LEXINGTON CENTER CORPORATION AND OAK VIEW GROUP FACILITIES PROMOTE BRIAN SIPE TO GENERAL MANAGER OF CENTRAL BANK CENTER

The Lexington Center Corporation (LCC) and Oak View Group Facilities today named Brian Sipe as General Manager of Central Bank Center, which includes the 20,000-seat Rupp Arena, the new 200,000 square-foot Convention Center, and the 900-seat Opera House.

Sipe previously served as Oak View Group Director of Booking at Rupp Arena since April 2019.  During his tenure, Rupp Arena recorded its fastest sell-out (Luke Combs), the highest gross (Sir Paul McCartney), and had more events on sale in a single year than ever before in Rupp Arena’s 45-year history.  In addition, some of the biggest acts in the world, including Pink, Kiss, Eric Church, and the Zac Brown Band, have played Rupp while Sipe was the Director of Booking.

“Brian has quickly demonstrated his passion for making Central Bank Center among the must stop destinations for national touring acts,” said Bob Elliston, Chairman, LCC.  “We are excited to have Brian, and the entire OVG team lead the Center to even greater achievements for many years to come.”

“Brian has done an outstanding job of making sure top touring acts perform here in Lexington,” said Peter Luukko, Chairman, Oak View Group Facilities. “As our new General Manager, he will be able to expand his role and create new business partnerships and opportunities for Central Bank Center facilities and the region. He is an experienced leader who will work closely with our client at LCC ensuring that Central Bank Center remains a well-operated, highly functional, and profitable venue.”

Sipe joined OVG Facilities after serving as General Manager of Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes Barre, PA. Under his leadership, the Arena recorded its fastest sell-out on record (Kenny Chesney). In addition, Sipe helped put the building on international television with two back-to-back sold-out WWE events. The venue was annually ranked in Pollstar Magazine’s Top 200 Arenas World-Wide chart due to sold-out and near capacity shows, including Kevin Hart, Blake Shelton, Barry Manilow, Amy Schumer, Alabama, Jeff Dunham, and Thomas Rhett.  In September 2017, Sipe was named the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professional of the Year Award.

Sipe’s other industry experience includes Box Office Manager at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ; Booking and Box Office Manager at the Sovereign Center in Reading, PA; General Manager of the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington, WV. His peers also recognized Sipe with the Generation Next Award from Venues Today Magazine in 2013.

Sipe has a professional voting membership in the Country Music Association, Academy of Country Music, and International Entertainment Buyers Association.  He is also on the Missions Service Leadership Board for Immanuel Baptist Church, a volunteer for God’s Pantry Food Bank in Lexington, and serves as a child mentor for the Lexington Leadership Foundation.

Sipe is replacing long-time Lexington Center Corporation executive Bill Owen who will retire on June 30, 2022.

Oak View Group Facilities, a division of the Oak View Group, which was founded by Irving Azoff, Tim Leiweke, and supported by Silverlake, specializes in event programming, venue assessments, and security and emergency preparedness. Oak View Group Facilities can also provide full management services for arenas, stadiums, convention centers, and performing arts centers. Oak View Group is the largest developer of sports and entertainment facilities in the world with $5.3 billion of deployed capital across eight projects.