The Augusta Entertainment Complex, which just celebrated its most profitable year ever, is now under new management.
Last week, Brian Martin took over as General Manager of the AEC. In this role, he’s responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the James Brown Arena and Bell Auditorium and booking shows for both venues. Martin works for OVG360, the company that manages those venues.
He served in two previous roles with the AEC: Box Office Director and Director of Event Services. Before returning to Augusta, Martin was the Assistant General Manager in Macon and General Manager of the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi.
“I’m excited to be back here; this place is near and dear to my heart,” he said.
When selecting content, Martin said he looks at market demographics, and one of the things he loves about Augusta is its demographic diversity, which will allow him to bring a variety of shows, such as country and pop music performances, to the JBA and Bell.
Martin’s business philosophy is focused on bringing strong content to this market and filling the venues’ seats.
“At the end of the day, it comes down to revenues and making sure our community is happy with what we’re bringing,” he said.
The community was clearly happy with the content in the 2021-2022 season. ABD previously brought you the story of the AEC’s record-breaking year. In that story, we reported that the two venues brought in an estimated $13 million in combined revenue, according to OVG360 Regional Marketing Director, Tyler Gambrell.
Martin is stepping into the general manager role just as the AEC announced major changes at the Bell Auditorium, which is scheduled to undergo major renovations starting next summer.
The renovation plans currently include adding a lobby to the south side of the building, expanding the Taylor BMW Club, and installing a new elevator for performers. Those plans will involve closing the Bell for at least 10 months.
But instead of canceling or postponing shows scheduled for that venue, he’s finding ways to move them to the JBA, such as adjusting its lighting and sound systems.
Martin said at some point, they would like to build a new arena to replace the JBA, but he doesn’t know any details yet.
“I’m excited about the opportunity if it does come,” Martin said.
He’s a native of Columbia and loves the Augusta market.
“I’m excited about bringing content to our facilities and working with our team here,” Martin said.
