Christine Pileckas Nominated for Generation Next Award

 Christine Pileckas, SMG Director of Sales & Marketing for INTRUST Bank Arena, was nominated by Venues Today Magazine for their annual Generation Next Award. The award honors influential young leaders 35 or younger who make a difference in sports, music, conventions, family shows and festivals.

In 2013, Christine led the INTRUST Bank Arena marketing department to an exceptional year of events which boasted six sold-out events and record ticket sales numbers for four separate events. In addition, Pileckas has made noteworthy strides in social media at INTRUST Bank Arena, with her efforts resulting in a first-ever top 5 ranking for INTRUST Bank Arena in the Venues Today Social Media Power 100 Chart. Over the past year, under Christine’s leadership, the Arena’s Facebook fans have increased from 27,000 to more than 41,000 and Twitter followers have doubled to more than 8,700. Christine was a Venues Today Hall of Headlines nominee in 2011, 2012 and 2013 in the Marketing category for her Cyber Monday and '12 Days of Entertainment promotions, respectively. Furthermore, together with her Sales Manager, Pileckas successfully implemented a brand-new premium seating option called Premier Seating at INTRUST Bank Arena with the goal of increasing revenues and expanding the premium seating options offered to guests.

“Christine and her team consistently keep INTRUST Bank Arena at the top of the industry trade charts when it comes to tickets sold,” said SMG General Manager, A.J. Boleski. “Furthermore, we are very proud of her efforts on the social media front and recent results of a #2 ranking in the Venues Today Social Media Power 100 Chart. Our entire SMG Wichita team strives to be industry leaders and Christine personally exemplifies that attitude every day.”

In addition to Pileckas, three other SMG employees were nominated for the Generation Next Award including Bryan Crowe, General Manager at Destination El Paso (Texas), John Dodd, Director of Operations / Director of Event Services at BOK Center and Cox Business Center (Okla.) and Kelly Ortiz, SAVOR Director of Food & Beverage at BOK Center (Okla.).

Venues Today is a monthly industry trade magazine that tracks industry trends and profiles live entertainment professionals. The annual Generation Next Awards will be profiled in the June issue of the Venues Today Magazine. To learn more about the Generation Next Awards, visit www.venuestoday.com.