Chartway Arena at the Ted Constant Convocation Center
Mission Statement
The mission of Chartway Arena is to incorporate and enhance the overall mission of Old Dominion University and Campus Life Services by providing educational and student opportunities by serving the campus community and the Hampton Roads region as a multi-purpose venue.
Strategic Planning:
• Ensuring an exceptional experience for guests at all times in all aspects including parking, safety, concessions, accessibility.
• Invest in building repairs and maintenance through the capital improvement plan to maintain Chartway Arena’s reputation as a desirable destination where students, employees, the greater campus community and all guests can connect and enjoy a wide variety of entertainment and events.
• Develop partnerships and opportunities to increase revenues and attendance through event bookings and promotions of Chartway Arena.
• Continue to strengthen relationships with all University departments and student organizations to increase event promotions and student attendance.
On behalf of Oak View Group, I am proud to present the FY24 annual report for Chartway Arena at the Ted Constant Convocation Center, the premier sports and entertainment destination in the mid-Atlantic.
It was an incredibly busy year at Chartway Arena with the venue hosting 175 events and 375,000+ guests. Gross revenues for the year surpassed $15 million, the highest in the history of the arena. In FY24 we hosted 33 Old Dominion University basketball games and saw attendance for those games surpass 125,000 guests. And, once again, ODU men’s basketball led the Sun Belt Conference in attendance.
We hosted a venue record 24 nationally touring concerts and comedy shows in FY24. The year started off with an unusually busy summer as we presented Erykah Badu, Billy Strings, The Avett Brothers and Phil Wickham & Brandon Lake in July and August. In the fall we kicked off with Keith Sweat, the Grey Day tour, Nardo Wick & Waka Flocka in September, followed by Maxwell, Theo Von, Jeff Dunham, Theory of a Deadman & Skillet, In This Moment & Ice Nice Kills, and John Mulaney in November and December.
In January 2024, we saw a nationally televised AEW show on the TNT network. February featured the retirement party of the year in Hampton Roads as T.D. Jakes and Mike Jr. came to the arena to celebrate the retirement of Bishop Kim Brown from The Mount. Spring brought us shows by the Dropkick Murphys, Gabriel Iglesias, Ashanti, Lauren Daigle, Anthony Hamilton, Alabama, and Charlie Wilson. By providing the best entertainment in Hampton Roads, Chartway Arena was ranked by Pollstar as one of the busiest arenas in the world – coming in as the #16 ranked arena in the world under 10,000 seats
With an emphasis on the guest experience in FY24, we rolled out several new initiatives. Starting with basketball, we incorporated live music into the gameday experience. Live bands performed during pregame and halftime of MBB games in the Big Blue room creating a “Nashville” type of experience. During concerts we transformed the main lobby into Ted’s Irish Pub featuring live music, an Irish themed bar, and pub food & drinks. For commencements and graduations, we turned our lobby into a celebration area offering flowers, gifts, selfie areas, and themed food & drinks.
I am proud of the accomplishments we made at Chartway Arena over the last year. Our success is a direct reflection of the support and leadership that we have received from Old Dominion University, making us one of the best arenas in the world!
Words From Mike
Mike Fryling, District General Manager
OVERVIEW of chartway arena
Chartway Arena is a premier mid-sized arena located on the campus of Old Dominion University. Operated and managed by Oak View Group, this elite multipurpose arena offers over 8,000 seats and is increased to a 9,000-seat capacity for special events such as commencements, concerts, and family shows. In addition to the versatile space in the arena, Chartway Arena features a 9,100 square foot multi-functional room which can be divided into five separate banquet areas to accommodate any sized gathering. Chartway Arena is home to the Old Dominion University Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams.
Chartway Arena features a wide variety of national and international touring events each year –from musical acts such as BB King, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Chris Tomlin, Dave Matthews Band, Dolly Parton, Elton John, Foo Fighters, Green Day, James Taylor, Journey, Lionel Richie, New Edition, Ringo Starr, The Isley Brothers, ZZ Top – to MMA (UFC: Ultimate Fighting Championship) and wrestling (AEW: All Elite Wrestling) events – family shows including Harlem Globetrotters, Sesame Street Live, and Blippi – comedians like Jeff Dunham, Jo Koy, Theo Von, and Gabriel Iglesias – and many more. The venue also plays host to speaking engagements, conferences, meetings, fundraising galas, trade shows, career fairs, cultural gatherings, and many other events that benefit the University and Hampton Roads communities.
