By almost all accounts, the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center has been a resounding success after opening in Sioux Falls three years ago.

Since then the building has hosted a variety of events, including high school, college, and professional sports and some of the biggest names in the music business.

Along the way, the PREMIER Center has been consistently ranked among the top 100 venues in the world, and has been nominated for an Academy of Country Music Venue Award.

Now, the man responsible for booking acts into the PREMIER Center is in the running for a big honor.

Assistant General Manager Chris Semrau is a finalist for the Venue Executive of the Year at the International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA) Industry Awards.

IEBA is the leading not-for-profit trade organization for live entertainment industry professionals with over 1,300 members.

The other nominees include:

  • Becky Colwell – The Greek Theatre - Los Angeles
  • Sid Greenfeig – T-Mobile Arena - Las Vegas
  • Laurie Jacoby – MSG Entertainment - New York City
  • Ralph Marchetta – Talking Stick Resort Arena - Scottsdale, Arizona
  • Michael Marion – Verizon Arena - North Little Rock, Arkansas
  • James Rasmussen – Golden 1 Center - Sacramento, California

The winner of the award will be announced at the IEBA Conference, next Month in Nashville.

In early 2015, I talked with Chris about the challenges of booking acts at the PREMIER Center. Read that story here.

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