Qwest Center Omaha (Events)

[eomaha]

Eric Clapton, July 22nd
Van Halen, July 31st

[eomaha]

Qwest Center Omaha (Events)

(guess this is probably old news... but new to me)

The PBS television show Antiques Roadshow is coming to Omaha on July 10th.  This is the show where folks bring items for appraisal, finding out most often the item isn't worth much... and in a few cases... that they've been sitting on a gold mine.

This is a fairly special deal for Omaha... as there are only 4 other metros which the show will visit this year... Portland, Reno, Minneapolis, and Memphis.  Pretty good company to be in.

[Rob]

Very Cool! I was wondering when Omaha would be on the show. Good exposure for the Qwest Center as well. In addition, they usually visit a local museum, or other related attraction giving Omaha even more exposure.

[StreetsOfOmaha]

I definitely agree with you, Rob. I've been waiting for this, too because I know lots of people enjoy the show (I even watch it once in a while) and it gives pretty good exposure to the city, like you said. I hope they go the Gerald Ford Conservation center. It's totally apropriate as they do amazing antique restorations there.

[StreetsOfOmaha]

The actual event is July 10, but does anyone know when it will actually be on TV?

[Jon]

I'm not a huge Clapton fan, but I'm glad we'e able to draw him here.

The opening act for that show is a band called Robert Randolph and the Family Band. It will be worth every cent paid for admission to see this band. I saw them last summer, and it was probably the single greatest set of music I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of shows. No matter how old or young you are, attend this show ready to dance, groove, and move. With Robert Randolph you won't be able to stand still!

A must see show!

[Coyote]

Memories.

The first concert I ever went to was Eric Clapton
at the auditorium around 1976. I had never heard
of his warm up band before attending, but it was
as memorable as Clapton himself - it was Muddy Waters.

[Jon]

Coyote - for me, those memories are getting a little fuzzy...

[LarryDavidSon]

It seems Fleetwood Mac is coming to Sioux City's much smaller arena over Qwest Center.

Police Production orchestrated the Alan Jackson and Martina McBride and Kenny Chesney concerts, both sold-out shows, at the events center. Gann said when tour routing began for Fleetwood Mac, the band's production company chose to book shows in Sioux City and Cedar Falls, Iowa instead of the other option, booking Omaha and Oklahoma City, Okla.

Very odd.

[eomaha]

I don't know about Oklahoma City... but Fleetwood Mac already played the Qwest Center back in October... I wouldn't expect them to come back so soon... only so much demand for the retro shows (although I recall the Qwest Center saw about 15,000 show up for that particular show).

[eomaha]

Tuskegee Airmen fly into Omaha

Alexander Jefferson pointed to the black fire-spitting panther stitched into a patch on his old brown leather jacket.

"Bingo!" exclaimed Jefferson, a World War II pilot and former prisoner of war. "That was us. We never lost a bomber to German fighters."

Jefferson's colorful jacket represents the legacy that will be on display this week as members of Tuskegee Airmen Inc. gather in Omaha for their annual convention.

The national convention formally kicks off today with a morning memorial service and remarks from the organization's president, Brian Smith. Events throughout the week will honor the United States' first black military aviators, such as Jefferson, and all who made their experience a success.

That success was seen as vital to the later desegregation of the military, which came in 1948 and paved the way for other institutions.

The major highlight will be a military appreciation ceremony at 7 p.m. Friday at Rosenblatt Stadium. The ceremony, free and open to the public, will feature music, speakers, a military flyover and fireworks.

Though many of the 1,500 out-of-towners estimated to come will arrive today, the new Hilton Hotel began filling Tuesday with men who trained at the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Ala., and their younger reflections - Air Force officers in navy blue uniforms.

Jefferson, a Detroit native and retired teacher and principal, waved to old classmates and friends.

"Charlie Lane, the one and only," Jefferson said to the Omahan who formerly led the anti-poverty agency Greater Omaha Community Action.

"How many missions did you fly?" Jefferson asked him.

"Twenty-six," Lane said.

"I flew 18 and a half," Jefferson replied, referring to his fateful mission over southern France to destroy enemy radar stations. The Germans shot down his P-51 Mustang and took him prisoner.

Jefferson spent the next nine months at two camps and was liberated when Gen. George S. Patton's Third Army marched through Germany in April 1945. He is working on a book to be published called "Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman."

