Making The Trip

Despite remote location, ticket sales are positive for new Star Center

by JOSÉ A. AGUILAR

On the outskirts of Rio Rancho lies New Mexico’s newest event facility, The Santa Ana Star Center. The massive building has played host to numerous acts, and is the home floor for the New Mexico Scorpions. But is its distant location affecting ticket sales?

Amy Lahti, director of marketing for the center, said she doesn’t think so. She said she believes that even though many people have complained about the distance it is not a factor on whether they attend an event.

“I think that the distance has been used as a weak justification for lack of ticket sales,” said Lahti early Monday afternoon. “I’ve been to the Journal Pavilion and it’s the same kind of road. It all comes down to the caliber of the act. Without question it’s the actual act that will draw people.”

Lahti’s philosophy is working. Thousands have filled up their gas tanks and suffered through parking to see acts from Fall Out Boy to country music sensation Vince Gill. With popular acts lined up through the summer, Lahti thinks the center won’t be hurting any time soon.

Still with all the encouraging sales, would the center be even more popular if it was in a better location? The city plans on putting up more businesses in the area and believes that having more than one attraction will keep people coming. Lahti also believes that bringing in acts that target a younger audience will also keep sales up.

“We want to bring in a younger demographic,”Lahti said. “We are trying to bring everything together so that [younger ticket buyers] can get a ticket for $50 or less.”

Moving in that direction, starting Friday the center will hold the first round of the New Mexico high school basketball state tournament. Despite the Star Center's remote location, the tournament is expected to draw thousands of fans from across the state and give ticket sales a major boost. New Mexico Activities Associate Director Sally Marquez is confident that the location of the center will not be an issue this weekend.

“No matter where teams are playing people will come to see them,” Marquez said. [The major benefit] of the center is that is allows us to have multiple games at one site instead of having games at different locations across the city.”

Draws like the state tournament are exactly what executives believe will keep the center going. University of New Mexico student Natalia Gurulé has attended numerous events at the center and says driving such a long way has not stopped her from buying a ticket.

“Yeah the drive is far,”Gurulé said. “It’s in the middle of nowhere and you get bored on the way but once your there it's no big deal. The building is really nice and they have put some really good shows together.”

As she laughs about her concert experiences, Gurulé’s roommate, Cassie Martinez tells about her adventures to the center.

“I went to the state basketball tournament last year,”Martinez said. “It was so far I fell asleep. The traffic going up there was ridiculous and there is really nothing to see on the way. There are too many stop signs and the parking is really bad, but a lot of people still go.”

People like Martinez are exactly what Lahti is counting on to give hope to the center’s survival and ensure that tickets will be undoubtedly sold.

From rock sensations to high school hoops, Lahti believes the center is headed in the right direction and is keeping ticket sales from plummeting. With different attractions in the works (Michael Bublé) and a dedicated marketing team that Lahti has faith in, she is confident that many more excursions will take place on the way to the Santa Ana Star Center.

Written March 13, 2008

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