<\/p>\n
Alixel Cabrera<\/strong><\/p>\n (Utah News Dispatch) In addition to a remodeled Delta Center and a reimagined convention center, Salt Lake City\u2019s downtown sports and entertainment district will have another landmark \u2014 a brand new 6,000-seat indoor music venue.<\/p>\n Smith Entertainment Group, the owner of Utah\u2019s NBA and NHL franchises announced on Tuesday a partnership with Live Nation Entertainment to build the new venue, the first of many major announcements for the heart of the state-created downtown sports, entertainment, culture, and convention center district.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce the transformation of Delta Center was underway, partnering with Live Nation on what a world-class concert venue could look like in downtown became a top priority. Not only will it bring the best artists in the world to Utah, but it will also bring a million people downtown to experience Salt Lake City every year,\u201d Ryan Smith, chair and CEO of Smith Entertainment Group said in a statement.<\/p>\n Both Smith Entertainment Group and Live Nation will commit \u201cconsiderable financial investment\u201d for the project, Smith said.<\/p>\n The announcement comes after\u00a0Salt Lake City\u2019s approval<\/a>\u00a0of a 0.5% sales tax increase to gather $900 million mostly to renovate the Delta Center to equip it to host hockey games, but also to redevelop three downtown blocks. That was part of a plan drawn by a\u00a02024 law<\/a>\u00a0that allowed Salt Lake City to help fund renovations to the Delta Center and an enhanced downtown.<\/p>\n The new development is considerably smaller than its neighboring Delta Center, which is able to accommodate 12,000 to 19,000 attendees in Salt Lake City and will continue hosting concerts and other entertainment events \u201cwhile the new venue will serve artists seeking a best-in-class, mid-size indoor option,\u201d according to a news release.<\/p>\n Smith Entertainment Group expects to host 200 events a year, including 100 concerts and other corporate, conference and community events.<\/p>\n Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall described the project as \u201ca perfect fit for downtown,\u201d bringing new entertainment opportunities to Utah\u2019s capital and providing people in and out of state a chance to see artists\u2019 performances.<\/p>\n Mendenhall hasn\u2019t heard directly about whether Smith Entertainment Group will tap into the $375 million of taxpayer dollars the company is allowed to use for the downtown district for this venue. But, she said, she assumes some of those funds will be used for the deal.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s worth noting that there isn\u2019t a venue like this in Salt Lake City, so this is additional to the industry and the atmosphere of entertainment in the city. It\u2019s not duplicative. And Live Nation is the best in the United States at doing these kinds of shows,\u201d Mendenhall said.<\/p>\n For Smith, this means that many artists that usually fly over Utah during their tours will actually stop and bring their shows to Salt Lake City. And for Michael Rapino, CEO of Live Nation, it opens up opportunities for musicians.<\/p>\n \u201cSix thousand is a new sweet spot in music,\u201d Rapino said in a news conference Tuesday. \u201cLots of artists can play arenas. Some can play 200 seats, but there\u2019s a big middle ground where they can\u2019t quite solo the arena at 15,000 so they want to find that venue of 5,000, 6,000.\u201d<\/p>\n There isn\u2019t a rendering of the development available yet, and plans for the building are still under development, Mike Maughan, a Smith Entertainment Group executive said. However, the company knows the venue will be on the 6.5 acres in between the Delta Center and the Salt Palace Convention Center. Demolition in the area will likely begin in early 2027.<\/p>\n Smith Entertainment Group is currently identifying an architect for that mid block to determine a phasing plan.<\/p>\n The project is a joint venture, Smith said, with Live Nation acting as operator of the venue and \u201ccontrolling the experience, which is probably what\u2019s way more important than who the landlord is.\u201d<\/p>\n The venue is also part of a Live Nation national expansion in sports and entertainment districts, adding to the MGM Music Hall at Boston\u2019s Fenway Park and other similar projects in Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Atlanta.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n