New Tyson, Orpheum GM wants to build on success (2023)

SIOUX CITY — Nick Palmiotti, the Tyson Events Center and Orpheum Theatre's new general manager, said he wants to "continue to fight" for great entertainment to come to those venues, while building on efforts to secure events that drive economic impact in the city.

"A lot of times, the NAIAs of the world and the high school sporting events, regional dance competitions have a huge economic impact to the city. I want to keep developing that," he said. "I think the team here and my predecessors did a fantastic job getting those events to come to Sioux City."

Palmiotti took the reins as GM on March 27. He replaces Tim Savona, who had held the position since February 2019. Enzo Carannante, who served as assistant general manager and director of marketing at the Tyson, departed shortly before Savona. Emily Vondrak, who worked under Carannante, assumed his position.

OVG360, formerly Spectra, took over booking, marketing, staffing and food and beverage service at the Tyson and Orpheum Theatre on Jan. 1, 2018, after the council voted to privatize the Tyson's operations.

OVG360, a division of Oak View Group, is a full-service venue management and hospitality company with a portfolio of more than 200 arenas, stadiums, convention centers, performing arts centers, cultural institutions and state fairs around the world.

The 10,000-seat Tyson has been owned by the city since it opened in 2003. The Orpheum is independently owned and jointly operated with the city.

Palmiotti called the Orpheum a "phenomenal place" and a "key selling point" in his decision to take the job in Sioux City. He also praised the community's support for Tyson's "tenant teams," the Musketeers and Bandits.

"As supported as those teams have been over the years by this community is also great," he said. "I'm excited to continue to work with the Musketeers and Bandits. Having two tenant teams like that in a city this size is pretty great."

'A standout'

Palmiotti was born in Dayton, Ohio, but moved to Colorado when he was 10. He has spent most of his life in the Centennial State.

After graduating from Colorado State University Pueblo with a mass communications degree in 2009, Palmiotti thought he was going to pursue a career in radio. Instead, he landed in the sports and entertainment industry.

Palmiotti got a job putting on large-scale outdoor concerts and festivals at Pueblo's Historic Arkansas Riverwalk. Then, he went on to work as a promoter for the Professional Bull Riders (PBR).

"In that role, I got to travel the country. I worked in arenas and stadiums all over the country and really kind of cut my teeth on large arena events in that role," he said.

After a couple of years with PBR, Palmiotti said he "had an itch to do something a little bit different." He did stints at a marketing agency and a manufacturing company.

"Those of us who work in events and entertainment often get sucked back into it," said Palmiotti, who came back to live events in 2019 when he joined OVG360 as director of sales and marketing for the Pueblo Convention Center and Pueblo Memorial Hall.

In 2021, Palmiotti was promoted to district marketing manager for OVG360, where he supported marketing teams at 11 different venues in the United States and Canada.

In a statement issued last month, OVG360 regional vice president Rick Hontz said Palmiotti's high energy, ability to drive revenue and commitment to fan experience made him a standout.

"(Palmiotti's) desire to continue to grow and creatively bring in entertainment position him as the perfect candidate for the Tyson Events Center and Orpheum Theatre," Hontz said.

New opportunity

Palmiotti said he sees a lot of similarities between Sioux City and Pueblo.

"Coming from a similar working-class town in Pueblo, I felt like I could do well here. I felt like I had something to offer the community. I was really excited for this opportunity," he said.

Last August, in a split decision, the Sioux City Council agreed to extend the city's current agreement with OVG360 for the management and operation of the Tyson and Orpheum Theatre for a duration of five years and, potentially, another five years after that.

Mayor Bob Scott was the lone council member to vote against extending the city's current agreement with OVG360.

"What they told us when they took over was that the concerts would be easier for them than anyone else, because they have such a huge portfolio of arenas that would be able to hook a concert going from somewhere," Scott said at that time. "Now, all of a sudden, the venue size is a big problem. But the venue size didn't change."

Palmiotti told The Journal that OVG360's main commitment to the city was helping reduce the operating deficit.

"I think we've done a great job in the first five years of doing that. We said we would do that in a couple different ways. We would help improve operations. We said we would improve the event mix," he said. "And, that can mean a lot of different things. It can mean more concerts. It can mean different types of events, like NAIA being a great partner, getting more regional high school sporting events and dance competitions and those sorts of things."

Palmiotti said his focus will be to "continue to program the building well."

"As far as concerts go, there's a lot of competition regionally to get top-tier concerts here at the Tyson. We'll continue to do that. We'll continue to fight for the shows we can get, but certainly won't lose sight of those other economic impact-type events that we can get there," he said.

The Abu Bekr Shrine Circus ends its five-day run at the Tyson on Sunday. Alice Cooper's "Too Close For Comfort" Tour is coming to the venue on May 7, while the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Glow Party is slated for May 13 and 14. The Doobie Brothers are scheduled to perform at the Tyson on June 17.

Palmiotti couldn't reveal any information about new bookings, which haven't been announced.

"I don't have anything that I can share just yet. We've got a couple of exciting things that are on the horizon," he said. "Hopefully, in the next few months, we'll have some more for you on that."