Brookshire Grocery Arena attracts big entertainment

It has been almost 25 years since the doors were officially opened on what is now the Brookshire Grocery Arena in Bossier City. Over that span, it has had several major sponsors, and ASM Global, the company that manages the property, is taking this year to look back on that history and highlight some of the milestones along that way.

Tyler Slanovec, general manager of the arena, said, “It’s going to be a whole year to reminisce about everything we’ve had going on. Now, we’re looking at how we want the building to be for the next 25 years as well.”

There have already been a couple of big-name events in 2025, and the rest of the year has more scheduled. Martin Lawrence is booked for April, the annual Blues Fest will come in April, Parker McCollum will open in July, and the real Cowboy Association, the National Black Rodeo Finals, are set for November. Monroe area’s Lainey Wilson will bring a Louisiana flair to the concert stage in September.

“There are so many historic milestones for this building we want to make sure we have a whole year to celebrate,” Slanovec said. “We’re right around seven million guests. Sometime this year we are expecting to welcome our seven millionth guest to the building.”

He said Shreveport-Bossier was just ranked in the top 100 concert sites in the country. “We were ranked 99th for the first time, which is a true testament to us and the things we are doing here, the Strand Theatre is doing, the Municipal Auditorium, the Humor and Harmony Festival. There was so much entertainment this past year, and we were able to take part in it.”

ASM Global is used to big entertainment.

They manage 400 arenas, stadiums, theaters, convention centers, performing arts centers and more all around the globe.

“Everywhere from Australia to Europe to Canada, the United States, Asian Pacific, we do all kinds of venues,” according to Slanovec. “We do many stadiums in the NFL.

We do Soldier Field in Chicago, we do State Farm Stadium in Glendale Arizona, we do the Superdome in New Orleans, we manage Entergy Park in Houston, where the Houston Texans play, Ever Bank Field in Jacksonville, where the Jacksonville Jaguars play. We do have a number of large properties. We also do a number of NBA properties. We manage the Smoothie King Center in Oklahoma City. We manage Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder play. Barclay Center in Brooklyn New York, where the Brooklyn Nets play.”

He said there are more arenas in this country than ever before, and it’s imperative that his team keeps Brookshire Arena top of mind in the concert and event industry. “We have high capacity; 14,000 seats in a midsized market is not something that you see a lot. So, it’s a great way for us to be able to go after some of those larger acts that may be playing in a larger city like Houston or Chicago, or New York, or Philly, or like that. To have a major seating capacity in a mid-sized market and in an area that’s super-convenient for a touring production. Us being located off of I-20 and having great parkway access right off of the interstate. Us having a ton of parking for trucks and buses is an asset for us. Many venues have to have the buses and trucks park off site because they don’t have the ample parking. So, there are a lot of great benefits of this building that make us able to make a pitch to try to get those artists and acts to come into town.”

And the effort it takes to interest and attract the big events, the major headliners and the big drawing acts is what makes running a venue like Brookshire Grocery Arena a big business. “With so many new arenas opening in major markets. All the glitz and the glamor and the shine. For us, it’s really being able to go out and market ourselves and reminding promoters there’s this pretty building in Bossier City.”

Slanovec and his team will take 2025 to make sure that the community appreciates what it has as a drawing card sitting on the banks of the Red River. He suggests you stay tuned.