ASM GLOBAL SETS MARCH RECORDS HOSTING NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL FINALS, MEN’S WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS AND HOCKEY COMPETITIONS ATTRACTING HALF-MILLION FANS
(LOS ANGELES – April 5, 2023) — 34 NCAA Tournament Basketball Games and 100 Wrestling Matches in 31 Days
Expanding its standing as the country’s leading host of major collegiate sporting events, ASM Global, in March, attracted a record 500,000 fans and set food and beverage marks across multiple sports, including basketball, hockey and wrestling in multiple cities including nine NCAA conference championships, NCAA championships and NCAA tournament sites.
ASM Global’s remarkable month was highlighted by NRG Stadium in Houston hosting the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four and Tulsa’s BOK Center hosting the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship.
Last year ASM Global became the first to host both the NCAA men’s and women’s college basketball finals in its New Orleans Superdome and Minneapolis Target Center. ASM Global’s auspicious March is part of a streak that began in 2022 and will continue through 2028 in ASM Global-operated facilities around the country, which is a result of being selected by the NCAA to host a total of 30 preliminary rounds and championships in Division I, II and III athletics over the six-year period.
The number of events over the five-year period is unprecedented for a single-facility operator. ASM Global will host the next two Final Fours, the next two Women’s Volleyball Championships and next year’s NCAA Wrestling Championship:
- T-Mobile Center – 2024 Wrestling Championship
- State Farm Stadium – 2024 Men’s Final Four
- KFC YUM! Center – 2024 Women's Volleyball Championship
- Alamodome F&B – 2025 Men’s Final Four
• T-Mobile Center – 2025 Women’s Volleyball Championship
- Allegiant Stadium – 2028 Men’s Final Four
Over $10M gross food and beverage revenue was generated by ASM Global with many venues setting individual records for gross F&B compared to previous years when hosting the same event.
“We’re very appreciative of this recognition by the NCAA of our unique capabilities to integrate our global knowledge of best practices gleaned from our portfolio of the world’s most recognized and iconic venues combined with insights and sensitivities to each U.S. market in which we present these events,” said ASM Global President and CEO Ron Bension.
“We are also proud of the economic benefit these iconic events bring to the communities we serve.” Doug Thornton, ASM Global’s executive vice president of stadiums, arenas and theatres, said, “Of course each year is a little different than the previous one, but the ASM Global team’s experience is unparalleled and invaluable to events of this nature. Our staff has worked closely with NCAA officials now for years to plan these events, and it certainly helps that our team has had a great deal of experience with past Final Fours.”