February 26, 2008 - Two big events, one big success! American Bank Center/SMG is proud to have been able to host Senator Barack Obama just hours before the Corpus Christi Rayz hit the ice for their “Pack the House” night on Friday, February 22nd.
Senator Obama took center stage at American Bank Center Arena at about 5pm Friday afternoon, delivering a 45 minute message to several thousand spectators. Immediately following the Senator’s departure, American Bank Center/SMG staff and management raced to quickly and orderly usher attendees through the exits while others worked to deconstruct the staging and remove the flooring to reveal the ice hidden underneath. “Team work is essential for a successful change-over. In just one hour, we were able to completely transform the arena for the Rayz hockey game. It was hard work, but I’m extremely proud of our staff, everyone was dedicated to making a clean presentation,” says Jim Salamenta, American Bank Center’s Director of Operations.
From the beginning, American Bank Center management knew the turn-around time from Barack’s speech to the Rayz hockey game would present a challenge. “This is a challenge we were looking forward to tackling. We are Corpus Christi’s premier event center, and we take that title seriously. We have a devoted team of employees that work tirelessly to make sure each event is a success and we have wonderful tenants like the Corpus Christi Rayz who are extremely cooperative,” says General Manager Marc Solis. The Rayz game was pushed back from 7pm to 8pm when the announcement of Senator Obama’s rally was announced and as anticipated, doors opened at 7pm and the game started right on time.
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