Nashville, Tenn. (Nov. 19, 2024) – Pollstar Magazine announced that Bridgestone Arena, home of the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators, has been nominated for Arena of the Year for 2024. This is Bridgestone Arena’s 17th consecutive and 20th overall nomination for the award.
Additionally, Bridgestone Arena and Nashville Predators Chief Venues Officer David Kells was nominated for Pollstar’s Venue Executive of the Year. This is the 10th time Kells has been nominated for Venue Executive of the Year award; he won it in 2017 and 2022. The award recognizes the venue executive who exhibited integrity, operational competence, marketing savvy, can-do attitude, flexibility, calm under stress and business acumen.
“It is an incredible honor to receive our 17th consecutive Pollstar nomination for Arena of the Year, and this recognition would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication from our staff and fans who make Bridgestone Arena the best environment in the sports and entertainment industry,” Kells said. “We would also like to thank the music and touring community for helping make 501 Broadway a premier destination. I am honored to represent Bridgestone Arena and be nominated alongside such talented individuals in our industry.”
Bridgestone Arena ranked seventh in the United States for ticket sales and 16th in the world for gross revenue according to the international publication Pollstar’s 2024 Mid-Year Report. From Nov. 16, 2023, through May 15, 2024, Bridgestone Area sold 458,998 tickets and grossed $40,457,300 in total revenue (inclusive solely of show and concert tickets).
So far in 2024, Bridgestone Arena has hosted 29 first-time headline performers and 140 events, including at least two sold-out nights of Drake, Billy Strings, Tyler Childers, Noah Kahan and Chris Stapleton. Bridgestone Arena also hosted the Annual Country Music Awards for the 18th time and the SEC Basketball Tournament for the 19th time this year.
Pollstar’s Arena of the Year award recognizes the arena that showcased superior programming, effective promotion and marketing, quality production values and staff, an exemplary experience for fans and artists and consistent box office success. Bridgestone Arena won the award in 2014, 2017 and 2023.
2024 Pollstar Arena of the Year (U.S. Only) Nominees
- Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
- Kia Forum, Inglewood, CA
- Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
- Moody Center, Austin, TX
- Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
- Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
- Sphere, Las Vegas, NV
2024 Pollstar Venue Executive of the Year Nominees
- Becky Colwell, Kia Forum, Intuit Dome
- Christy Castillo Butcher, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park
- David Kells, Bridgestone Arena
- Jeff Nickler, Moody Center
- Randy Fibiger, Madison Square Garden
- Rich MacKeigan, Van Andel Arena
Pollstar Magazine focuses primarily on the concert industry and reports on news regarding sports and entertainment. The nominating committee is comprised of industry leaders in all facets of the entertainment business, including arena managers, artists, artist managers, agents and promoters from across the country and abroad.
The 36th Annual Pollstar Awards are scheduled to take place from Feb. 18-20 at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.
