Pacific Amphitheatre at the OC Fair Earns No. 1 Ranking from Industry Magazine

Costa Mesa, Calif. (September 2, 2010) – The 2010 Pacific Amphitheatre season at the OC Fair earned the top spot for the highest grossing venue in the nation for its capacity by industry magazine Venues Today. The annual OC Fair was July 16-August 15, 2010.

Announced in the September issue of Venues Today, the ranking compared ticket grosses of the Pacific Amphitheatre season against similarly sized venues (5,001-10,000 seats). Pacific Amphitheatre features 8,500 fixed seats and in 2010 offered limited lawn seating for select shows, a first for the venue since its reopening in 2003.

The 2010 season had nine of 24 concerts sell out and overall sold 75 percent of seats available for purchase which is more than 155,000 tickets.

2010 also marks two additional milestones since the venue’s 2003 reopening. With this eighth consecutive season complete, the Pacific Amphitheatre has been in operation more years than it was closed, which was due to litigation. “That milestone may be the most important of them all. For the Pacific Amphitheatre to have been a good neighbor and a key provider of quality concerts for these eight years bodes well for the future,” President & CEO Steve Beazley said.

Also since reopening, the Pacific Amphitheatre has strived for balance between profitability and customer-friendly programming and pricing. The 2010 season found that balance, reached an aggregate positive return on investment dating back to reopening and is a consistent contributor to the OC Fair & Event Center’s (OCFEC) net proceeds. “OCFEC runs on a very tight profit margin. Programs that marginally contribute need careful analysis. I am happy to say Pacific Amphitheatre no longer falls into that category,” Beazley added.

The OC Fair & Event Center is located off the 405 and 55 freeways at 88 Fair Drive in Costa Mesa and features events throughout the year. For more information visit ocfair.com or follow us on Twitter – twitter.com/ocfair.