Up & Coming Weekly

10 UCW OCTOBER 14-20, 2009 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM STEPHANIE CRIDER, Staff Writer, COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or or email stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com Meet Frank Zaccoro, the new Director of Marketing at the Crown Center. He arrived from Tampa mid September and has hit the ground running. With a strong background in live events production, Zaccoro has done everything from performing in concerts and producing trade shows to marketing events and managing facilities. "The common thread that runs through it is live events production," said Zaccoro. "Whether it is as a user of the facility or actually working for the facility." Things have been fairly quiet at the Crown Center lately, and that is something that Zaccoro says needs to change. He's new to town, but already an advocate of using the facility to its fullest. "From what I understand, right now the Crown is seasonal — September through June. What I would like to see is 12 months, 52 weeks out of the year, busy. We need to get rid of the thinking that it is seasonal and enjoy it all year long," said Zacorro. "Being an indoor facility, we don't have to worry about the weather, summer storms or any of that. We can just go, go, go." With fi ve different buildings — the coliseum, arena, theater, expo and banquet facility, Zacorro sees the opportunity for events there at least every week. "There should not be any downtime, and that is my immediate goal — get as much information out to the public as possible and really let people know we are here and increase usage and really make it what it should be. It is called the Crown Center for a reason. It should be the crown of Fayetteville." A two-sided approach seems to be the strategy for bringing the Crown Center into the spotlight. "It is a matter of increasing the usage and just promoting the facility to people who are already aware of us so that they come back more often, and then also cultivating new relationships with other promoters," said Zacorro. The biggest challenge about making it happen is that it may take some time. "The fact that I am just coming in and the season has already started is a factor. So I didn't get a chance to lay groundwork prior to the season, and I am playing catch-up; that is my biggest concern," Zacorro said. Folks looking to book events here need to know that in working with the Crown, "They're going to get the best value for their dollar as a promoter." Coming in a little late in the game hasn't deterred him though, and Zacorro is confi dent that the Crown Center is poised to become a major player in the Fayetteville cultural scene. He's going to make that happen by giving attendees the best experience possible — every time they come to an event. "We are going to make sure that everyone who goes there really enjoys themself. You go there to have a good time. You don't want to go to a facility where you have issues with security. You don't want to go somewhere that you are going to be overcharged," said Zacorro. "We don't charge for parking, which is pretty much unheard of. We are very oriented and reality based where the attendees just need to have a good time. We don't want to make sure we get every dime they have on one event. We want to make sure they come back, so the concession prices are reasonable, and it is a very friendly atmosphere. You are expected to enjoy coming to one of our events — and if they don't, we want to know why so we can fi x it and make it better. That's what it is all about." Zacorro has an open-door policy and wants to hear from the community, whether is it a question or a suggestion. "I want to be accessible. That is the key to doing what I do well." Zaccoro Hopes for "No Downtime" at the Crown by STEPHANIE CRIDER CROWN THEATRE Commu Community nity Concerts Presents Concerts Presents October 24, October 24, 2009 2009 October 24, 2009 8:00 pm 8:00 pm 1.800.745.3000 For Doobie Brothers Tickets, Call Ticketmaster at 1.800.745.3000 Crown Box OfÄ ce at 910.438.4100

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