OVERVIEW of S.B. BALLARD STADIUM
Oak View Group is proud to be a partner with Old Dominion University in the management of several events at ODU’s on-campus football stadium, S.B. Ballard Stadium. OVG provides its industry-leading experience and expertise in several aspects of the Monarch Football gameday experience in aspects including gameday operations, event and security staffing, ticketing, ingame audio/visual production, event parking, housekeeping, premium hospitality services, and more. The OVG team also provides support in these areas for ODU’s Spring Commencement ceremonies in the stadium and has hosted unique events in the stadium such as high school football championships and the Virginia International Tattoo.
OVG has managed gameday operations for ODU Football at Kornblau Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium since the program’s rebirth in 2009. At the conclusion of the 2018 ODU Football season, transformation from Foreman Field to Kornblau Field began. OVG assisted with the development of the new stadium by consulting on several aspects of the design, FF&E, event budgeting, staffing, gameday logistics, and emergency operations. OVG is proud to have been part of the process to usher in the new era of ODU Football.
OVG OVERVIEW
Making a Positive Disruption in the Entertainment & Hospitality Industry
Oak View Group is a full-service venue management company specializing in sports, live entertainment, and hospitality. Our portfolio of 300 + client-partners spans arenas, stadiums, convention centers, performing arts centers, cultural institutions, and state fairs around the globe. Service-oriented and driven by social responsibility, OVG helps facilities drive value through excellence and innovation in food services, venue operations, booking and content development, sustainable operations, public health and safety, parking, premium and corporate sales, marketing and more.
Experience & Approach
Our approach to operating is unapparelled. Maintaining a focus on creating premium content that promises to deliver a unique guest experience is what drives our team. The depth of our resources, industry experience and relationships are unmatched throughout the industry. Our team looks forward to capitalizing on our resources to help clients achieve their goals and obtain unapparelled results.
Venue Management
OVG has one simple goal – to provide venues with customized services that produce results. Every venue, market, and venue owner is unique; each has different characteristics, missions, and goals. Therefore, OVG believes each venue requires and deserves customized strategies and solutions to maximize its success. Our services are unrivaled and designed to deliver unprecedented results.
OVG WHO WE ARE
We ELEVATE expectations
November 9, 2023
Theo Von's "Return of the Rat" Tour filled Chartway Arena to capacity, marking a sold-out success.
PHIL WICKHAM +
August 12, 2023
THEO VON GABRIEL IGLESIAS
BRANDON LAKE
The Summer Nights Worship Tour, headlined by Phil Wickham and Brandon Lake, alongside special guest KB and speaker Carlos Whittaker, delivered a profound evening of authentic worship and prayer that deeply resonated throughout the arena.
March 8, 2024
One of America's most successful stand-up comedians, Gabriel Iglesias, made his fourth appearance at Chartway Arena.
July 19, 2023
Grammy® Award-winning Billy Strings returned to Chartway Arena, thrilling fans with brand new music from his latest album.
BILLY STRINGS ERYKAH BADU
July 12, 2023
The 'Unfollow Me' Tour featured Grammy® Award-winning singer-songwriter and performance artist Erykah Badu, joined by Yasiin Bey at Chartway Arena.
LAUREN DAIGLE
March 16, 2024
Grammy® Award-winning singer-songwriter Lauren Daigle performed at Chartway Arena as part of her "The Kaleidoscope Tour".
March 7, 2024
Dropkick Murphys took the stage with an electric performance, featuring legends Pennywise as special guests, with hotly-tipped Dublin rock band The Scratch.
DROPKICK MURPHYS ALABAMA
April 25, 2024
Multi-platinum selling country rock group, Alabama, brought their "Roll On 2 North America" Tour to Chartway Arena, featuring special guest Lee Greenwood.
ASHANTI
(GROWN & SEXY TOUR)
March 9, 2024
The Grown & Sexy Music Fest performed for one night only, presenting a fun filled evening of R&B music at Chartway Arena.
OUR PARTNERS
The team at Chartway Arena understands that our success comes from both inside and outside of the venue. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge some of our key partners.
