Premier Center celebrates ten years of success with P!nk
The Denny Sanford PREMIER Center turns 10 this month, and pop singer P!nk is coming to the birthday party.
Already, Falls Park is aglow in cotton candy pink to celebrate her Summer Carnival tour’s arrival, and the road in front of the Denny has been renamed P!NK Place. There are pink banners uptown, pink drinks downtown, pink balloons in the hotels, and a custodian at the PREMIER Center is already preparing to sweep up pink glitter for days.
The cornerstone concert is this Monday, Oct. 21.
What did it take to get to such a grandiose celebration?
After the Sioux Falls Arena, built in 1961, could no longer hold our Sioux Falls community’s capacity – which had nearly doubled in size from the 1960s to the early 2000s – talks of an updated, larger event center rumbled. There was pushback, but study groups and a citywide vote ultimately committed to add on to the arena and Sioux Falls Convention Center what would be named the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, a namesake made possible by a 25-year, $20 million agreement with Sanford Health and First PREMIER Bank.
“So many memories are going to be created in this facility,” said then-mayor Mike Huether during the ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration in September of 2019. The public was, at last, invited to tour the anticipated $115 million endeavor. They settled in to one of the 12,000 event center seats among four levels, took in the view from each of the 22 suites and 18 loge boxes, took in the views from the bar rail seating and enjoyed discounts at the concessions, which now a offer grab-and-go option for fans who need the popcorn but don’t want to miss a beat.
“I’d love to have everybody to feel proud when they leave,” Huether said.
And how could we not? Within the past 10 years, we have welcomed to our darling Queen City infamous performers like Garth Brooks and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, for nine days’ worth of sold-out concerts in 2017. Dolly Parton came to town the year before, also with lots of pink and sequins, The Eagles brought their “History” tour a year after the Denny opened, and Stevie Nicks cried on stage when Fleetwood Mac came to woo us in 2019.
The Denny’s assistant general manager Jim Johnson said that country music is our city’s most beloved genre. To please us, Johnson said they’ve worked hard to lure Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Shania Twain and Rascal Flatts, Blake Shelton and Reba McEntire, Eric Church and Jason Aldean, who was one of the first performers to step on stage at the Denny on Oct. 3, 2014. The giddy crowd sang along to “Wide Open” and “My Kinda Party” for his “Burnin’ it Down” tour.
I was there.
We are faithful fans in Sioux Falls, and Aldean’s was the first of over 50 sold-out shows over the years. Metallica currently takes the cake with a record-breaking 12,980 fans in the stands earlier this year. Before that, Elton John brought in over 11,000 fans in 2015 for his second visit to Sioux falls and then Carrie Underwood broke 12K fans in the fall of 2019. The venue continues to break its own records.
With around 20 concerts a year – and nearly 100 events per year, including basketball tournaments, hockey games, rodeo and the popular Disney on Ice shows every December – the PREMIER Center sells over 700,000 tickets annually and nets nearly $3 million.
“This is one of the best markets I’ve seen,” Johnson said, who has been booking shows for the Denny since 2018. He was new to Sioux Falls after moving here from California and says that Sioux Falls has an ideal community feel. “Building this venue took years of foresight, but it’s truly been a successful venture.”
Today, that venture continues to churn with the help of around 50 full-time and nearly 500 part-time employees, who come to take tickets, sell food and drinks and usher guests to their seats. Mike Krewson has been general manager of the facility since 2018, succeeding Terry Torkildson, the only other GM for the Denny.
“Our team here has worked tirelessly to make this complex the leader in the region that it is today,” Krewson said. “We continue to raise the bar year after year, increasing our event offerings and elevating the guest experience.”
The effort has received national attention and accolades, including multiple nominations for “Arena of the Year” from the Academy of Country Music Awards. Last year, the Denny was one of the top six event centers to be honored at the ACMs, including arenas in Texas, Florida, Arkansas and Tennessee, all of which seat at least 14,000 and up to 21,000 butts in seats. Comparatively, the Denny only seats 12,000.
“This is why we work as hard as we do for our guests and touring artists,” Krewson said last year.
Johnson contributes a thriving culture to their success.
Even during a pandemic in 2020, when most tours were canceled, Johnson said the staff morale sustained and maybe even increased with thanks to a supportive city and Denny management. They’ve always kept up with monthly staff meetings, work anniversary celebrations, team building “pulse checks,” rock-paper-scissors tournaments, and even see who can drop rubber duckies from the third floor and into a bucket in the bowl of the arena.
“Here you know you’re giving up a lot of your nights and weekends,” Johnson said. “We spend a lot of time together, we’re like a family, and so we want to get people out of their offices as much as we can and have some fun together.”
Externally, the Denny and our city is well known among performers as a place they want to return to.
Doria Drost, the event center’s director of marketing, says that performers swoon over venue catering – some say it’s the best they have tour – the kindness from staff and the unexpected extra miles.
“Jim Gaffigan and his wife were blown away by the venue donating a portion of ticket sales from his show toward a nonprofit one of their children runs, The Imagine Society,” Drost said. Gaffigan was just here last month. “And Lauren Daigle mentioned that she loved the gift box from local artisan, Wonderfully Made, and a flower crown-making station backstage.” Daigle was here in 2019 and again earlier this year.
Johnson adds that the staff insists all tours visiting feel at home and have “the easiest day possible” when they’re on the road. The Denny’s great sales history is enticing, too, he said. Their first year alone netted over $1 million in sales.
“Every now and then, we’ll run into an agent who hasn’t been here before and has ‘Little House on the Prairie’ on their mind of what they think South Dakota is like,” Johnson said. “But when they see how quickly we are expanding and experience everything we have to offer, it’s an easy selling point for promoters.
And the focus is equally on the fans, too, Drost says – ensuring smooth concession lines, a clean building and friendly greeters.
“Denny Sanford PREMIER Center’s brand is all about fostering community,” Drost said. “It’s all about creating positive, unique experiences for the public.”
“In the end, we’re really just trying to be good members of our community,” Johnson added.
What’s next?
Johnson said the Denny has their sights on continuing to break their own records in ticket sales and sold-out shows as it enters its next decade. The focus is otherwise on upgrades to the existing building, still in very good shape – “we’ve had the Arena for 60 years and even that is still doing great!” – and long-term expansions for the Sioux Falls Convention Center, which is at capacity as it continues to host conferences and tourism events.
He says any need now can take up to five years to implement and so they keep their focus on funding, tech upgrades and building structure needs.
“My brain is really in the future here,” Johnson said. “I usually know more about what’s happening next year than what’s happening next week!”
As we continue to reflect on what a treasure the venue has been to our community, Mayor Paul TenHaken says he “can’t imagine a Sioux Falls without a PREMIER Center.”
“This venue has been a catalyst for economic growth, cultural enrichment, and unforgettable experiences,” he said. “I’m grateful for the visionary leadership and dedicated team who made this achievement possible and will continue to see its success.”