Trim and vibrant at 82, Jefferson said he's in Omaha to see old friends, help preserve the Tuskegee legacy and encourage youngsters to become involved in American democracy.

"It ain't perfect," he said. "But learn how to get into it, learn how to join it, learn how to change it, just like we did."

Things to see and do

The tail cone of a vintage P51-C Mustang, the aircraft commonly flown by Tuskegee Airmen. The entire plane was to have been on display, but a May 29 crash that killed the pilot ruined much of the plane. The tail cone is expected to arrive this afternoon and will be displayed at the Qwest Center. An effort is under way to raise $2 million to restore the Mustang, one of few known to remain. For more information, visit http://www.redtail.org.

The U.S. Air Force will display an F-16 fighter jet inside the Qwest Center as part of its "Cross Into The Blue" tour, a recruiting and public awareness campaign. People can take part in virtual reality parachute jumps, an air-to-air refueling game and other Air Force experiences. The entire display will be inside the Qwest Center and open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. today through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

[Coyote]

Now how do I get invited to these events?

Convention center touts its finer fare

Kathy Schultheiss used wasabi and a pinch of fresh ginger to spice up her pitch this week to bring regional insurance meetings to Omaha.

Schultheiss, vice president for convention sales at the Qwest Center, topped off a tour of Omaha's new convention center by leading 45 insurance meeting specialists into the kitchen.

Executive Chef Chris Pulling wasn't showing off the standard hot-dog-and-Bud-Light fare that can be found at the arena concession stands.

For this group, only haute cuisine would do.

The meeting planners chatted as they sampled Maryland crab cakes, tempura ahi tuna rolls, pastry-encrusted brats, assorted cheeses and a not-so-simple grilled cheese with brie.

All that could be washed down with martinis - apple and Windex blue - or wine or beer selections from the Upstream Brewing Co.

The tour was part of the convention center's effort to drum up additional business. Few industries meet quite as much as those involved in insurance and financial planning.

Ken Juel, a Mutual of Omaha executive who heads the Midwest region of the Insurance Conference Planners Association, said the Qwest Center and the new Hilton Omaha give the city a better chance to land various insurance meetings.

"Even though we are a major insurance center, there hasn't been a lot of meeting space and large ballrooms until now," Juel said.

The industry holds a variety of meetings. Perhaps best known are the sales incentive meetings, where top sales people are honored.

Other important gatherings involve new-product seminars that companies hold for their clients, as well as the traditional training and education programs.

Face-to-face meetings are particularly important in the insurance and financial planning industries, Juel said. "In our businesses, it's all about relationships."

Schultheiss said she understands that insurance incentive programs seek out warm weather resorts. That's why national marketing representatives from the Ritz-Carlton, Fairmont, Four Seasons and other high-end hotels and resorts were represented at the Omaha meeting.

Omaha is interested in the regional training-education and product roll-out meetings, she said.

"This is a great opportunity for us," Schultheiss said.

Chef Pulling said he and his staff can feed "10 people to 19,000."

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u ... id=1165803

Imagine what just a few of such events could do for the Center.

[eomaha]

The stuff they served at my 20 year high school reunion was fabulous (the first reunion to be held at the Qwest no less! ).

[Coyote]

Great press for Omaha -
hopefully the beginning of many more successes.
Now why did we build this center?

Convention has spillover

The Tuskegee Airmen lent their prestigious name - synonymous with heroic World War II battles and leadership within the black community - to the Qwest Center Omaha this week as one of its first major conventions.

It's good publicity for Omaha, and it fosters hopes that the center could lure more big-name conventions.

It's also good business.

The Tuskegee Airmen paid $3,000 per day to rent the exhibition hall. The group then shares or sells space for exhibits, ranging from the Tuskegee Airmen Ohio chapter's simple booth and its $15 T-shirts to a large-scale Air Force recruitment exhibit featuring an F-16 fighter and a parachute simulator.

Members of the nonprofit group spent most of their time explaining the storied history, promoting aviation and military careers to young attendees and raising money for scholarships.

"Anything we raise is used for the scholarship fund because the focus is always on our youth," said Lee Nevins, exhibit manager for the Tuskegee Airmen. "We introduce the kids to aerospace careers."

