These Two Arenas Coexist Peacefully : Pyramid, Bren Are Both Thriving

A few days after the Pyramid’s smash opening night in November, Bill Shumard received a phone call that made his good mood even better. On the line for Shumard, Long Beach State assistant athletic director, was Lon Rosen--Magic Johnson’s agent.

Johnson had watched the 49ers’ first game in the Pyramid, televised nationally on ESPN, and was impressed with the facility, Rosen told Shumard. So much so that Johnson was curious about the arena’s availability during the summer.

The former Laker star was considering investing in the Summer Pro League and moving it from its home of two years at the UC Irvine Bren Center. Shumard quickly assured Rosen that if Johnson wanted the Pyramid, the sentiment would be reciprocal.

Meanwhile, the managers of the Bren Center were examining their summer calendar. They had hoped to refurbish the arena’s floor, but the time-consuming task seemed impossible because of a full slate of events.

That problem was alleviated with the Summer Pro League’s departure. And the folks at Long Beach were quite pleased to acquire another summer tenant.

So thanks to some opportunistic timing, Bren Center and Pyramid officials each got what they wanted. Moreover, they say, this shows they can coexist--and thrive--despite sometimes competing directly to be host to Southland athletic and entertainment events.

“The way we’re looking at it is we’re in competition for the sports and entertainment dollar for our region,” said Shumard, whose responsibilities include athletic administration and development. “Does that put us in competition with the Bren Center? Well, yes. But I think it puts us in competition with everyone. So I certainly believe both the Pyramid and Bren can be successful.”

The Bren Center and the Pyramid are separated by fewer than 30 miles along the 405 freeway. In addition to enhancing the image of each university and serving as powerful athletic recruiting tools, the modern facilities enable Irvine and Long Beach to attract outside events and revenue. Their relative proximity affords options to promoters and would-be spectators, and requires management to remain sharp.

“I think the Pyramid is a very nice facility and a unique facility, and that will be a strong selling point for it,” said Lisa Bohan, director of the Bren Center. “But there are so many different potential events, and I think they would like us to be successful just as we would like them to be successful.”

Built at a cost of $15 million, the Bren Center opened on Jan. 8, 1987. The majority of the funding is derived from a student-approved quarterly fee, assessed to the students, and the arena is under the auspices of student services.

Although the athletic department does not have direct control over the Bren Center, it is given priority in scheduling men’s and women’s basketball games. The Bren Center also is the home court for the Mater Dei High boys’ basketball team, and the Irvine men’s and women’s volleyball teams occasionally play matches there.

But the 7-year-old facility has an eclectic schedule, housing everything from exhibition tennis matches between world-ranked players to martial arts competitions. What’s more, its 5,000 amphitheater-style seats (5,700 for non-athletic events), elaborate sound system and lighting capabilities have made it a popular venue for concerts.

From July 1, 1994, to June 30, 1995, the Bren Center was occupied with events for 184 days. It held events for 181 days for the same period between 1993-94.

Last year, revenue from the Bren Center was about $370,000, said Chuck Pieper, assistant vice chancellor of student services. However, being successful presents its challenges.

“The problem we have is getting special events into the arena during November through February,” Pieper said. “Those are the months promoters are most attracted to indoor arenas, but the priority is to the [Irvine] basketball teams first.

“You try to work it out so that everyone can be accommodated. Usually, it works out.”

For example, Pieper said, Mater Dei helps avert potential conflicts by scheduling its games around Irvine’s basketball games. Yet, Pieper is quick to dispel the notion that the Bren Center can’t handle more customers.

“We do have a lot of repeat customers who come back year after year, but it took several years before it increased to that level that it is now. We would still like to have more events, and you still have to go out there and find them.”

The Pyramid’s management is attempting to do just that. The Pyramid opened Nov. 30, 1994. It also has about 5,000 amphitheater-style seats, which will be expanded to about 7,500.

Unlike the Bren Center, though, the Pyramid is directed by the athletic department. About $11 million of the $22-million cost of the Pyramid-shaped structure was allocated by the state, with the stipulation that the building also be used as a physical education facility.

For now, the Long Beach athletic department is focusing primarily on attracting outside athletic events to the Pyramid. In addition to the Summer Pro League, the Pyramid also has been the site of Southern Section girls’ basketball playoff games, high school all-star basketball games and youth basketball camps. Notice a trend?

“We would like to have some of the other events that they have at the Bren Center, but we need to feel our way along,” said Don Dyer, executive director of the Pyramid. “They have been in business for about eight years over there, so they have a better feel for those things.

“We feel we can stage sporting events with the best in the country right now, and we really want to emphasize the basketball angle.”

The Summer Pro League provided an excellent starting point, Shumard said.

“Whether or not we wrestled that away from [the Bren Center] probably is debatable,” he said. “Maybe the relationship had just run its course, but it was way up in stature with us. I got the feeling they wanted to be here from Day 1, and it was right along the line with the image we’re trying to build.”

So far, Summer Pro League officials are also ecstatic with the arrangement.

“I think this is the best arena we’ve been in so far,” said Kirk Watanabe, director of operations for the league. “The place is just a gorgeous basketball arena, and everyone has been great to us.

“They say they want to make basketball a hot sport here, and building a $22-million state-of-the-art arena shows a commitment to that.”

Watanabe said Johnson picked the Pyramid as much for its looks and potential as its location.

“The people at UC Irvine were also fantastic to us, but the problem was that it was in Orange County,” he said. “The guys in L.A. just didn’t want to drive that far.

“If I wanted Cedric Ceballos to play, I can’t expect him to show up real often when it’s an hour drive for him. But when it’s 10 to 15 minutes from his house, it’s no problem.”

This also illustrates a strength of each facility, Bohan said, because they serve two distinct markets as well as a larger one.

“I don’t know if we’re targeting exactly the same audience because they are in Los Angeles and we are in Orange County,” she said. “Different sporting events looking for a venue in the area now have more of an option. In some ways, this will make us both try harder.”

Southern Section Commissioner Dean Crowley is pleased by how both groups have treated his organization. The Southern Section has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with the Bren Center, scheduling boys’ and girls’ basketball playoffs games there.

“Each facility is unique, and everything has worked out with both,” Crowley said. “But who we work with is also very important to us, and the people at the Bren Center and the Pyramid have been excellent to us. Both groups really try to meet our needs.”

Dyer has spoken with Bren Center officials about how to run an arena, and he said they have been very helpful. And although the Pyramid’s managers aren’t using the Bren Center as a hard model, they would like their arena to enjoy similar success.

“They’ve been very cooperative telling me how they’ve done things and they’ve taught me some things too,” he said. “I really want to characterize whatever competition we may have as a friendly competition, because we each want the other to do well.”

How the Arenas Compare Bren Center Location: UCI Opened: January, 1987 Cost: $15 million Levels: Two Seating: 5,000 Size: 65,000 square feet Arena floor: 22,000 square feet Floor type: Maple

*

Pyramid Location: Long Beach State Opened: November, 1994 Cost: $22 million Levels: Three Seating: 5,000 Size: 119,025 square feet Arena floor: 39,000 square feet Floor type: Beechwood * Bren Center can accommodate 5,700 for non-sports events; Pyramid will be expanded to 7,500.

Source: UCI, Long Beach State