LONG TIME NO SEE: Family-friendly fare, like Disney on Ice, will do better here if the show hasn't been around for a while. (Getty Images file photo )
Who We Are: Culture in Colorado
value and selectionFun but frugal: Big event promoters peg Denver as a deal-hungry placeA genre-by-genre look at what makes us unique
By John WenzelThe Denver Post
WE'RE CRAZY FOR string quartets, Latino comedians, technicolor dreamcoats - and for some reason - sculpture by George Rickey. A genre-by-genre look at what makes us unique.
When it comes to special events and family entertainment in Denver, the word is value.
That fact has become abundantly clear lately, at least to promoters whose job is to pinpoint what we will go for here.
"The economy, especially over the last year and a half, has really made people reevaluate what they do with their entertainment dollar," said Scott Gales, spokesman for Kroenke Sports Enterprises, which owns the Pepsi Center.
In addition to sports and live music, the Pepsi Center hosts family-friendly entertainment such as Smucker's Stars on Ice, the traveling Olympic figure skating show.
"Lately, the shows we've seen do very well here are ones that have never played (in Denver) or haven't been here in a long time. Stuff that's here every year is at a disadvantage."
That's not great news for perennial shows from nouveau-circus act Cirque du Soleil (which, for the first time in several years, has not announced any Colorado appearances for 2010) or the Harlem Globetrotters. And with money on their minds, many families are opting for all-encompassing entertainment experiences.
It's no shocker — and it's certainly not unique to Denver — but with so many folks scrambling to pay the bills, more equals better.
"I've had conversations with lots of 'mom bloggers' and what they're saying is 'If I'm going to spend the money to go to this show then I want more than two hours of entertainment,' " said Debbie Fitzgerald, co-founder of Fitzgerald Petersen Public Relations.
In addition to local attractions like Water World and the Clyfford Still Museum, Fitzgerald's company promotes touring productions from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and Disney on Ice.
"We gear our events toward Colorado, which is just so healthy and active, so a lot of times what we'll do is have a skating party when Disney on Ice comes to town to promote the show," Fitzgerald said. "That's just what people do here."
John Wenzel
WE'RE CRAZY FOR string quartets, Latino comedians, technicolor dreamcoats - and for some reason - sculpture by George Rickey. A genre-by-genre look at what makes us unique.
When it comes to special events and family entertainment in Denver, the word is value.
That fact has become abundantly clear lately, at least to promoters whose job is to pinpoint what we will go for here.
"The economy, especially over the last year and a half, has really made people reevaluate what they do with their entertainment dollar," said Scott Gales, spokesman for Kroenke Sports Enterprises, which owns the Pepsi Center.
In addition to sports and live music, the Pepsi Center hosts family-friendly entertainment such as Smucker's Stars on Ice, the traveling Olympic figure skating show.
"Lately, the shows we've seen do very well here are ones that have never played (in Denver) or haven't been here in a long time. Stuff that's here every year is at a disadvantage."
That's not great news for perennial shows from nouveau-circus act Cirque du Soleil (which, for the first time in several years, has not announced any Colorado appearances for 2010) or the Harlem Globetrotters. And with money on their minds, many families are opting for all-encompassing entertainment experiences.
It's no shocker — and it's certainly not unique to Denver — but with so many folks scrambling to pay the bills, more equals better.
"I've had conversations with lots of 'mom bloggers' and what they're saying is 'If I'm going to spend the money to go to this show then I want more than two hours of entertainment,' " said Debbie Fitzgerald, co-founder of Fitzgerald Petersen Public Relations.
In addition to local attractions like Water World and the Clyfford Still Museum, Fitzgerald's company promotes touring productions from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and Disney on Ice.
"We gear our events toward Colorado, which is just so healthy and active, so a lot of times what we'll do is have a skating party when Disney on Ice comes to town to promote the show," Fitzgerald said. "That's just what people do here."
John Wenzel
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