Old Dominion University - A proud partner of Old Dominion University since 2002, OVG works hand in hand with ODU leadership and staff to provide world-class experiences at Chartway Arena. We are proud members of the ODU community and look forward to the continued partnership for years to come.
Chartway Credit Union - ODU and Chartway FCU signed a 10-year branding and sponsorship agreement and the venue name officially changed to Chartway Arena in September 2019. This partnership reinvigorated the venue by providing a sleek, new branding for Chartway Arena.
Aramark - Aramark holds the exclusive catering rights at Old Dominion University and Chartway Arena. In addition to the numerous concession stands that wrap the second floor of the venue, Aramark caters to the luxury suites on the club level and specialty events held in the multipurpose room. Aramark also operates the very successful Starbucks location inside the venue.
SeatGeek- Chartway Arena is proud to partner with SeatGeek the 'Official Fan to Fan Ticket Marketplace' of Chartway Arena. This exciting partnership with SeatGeek allows fans more freedom in pricing, number of ticket listings and reach to ticket buyers through a convenient integration with the venue's ticketing system.
Prolific 1 - Prolific 1 (P1) is a leader in ticket distribution and insights for live entertainment rights-holders. P1 has made a substantial impact on the venue's ticket sales and revenue generation.
Paciolan - Paciolan is a leader in ticketing, fundraising, marketing, analytics, and technology solutions powering more than 500 live entertainment organizations that sell over 120 million tickets per year. Chartway Arena utilized Paciolan's software to sell tickets to all Chartway Arena and ODU Athletics events.
STARBUCKS at CHARTWAY
Starbucks at Chartway Arena continues to be a successful venture by driving revenues on non-event days. The store grossed more than $615,000 in sales surpassing all previous years. Net commissions to Chartway Arena’s bottom line exceeded $100,000.
Facebook:
Anthony Hamilton Post Show Pictures
Reach: 31,918
Impressions: 32,635 Interactions: 287
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media continues to be a dominant force in how we market and communicate. Artists, event promoters, and venues tap into these resources to promote their brands and sell tickets Chartway
Arena's Social Media Accounts
Facebook 23,662 followers (increased by 8% from last year)
X 6,909 followers
Instagram 4,365 followers (increased by 18% from last year)
Instagram:
Pierce The Veil Announce
Reach: 26,977
Impressions: 31,437
Interactions: 3,391
Likes: 1,749
Comments: 28 Shares: 1,438
Twitter: AEW Announce
Impressions: 35,902
Engagements: 811
Likes: 262
Retweets: 54
LOOKING AHEAD fy2025
Fiscal Year 25 looks to be a promising year for the live event industry. With 12 shows already confirmed, entertainment enthusiasts in Hampton Roads will be able to see their favorite artist such as Bell Biv DeVoe performing their smash hit “Poison”, to Americana singer-songwriter and actor Jason Isbell, to the legendary actor and comedian Martin Lawrence. Along with MercyMe, Next & Ginuwine, Chris Tomlin, Pierce The Veil, and TobyMac, FY2025 promises to provide something for everyone.
With more than 22 years of providing top quality entertainment, it is time to invest back into the venue. This year we will be making major improvements to the venue starting with replacing the legendary stage at Chartway Arena. The original stage has seen over 350 different headlining artists including rock and roll hall of famers BB King, Bob Dylan, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Bruce Springsteen, Cheap Trick, Dave Matthews, Dolly Parton, Elton John, Elvis Costello, Foo Fighters, Green Day, James Taylor, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Journey, Lionel Richie, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pat Benatar, Ringo Starr, Sheryl Crow, Steve Miller Band, Stevie Nicks, The Dells, The Isley Brothers, The Moody Blues, The O’Jays, and ZZ Top.
Additional improvements include new telescopic seating, replacing 1,700 chairs, updating suites and donor areas, new curtaining system, replace carpeting, and updating the Big Blue Room.
In addition to fulfilling a full slate of events, the team at Chartway Arena is hard at work dreaming up and implementing new revenue streams to help offset the rising costs of operating and maintaining a facility that has been successfully entertaining the Hampton Roads community for over 20 years. The focus will be on maximizing revenue opportunities at each event held in the venue as well as identifying new ventures that can contribute to the bottom line on non-event days.
We look forward to another year of creating special memories for our guests and managing the crown jewel of Old Dominion University.
