BSE Global announces new Chief Entertainment Officer; Pollstar cites some gaudy gross revenues for past concerts

A 2/9/21 press release from BSE Global, which operates the Barclays Center, BSE GLOBAL HIRES ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY VETERAN LAURIE JACOBY AS CHIEF ENTERTAINMENT OFFICER

JACOBY IS THE CURRENT POLLSTAR AWARD WINNER FOR VENUE EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

BROOKLYN (Feb. 8, 2021) – John Abbamondi, CEO of BSE Global, which owns the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center and supports the management of the New York Liberty, has announced the hiring of Laurie Jacoby as Executive Vice President, Chief Entertainment Officer.

As Chief Entertainment Officer, Jacoby will oversee programming and marketing for Barclays Center, including the booking of concerts, non-tenant sporting events, family shows, and award shows. Additionally, she will be responsible for the development of other premier live events at the venue.

“Laurie is one of the most talented and respected executives in the entertainment business and we are thrilled to welcome her to the BSE Global family,” said Abbamondi. “With experience in booking shows and events at award-winning and globally-recognized venues, she is exceptionally qualified to lead programming efforts for Barclays Center. I am looking forward to Laurie leveraging her expertise to bring an incredible slate of events to Brooklyn.”

“I am proud to join BSE Global, an organization that is committed to elevating the standard for the entertainment industry,” said Jacoby. “Barclays Center has built a reputation as being a place where artists and fans alike can come together to have the ultimate live event experience and celebrate their mutual love of music. What the arena has been able to accomplish since opening is remarkable and I am excited to build on that success.”

Jacoby joins the organization after serving as Senior Vice President of Concerts and Entertainment at Madison Square Garden Entertainment. With decades of entertainment industry experience, she is a widely-respected leader in the business and the current Pollstar Award winner for Venue Executive of the Year, an honor she has earned a total of three times. Other accolades include being named to Billboard’s 2019 Women in Music Executive list and 2019 Power 100 List.

Jacoby will begin work at BSE Global on March 1 and report directly to Abbamondi.

(Emphasis added)

Note that BSE Global does not own the Barclays Center, just the operating company.

And in Pollstar, some statistics

In 2/8/21 coverage headlined Laurie Jacoby Named BSE Global Executive Vice President, Chief Entertainment Officer, Pollstar noted that Jacoby's  "22-year career with [Madison Square Garden] came to an end in August 2020, when her position was among the hundreds of jobs cut by the company due to the coronavirus pandemic."

Pollstar also added some little-known statistics about the Barclays Center:

The arena's top box office report is a sold-out, two-night October 2012 stand by Barbra Streisand that grossed $9.33 million. Other highlights include Jay-Z's sold-out, eight-show, venue-opening run ($7.36 million) and three sold-out shows featuring Drake and Migos in 2018 ($5.74 million).

Barclays' final concerts before the coronavirus shutdown were three Celine Dion gigs, which grossed $6.99 million.

While gross revenues may seem impressive, the key in this case is net--revenues over expenses. And that first year, especially, for Barclays was not a financial success, which means the arena spent money on operations and/or made deal with artists that hampered the bottom line.