ONTARIO >> There’s a new man running the show at the Citizens Business Bank Arena, and his name is Michael Krouse.

He’s been a familiar face when it comes to the business of bringing people from out of town to stay in local hotels, eat in local restaurants and shop in local retail stores. That’s what he’s done as president and CEO of both the Ontario Convention Center and the Greater Ontario Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Krouse’s employer, SMG World, is now under contract with the city to run the arena. With the transfer of management from AEG to SMG on July 1, Krouse is busier than ever, now wearing the hat of president and CEO of the Citizens Business Bank Arena.

Krouse said his vision for the arena is simple: to attract more concerts and a variety of events that appeal to the diverse demographics of the region.

“It really is about becoming the region’s entertainment hub or being the center of entertainment and guest experience here in the Inland Empire,” Krouse said. “We certainly would love to be driving our residents to stay here rather than go outside of the market to seek their entertainment. For example, I don’t want them going to the Honda Center or the Staples Center if they can be here in the Inland Empire.”

BIG-NAME CONCERTS

Krouse said he couldn’t name any big-name acts for now, but announcements are coming: “In the next two to three weeks, you will have a couple of names.”

A new clause in the arena’s management contract requires SMG to secure six big-name quality acts or performers to play the arena per operating year, City Councilman Alan Wapner and Krouse said. AEG’s previous contract delineated quantity, not quality.

“Quality” is determined by those performers who appear in concert industry magazine Pollstar’s list of top 200 shows.

Wapner also said SMG, which owns the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, would be able to leverage acts that perform there to also play at the arena.

“With SMG we changed (the agreement) so that they would provide not only a certain amount of ticketed events, but … we wanted to make sure there was top-name entertainment at the arena,” Wapner said.

SMG just signed a new contract with the AEG-owned Ontario Reign, which plays at the arena. The contract extends the team’s stay for five years with an option for another five.

Another familiar face returning to the arena is Sue Oxarart, who had served as spokeswoman for the arena when it opened under AEG management in 2008 until taking the post as spokeswoman for the Greater Ontario Convention & Visitors Bureau two years ago.

SYNERGY

“We definitely want to bring in more concerts,” said Oxarart, who mentioned she had come “full circle” as she walked the corridors of the arena Monday. “Ever since the arena opened, it’s definitely been a vision that the city had and it’s definitely something we wanted to do to bring more concerts into the arena and a variety of different events.”

Oxarart, Krouse and City Manager Al Boling said the city can benefit from the synergy of one management company operating both the convention center and the arena.

“We may have events at the convention center that would be better here in the arena and the arena may have had events that work better in a convention center. So when you have one management team taking care of all of those phone calls and those booking arrangements, you can best determine what’s going to be best for the show, or the best for the public to attend the show,” Oxarart said.

Boling said the city looks forward to seeing the same type of success at bringing events and attendance to the arena as it has seen with Krouse’s work with the visitors bureau and the convention center.

“You can multiply the effect of either the arena or the convention center by working them together to multiply the overall effect of both facilities,” said John Husing, chief economist for the Inland Empire Economic Partnership business advocacy group.

FOOD CHANGES

Audiences’ stomachs may notice one of the first changes SMG is making, switching to its in-house food service operator, Premier Food Service. The change will take place July 20, just in time for the return of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for nine performances July 22 to 26, Oxarart said.

“We’ve already had a tasting of the new menus,” Krouse said. “We took some of the menu items people liked. We did our little spin on them, and then we shared those with some premium suite holders.”

SMG is also currently surveying premium suite and seat ticket holders to get their feedback on desired amenities related to suite and premium seating — “anything they want to see that we don’t currently offer,” Krouse said.

“We’re going to be taking our guidance from those who buy premium seats and those who have past experience here and those who have experienced it from the beginning,” Krouse said.

Of the AEG employees who had worked for the arena prior to the management switch, all were asked if they wanted to stay employed at the arena and more than 90 percent opted to remain, Krouse said.

The SMG contract with Ontario to run the arena will run through 2028, Krouse said.

Like the Daily Bulletin on Facebook.