But when they're not promoting their cause, many of the attendees are exploring Omaha, Earl Strayhorn, a member of the original Tuskegee Airmen military police detachment, said during one of the breaks between sessions.

"Some women are out shopping, and some men are out looking at things, so they're out there contributing to the business of Omaha - and hopefully spending some money," he said.

That's what the Greater Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau expects. It estimates the convention will have an economic impact of $2.5 million this week.

"That's raw dollars generated, based on the size of the convention and the number of days," explained Molly Hurley, housing manager for the Greater Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Most of that money - an average of about $278 per person per day - goes toward typical tourist needs: food, lodging, entertainment and transportation.

Downtown restaurants like Rick's Cafe Boatyard and the Spaghetti Works enjoyed much fuller dining rooms all week thanks to the convention.

"Our weeknights are still slower than our weekends, but the valleys don't go as deep," said Shelly Stokes, president of Spaghetti Works. "The conventions and the concerts, especially during the weekdays, really even out the sales."

She added that while the Tuskegee convention bumped up business this week, the real test will come this winter - Omaha's slowest sales period - when conventions like Pheasants Forever come to Omaha.

The Airmen also filled several downtown hotels. The Hilton Omaha has been full all week, and the convention's varied schedule has boosted restaurant and lounge business.

"This convention is so good because there's a lot of activities," said Keith Hess, general manager of Hilton Omaha. "You don't have 1,500 people in a conference room all day long, so it creates a lot of excitement all around the city because they're coming and going."

Although other hotels have not seen as much direct business from the convention, some have enjoyed higher occupancy due to spillover by business travelers who might otherwise stay at the Hilton.

"Everybody downtown has seen an increase in occupancy because of the convention," said Jim Olsovsky, general manager of the DoubleTree Hotel downtown. "When the Hilton and 10th Street fill for that convention, it compresses business to us."

Omaha attractions also saw an uptick in business this week. The Henry Doorly Zoo lured visitors from the center, and the Strategic Air and Space Museum saw a 30 percent increase in attendance Wednesday.

"We're thrilled with the attendance," said Karl Bieber, marketing director for the museum. "We had some 240 people from the Tuskegee convention come. This is the first time we've had that big of a bump in attendance because of a convention."

Retailers such as Borsheim's Fine Jewelry hosted special sessions for the attendees, who also boosted taxi and pedicab business as they got around town.

But the convention is also drawing Omaha dollars to the Airmen's cause.

Ed Vlasek, an Omaha retiree, came to the convention out of curiosity and ended up buying a P-51 cap that will support the Tuskegee scholarship fund.

Keith Williamson, a vendor selling commemorative coins and promoting StressedJob.com, a job stress relief center, said the first two days of the convention alone had netted him $1,000 in sales and numerous contacts.

"We're looking to build a clientele, not to make some fast money but to build a relationship with 15 to 20 people who will be customers for years to come," he said.

Janice Reese, who sells paintings and prints of the Tuskegee Airmen and other war-related artwork, said she had sold several of her paintings, some of them priced at several thousand dollars.

Reese and Williamson were pleasantly surprised by what they found in Omaha.

"I had heard a lot of jokes about Nebraska, that you've got a lot of cornfields, but the reality is it's a real city," Williamson said. "Omaha should really go out and solicit more conventions."

Jeff, I hope you get your site back up and running.

[almighty_tuna]

Great article! Just finished reading it myself on the OWH website. Best line:

I had heard a lot of jokes about Nebraska, that you've got a lot of cornfields, but the reality is it's a real city," Williamson said. "Omaha should really go out and solicit more conventions.

[eomaha]

Nice.


(note sure I am following your last sentence Coyote... was the site inaccessible at some point?)

[Coyote]

Jeff, the DNS wasn't working but you IP address http://204.26.90.252/ was. The pictures at SSP were all missing until today.

[StreetsOfOmaha]

I also noticed that the site seemed to be down at times.

And yes, a great article. Thanks for posting it.

[eomaha]

Hmm... wasn't the site down... rather the DNS server, which should have been changed (to a more reliable one) by now. Will have to research further. Thanks (looks like my OTHER sites are changed over however).

[eomaha]

Omaha lost out on 18 big conventions

Incentives and subsidies often play as big a role as facilities, attractions and convenience in landing big-time conventions.

