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April 24, 2012 - VenuWorks to Manage Convocation Center at California University of Pennsylvania; Bolander Named Executive Director

VenuWorks to Manage Convocation Center at California University of Pennsylvania; Bolander Named Executive Director

VenuWorks has been awarded the management contract for the 6,000 seat Convocation Center at California University of Pennsylvania, a midsize public university in southwestern Pennsylvania.  VenuWorks, in turn, retained the services of The Rooney Sports and Entertainment Group LLC to do sponsorship development and event marketing.

VenuWorks has been engaged in pre-opening services at the venue since January and marked the grand opening of the facility April 20 with a concert by Kenny Rogers. 

"We are excited to be in Pennsylvania and have the amazing opportunity to open and manage this state-of-the-art facility," said VenuWorks' President Steve Peters. 

Ben Bolander has been hired as executive director of the Cal U Convocation Center. Bolander comes to his new position from the VenuWorks-managed Three Rivers Campus in Kennewick, Wash., home to the Toyota Center.

"We feel that Ben is the right fit for the job. He has proven his ability to lead and manage well as associate director at the Toyota Center, and we know that he will do a great job for Cal U," said Peters. "He will bring his experience and creativity, along with his knowledge of multi-purpose venues, to this new facility."

"We are delighted with the selection of Ben Bolander as executive director of our Convocation Center," said Craig Butzine, vice president for Marketing and University Relations at Cal U.  "His knowledge of the industry and his commitment to attracting new events and building our venue as a tour destination are very important to the University."

Bolander brings extensive experience in building relationships through a thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of the venue management industry. As second-in-command at the Three Rivers Campus, he was responsible for working with tenants and promoters, developing and implementing capital projects, and setting budgets for operations and events.

"I am very excited about this opportunity," said Bolander. "The University and the Convocation Center are absolutely stunning and this new facility has a lot of potential to grow in this market."

ABOUT THE CAL U CONVOCATION CENTER

The Convocation Center at California University of Pennsylvania offers a 6,000-seat arena built for basketball, concerts and tradeshows. Two conference wings equipped with state-of-the-art technology offer an additional 15,000 square feet of meeting and conference space. The arena is home to the Vulcan men's and women's basketball teams, which compete in NCAA Division II. California University is located in California, PA, 40 miles south of Pittsburgh.  With an enrollment of over 9000, the University has been ranked by the Princeton  Review as one of the best regional universities in the Northeast.  To learn more, visit www.calu.edu.