Visit Baton Rouge announced earlier this week it plans to invest around $250,000 on an April 30 Garth Brooks concert at LSU’s Tiger Stadium, something it has had its eye on for a while.
Visit Baton Rouge approached LSU almost three years ago, VBR President and CEO Paul Arrigo says, to see if there was interest on LSU’s part to continue allowing the stadium to host concerts.
VBR indicated an interest in working with LSU if it could bring in a top musical act, Arrigo says, like Brooks.
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The VBR board approved Arrigo to invest and they’re still finalizing the details with LSU, Arrigo says. But he believes the sponsorship limit would be around $200,000, with some additional money used to enhance the event by inviting associated clients or paying for advertising.
Some 102,000 tickets have already been sold, and Arrigo is excited about the exposure Baton Rouge is getting. He expects area hotels to see huge numbers. If just one-fourth of those ticket buyers stay in Baton Rouge hotels, every room would be filled.
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The event may set a precedent, Arrigo says. When an event like this is successful, future events become more possible. And while the concert won’t be the three-day event that Bayou Country Super Fest has been in the past, it’s still a major concert that will set records in terms of stadium attendance.
Says Arrigo, “Let’s just say I anticipate an awful lot of people spending an awful lot of money over that day or two.”
This story originally appeared in a Dec. 16 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.