Have July 7 marked on your calendar yet?
That’s the date of the first scheduled concert at the new Arkansas Music Pavilion in Rogers. Tickets went on sale last week for a show featuring Alison Krauss and Union Station, Willie Nelson and Jason Isbell.
For the record, you are in the right spot. No need to double-check whether you stumbled onto the Style section by accident.
Area businesses - particularly Wal-Mart and affiliated vendors - have made improving the quality of life in Northwest Arkansas a priority. A survey of employers in Northwest Arkansas conducted by area chambers of commerce and released last week reports quality of life is viewed in some circles as a strength of the region.
There is no reason to get bogged down in specifics of the survey results, but one category of employers - those “usually associated with production, distribution, and headquarters operations” didn’t mention quality of life as a top-10 strength.
This suggests room for improvement.
This is likely why Wal-Mart donated $2.5 million toward capital investments in exchange for the title sponsorship at the $11 million outdoor concert venue. It’s not like the world’s largest retailer needs additional advertising to help with name recognition along the Interstate 540 corridor.
Wal-Mart gets its name on the venue for 10 years as part of the deal and joins Johnelle Hunt and the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation as “Lifetime Founders” for the venue. Hunt donated land and provided a $3 million interest-free loan for the project, while the Walker Charitable Foundation donated $2.5 million.
For the sake of whatever the comparison is worth, in 2012 First Security Bank paid $750,000 for 20 years’ worth of naming rights at the former Riverfest Amphitheater in Little Rock.
Exactly when Wal-Mart decided to support the AMP is unclear. It’s also tough to pin down how long the process of securing the donation took or who approached who about the donation to the AMP, which is overseen by the Walton Arts Center.
What’s clear is that Wal-Mart’s interest in improving quality of life in the region played a big role in getting it interested in the project. Terri Trotter, chief operating officer of the Walton Arts Center, described the process as “a continuous dialogue that made it apparent this was a great fit to further their interest.”
As you might imagine, the naming rights comes with the option for Wal-Mart to use the AMP as part of its shareholders week concert events. Bud Walton Arena generally hosts a couple of nights of concerts, and Wal-Mart used the old AMP at the fairgrounds sparingly but did host Bret Michaels, lead singer of Poison, as part of its festivities in 2012.
Now that the AMP is a more permanent venue - and presumably free of the smell from the fairgrounds - Wal-Mart figures to use it more often. Shareholders week features artists who are distributed in Wal-Mart stores and (generally) have something to plug.
Why limit this to only shareholders week? Surely Wal-Mart could use its considerable pull to attract artists year-round. A nice mix of Wal-Mart-approved acts and those who appeal to, let’s say, less mainstream audiences could be a boon for the region.
Beyond the idea of making Northwest Arkansas more attractive to potential employees, the AMP’s opening is significant from a business standpoint because of the money it could bring into the region. Approximately 35 percent of concertgoers at the old AMP came from outside Washington and Benton counties, according to the Walton Arts Center.
Progress has been steady and, weather permitting, construction should be complete by June. It isn’t outside the realm of possibility that an artist or two could be lined up for a grand opening show before July 7.
Whenever the first official concert happens, whatever your idea of quality music, the AMP’s relocation seems to be a big deal for Northwest Arkansas.
If you have a tip, call Chris Bahn at (479) 365-2972 or email him at cbahn@nwaonline.com
Business, Pages 71 on 03/16/2014