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New
facility is one of largest in NWNC The director of Appalachian State University's new George M. Holmes Convocation Center sees an array of events beyond the traditional pomp and circumstances surrounding convocation and graduation. "This is truly a multi-purpose center for the community and region," he said. "It will be what the university, town, county and region want it to be. "We can bring almost anything here because of this facility's versatility: arena football, ice shows, motocross, rodeos, the circus, political rallies, student fairs, regional sports tourneys, cook-offs, or charity events." The center can also serve as a large relief shelter in the event of floods, fire, ice, snow or other emergency circumstances. "We will be there in times of need. With our emergency generators, lighting and heat, we have the ability to serve as one of the largest shelters in the region," Crawford said. But, most people will know the center as a gathering place for fun and fellowship. The arena's concrete floor can support most any event brought by a touring company. "The rodeos haul in dirt, put down protective walls for the retractable seating and then you're ready for one of the best nights of entertainment for the whole family," Crawford said. "Ice shows are a possibility. We don't have an ice floor, but there are touring groups with their own ice floors and we'll try to get them here." Concerts will be a mainstay of the facility. The center has its own stage. "Some artists may bring their own stage and set up for a concert in the round, others might use our stage to set up at one end and play out to the rest of the arena," Crawford said. Other events might include trade shows, car shows, and fairs that will make use of both the arena floor and the concourse. "Vendors can set up booths and tables on the arena floor and all the way around the arena along the concourse," Crawford said. "We can set up dining lines, information booths or eating areas." The arena is a natural setting for political rallies, charity events or other speaking events. "I would like to see a cook-off or pancake supper by a local club like the Lions or Kiwanis," he said. "The last arena I worked for had an annual Kiwanis breakfast that pushed 8,000 people through for breakfast. "We already have scheduled a two-day college fair for area high school students that will bring 6,000 students through the building." The building's design accommodates large events such as the circus, which requires large doors for elephants and ceiling clearance for high wire acts. Sporting events will make use of the building's versatility, too. As home to the Mountaineer men's and women's basketball teams, the center will see lots of hoops action. "I foresee big high school rivalry games being held here and regional tournaments, too," Crawford said. "We could handle major high school wrestling, volleyball, gymnastics events, or arena football. |
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The university's track team will practice on the indoor track, which includes space for pole vaulting. Curtains will be added to the arena in the future to accommodate sporting events with smaller crowds. "Without the curtains a sporting event with a small crowd might be better served in Varsity Gym because the massive space of the arena take away from the home team advantage," Crawford said. "When we add the curtains we will be able to shrink and divide the space and even have two events going on at once." Crawford said that when Appalachian teams make major play-off or tournament games such as the NCAA basketball tournament, Mountaineer fans could watch a live feed of the game on a giant screen. The center has several meeting rooms for small groups to use for alumni gatherings during football and basketball season. In addition to hosting community and sporting events, the center will contain classrooms, labs and faculty office space for students and faculty in the Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise Science. University events held in the facility will include convocation, graduation, student concerts and fairs, open houses, and camp and career fairs. Future events that are part of An Appalachian Summer Festival could use the arena, too he said. Crawford said there won't be many events this fall because of the advance notice needed to book events. He plans to use the time to work out any kinks before a full schedule begins. "This first year will be used to get the facility running smoothly and to prepare for a full season starting next fall," he said. As time goes on you'll see more and more events being held here. "Ideally, we would love to have two events a week. But at first maybe just two or three events a month." How public can use facility: To book an event at the George M. Holmes Convocation Center, call director Eddie Crawford at (828) 262-2030 or e-mail crawfrdjd@appstate.edu Crawford will set up an appointment to discuss dates, rates and staffing issues. "As with most things, the earlier you call us, the more likely you'll be able to get your event into the center on a date you like," Crawford said. Once a date, rates and staffing solutions are created, a contract is drawn up to finalize the process. The university will create a web page this fall with information on booking, rates and dates. An advisory board will review all events before booking them. "We will bring any event that the town, the community and the university will support," Crawford said. "Any questionable event will be screened by the advisory board." Convocation Center Advisory Board members are: Eddie Crawford, center director, chairman |
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