Omaha missed out on 18 large conventions - with a potential economic impact of more than $31 million - to other cities that offered more bucks, according to a city report.

Omaha offers discounts on its new convention center and subsidies to convention organizers. But the amount is peanuts compared to what other cities have done.

The convention planner for the American Society of Landscape Architects told Omaha officials, "Your city needs to sharpen its pencil."

With those words, Omaha lost out in the competition to bring the 5,000 landscape architects to the city for a week and the nearly $3.4 million they would have spent.

Mayor Mike Fahey is working to find up to $2 million a year to double funding for the Greater Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"Omaha has boldly entered a new era for tourism and conventions in our community," Fahey said last week. "Now we must step up to another level in convention sales and marketing."

To this point, Omaha has been timid in offering the incentives other cities have given.

Typical is what was done to bring the Pheasants Forever convention to the Qwest Center Omaha in January. In addition to any discounts on the convention space and hotel rates, another $18,194 in cash goes to the organization to offset its convention expenses.

Of that amount, $6,000 comes directly from hotel room tax that funds the Convention and Visitors Bureau and the remainder comes from a $7-a-room rebate.

Hotels give the convention bureau the money from the rates they charge those attending the convention. The bureau then transfers the cash to the convention organizers.

Such direct payouts of $152,621 have been used to entice 11 conventions to Omaha with a potential economic impact of $23.4 million. Dana Markel, operations director for the Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the financial return is worth every penny of the subsidy.

But the bureau's "slush fund" is tapped out.

When Omaha lost the race to bring the USA Track & Field annual convention to the city in 2007, the reasons were higher room rates and a lack of local funding. "Other cities were offering up to $25,000 as subsidy," according to the follow-up report by the convention bureau.

"There are cities that actually pay conventions to come," said David Sokol, chairman of the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority, which runs the Qwest Center. "We shouldn't be in that mode."

In the first year of operation, Omahans used the convention center far more than out-of-towners.

Conventions accounted for 26,715 of the total attendance of 323,794 at the convention center during the first year. Consumer shows geared to those living in the metro area and social events accounted for the bulk of the total.

Roger Dixon, the MECA president, said it's important to have a plan of action to stay competitive for convention business. "We know the Convention and Visitors Bureau is underfunded," Dixon said.

Finding the additional money for the bureau could be difficult. Omaha already has one of the highest hotel room taxes, and no one is suggesting an increase.

Brad Ashford, another MECA board member, said it may be time for the owners of smaller businesses to come up with some money. He suggested a fee for restaurants, bars and retailers that benefit from conventions.

Lyn Wallin Ziegenbein, executive director of the Peter Kiewit Foundation and chairwoman of MECA's advisory board, said there simply are no more tax dollars for convention promotion.

The mayor and the advisory board are determined to find the money to give Omaha the marketing might to transform Omaha into a convention destination, Ziegenbein said.

"This is a very opportunistic time," she said. "Omaha already has pleased itself and surprised itself with what we have done. Now we want to do more."

[DTO Luv]

The convention I went to in Austin is searching for sites for 2007 and beyond. When I talked to people who organized the event they said it was attended by around 7,000 which was considered a little low, and had put about $10 or $12 million dollars into Austin. I called the Qwest Center when I got back and let them kow that my group was interested in a midwest site. One guy I talked to from KC who lives in Phoenix thought Omaha would be a great site since it is centrally located and has a new convention center. Many people who attended the convention were from the southern states. Last year it was in DC and the year before it was in Albuquerque. '05 is Denver and '06 is most likely going to be Phoenix. I'm going to keep checking into this and do my part to bring this convention to Omaha.

[StreetsOfOmaha]

That would be AWESOME, DTO. If Albuquerque can get it, we can get it.

[DTO Luv]

That's what I said.

[DTO Luv]

to Ames.

I hope that we don't start to see the decline of the Q so soon after it just opened. Dave Matthews would have been a good draw for Omaha. Oh well. It looks like I'll have to settle for Bette Midler.

[DMRyan]

This hardly marks a decline for the Qwest Center. Haven't you noticed the caliber of concerts that have been coming to the Q since it opened up, including many shows that wouldn't have been in Nebraska before? You just can't attract every concert, possibly proving that arenas in both Des Moines and Omaha can cohabitate for concerts with some success.

