While it should improve the basketball experience, the Milwaukee Bucks are hoping that their future downtown arena will draw major acts to Milwaukee.
Construction on the new arena continues, with the Bucks still slated to move into the venue for the 2018-19 NBA season. As its development has unfolded, there has been attention paid to the multiple layers the venue could offer. The arena–along with a new practice facility–should improve the basketball experience for the Bucks, while an entertainment district is expected to provide a year-round destination in downtown Milwaukee.
Bucks officials have also been focused on another angle for the arena, which is the entertainment acts it can bring to Milwaukee. Along with helping to bring more development downtown, the team believes that the arena can help to make Milwaukee a destination for many high-profile performers. More from the AP:
“We want to create an international destination with talent. We want to compete with every major city, we want to be on every tour stop,” team president Peter Feigin said. “We have this one window of time to tell our story and our narrative around the world.”
That is exactly what Feigin, along with team and arena officials, planned to do this week in London. They were meeting with concert promoters and artist management firms in hopes of bringing major international acts to Milwaukee.
The groundwork was laid in part when the Bucks named Raj Saha as general manager of the Wisconsin Entertainment & Sports Center. He managed the O2 arena in London for arena giant AEG, and also helped stage the 2012 London Olympics and 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
With the construction of the new arena continuing, the Bucks’ upcoming season is slated to be their last at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
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