertainment market in the NY/NJ Metro area and what the UBS/Belmont Arena will be in it….
UBS Arena will be the fifth indoor facility in the New York City metropolitan area with a capacity of between 15,000-20,000 for concerts, and is located within 15 miles of three of the other four, as the crow flies. With Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center, Prudential Center and the Nassau Coliseum all sitting empty amid the coronavirus pandemic, arena operators will be more motivated than ever to fill as many dates as possible to make up for lost revenue.
Tim Leiweke, CEO of arena developer and operator Oak View Group, expects the live entertainment sector to benefit from “pent-up demand” once large gatherings are permitted again, forecasting that the second half of 2021 has the potential to be a historic one for the industry. That timing coincides with the scheduled opening of UBS Arena.
The sports and entertainment industry veteran said the new Long Island space is well-positioned to be “one of the busiest music venues in the world,” based both on OVG’s scale and clout in the live entertainment sector and the arena’s artist-friendly design.
In addition to being an equity partner in UBS Arena via a joint venture with the Islanders and Mets co-owner Fred Wilpon, OVG also counts Madison Square Garden and Prudential Center as members of its Arena Alliance. The network of 29 independent facilities, each of which pays a reported six-figure feeannually to participate, benefits from its members’ collective scale and OVG’s established connections — including those of music mogul Irving Azoff — to attract major events and sponsorships….