[DTO Luv]

I don't really care for their music but this would have been one of the concerts we built the place for. We'll have to wait and see how the concert scene looks with 3 14,000+ concert seat arenas are open.

[eomaha]

College towns often have more success drawing concerts than larger cities ... and Ames is no exception. I fondly recall seeing 'the Boss' while attending UNL (yep... while Ryan was probably still in diapers).

[DTO Luv]

We have UNO, Creighton, and UNL, what more do they want.

[almighty_tuna]

First off, as an unbelievable DMB fan, my heart jumped when I saw the title "DMB is coming". GAAH!!! I don't need that kind of teasing! The last time they were in Omaha was Dec 1, 1996. Great show.

Anyway, the reason they are playing a show in Ames is because they are part of that tour of musicians promoting John Kerry. Iowa is a swing state so they are performing in Ames to get people to 1) vote and 2) vote for Kerry. This is no reflection on the Qwest Center as a venue or Omaha as a city. Its just politics. I will keep from yaking about the regular DMB tour for another thread.

[eomaha]

I guess the 'Boss' isn't even a headliner in that tour nowadays...huh (I'm assuming it's the same tour).

[almighty_tuna]

Yeah, same tour. I'm sure he's not headlining because they're trying to reach out to a different crowd than what he's used to playing for.

[RyaninOrangeCounty]

I'd have to say that I don't really know that anybody is headlining that tour, but Bruce Springsteen definitely could be considered one of the "pillars" of the tour. John Kerry walked onto the stage at the DNC to one of his songs, and he has shown up on Nightline and many other talk shows promoting this tour. I've been referring to it as "the Bruce Springsteen tour" (perhaps because I'm a big fan), but my guess is that the tour's real name might be something like "Rock the Vote."

[GoWest]

It's the vote for change tour. http://www.moveonpac.org/vfc/ has a list of the acts. Iowa is so lucky to be a swing state. They will get great music and a chance to have their vote count.

I don't know that I would claim that we have UNO and UNL. Would that be UNLinoma? Also Lincoln might have something to say about it.

[edsas]

If you ask me, Omaha should count itself lucky the Dave Matthews Band isn't stopping through...


ILLINOIS SUES DAVE MATTHEWS BAND

The Associated Press

CHICAGO -- The state of Illinois sued the Dave Matthews Band on Tuesday for allegedly dumping up to 800 pounds of liquid human waste from a bus into the Chicago River, dousing a tour boat filled with passengers.

The lawsuit accuses the band and one of its bus drivers of violating state water pollution and public nuisance laws. It seeks $70,000 in civil penalties.

"Our driver has stated that he was not involved in this incident," band spokesman John Vlautin said in a statement.

He said the band "will continue to be cooperative in this investigation."

According to the lawsuit, on Aug. 8 a bus leased by the band was heading to a downtown hotel where members were staying. As the bus crossed the Kinzie Street bridge, the driver allegedly emptied the contents of the septic tank through the bridge's metal grating into the river below.

More than 100 people on an architecture tour were showered with foul-smelling waste. The attorney general's office said no one was seriously injured.

"This incident may be unique, but that does not lessen the environmental or public health risks posed by the release of at least 800 pounds of liquid human waste into a busy waterway and onto a crowded tour boat," Attorney General Lisa Madigan said in a statement.

After the incident, the boat's captain turned the vessel around and took passengers back to the dock. Everyone received refunds, and the boat was cleaned with disinfectant.

[StreetsOfOmaha]

I read about that in the paper a couple weeks ago, and it literally made me gag. Ewwwwwwww.

[almighty_tuna]

...and I might add....




It wasn't them, geez. They checked the tour bus after people made accusations and it was still full of...stuff. DMB is also offering DNA samples.



...this just in:

[eomaha]

Alright... don't make me shut this thread down.

[DTO Luv]

Still if DMB dumped their poop on me it would be good publicity for Omaha like when Ozzy bit the head of of that bat in Des Moines.

[DTO Luv]

I was kind of upset when the original tour was scheduled and Mpls and KC got the Crue but not Omaha. I'm not a fan of them really but I might go to see what they are like. This kind of gives me hope about U2. Omaha wasn't originally planned for Motley Crue but now it is so maybe the same will happen with U2.