ROGERS, Arkansas (CelebrityAccess) Walton Arts Center, home of the Walmart AMP amphitheater announced plans for a $13.9 million expansion project that includes a multi-year partnership with Live Nation.
“We created a master plan for the development of the Walmart AMP, something that would serve as a blueprint for what the venue can and should look like for the next 10 to 15 years,” Lane said. “We knew we wanted to capitalize on the elements that make our venue unique – providing concerts that you would expect to see in a larger market with the amenities of a boutique venue.”
As part of the deal, the Walmart Amp struck a 5-year deal that will see Live Nation become the “preferred promoter” at the AMP. The partnership goes into effect for the 2019 season, with Daily Show host Trevor Noah as the first announced Live Nation show of the new season.
Planned upgrades for the AMP include:
- A new box office, with expanded service windows that is sponsored by Procter & Gamble.
- An expanded entry plaza, which doubles the size of the amphitheater’s current plaza, with additional concession stands and new sanitary facilities.
- A new covered plaza at the top of the lawn, which adds 15,000 square feet of flexible viewing and event space as well as private restrooms. This area can be used for private events during shows and to provide enhanced amenities for the lawn.
- Two new outdoor plazas at the top of the hill will provide two new Tyson-branded Concession stands, 56 additional restroom stalls and a flexible space for smaller corporate branding events.
- A refurb of the venue’s Kraft Heinz-branded north entrance.
- New tiered seating at the front of the General Mills Lawn will provide a flexible space for portable seating that can accommodate 1,200 patrons in a reserved, premium lawn section.
As a result of the expansion plans, capacity at the AMP will increase by 1,000, bringing the total venue capacity to 11,000.
To date, $13 million or 94% of the funding for the upgrades has been raised. 20|20 Vision Supporters include Johnelle Hunt, whose gift retires all existing debt; Walmart, who extended their naming rights to 2044; General Mills, who extended their sponsorship of the lawn through 2035; Tyson, who extended their sponsorship of the concessions buildings through 2028; Procter & Gamble, who extended their sponsorship of the box office through 2028, and Live Nation.
Additional phases of development for the venue, which focus on artist amenities and back of house needs, have been identified by the master plan. Those will be funded and staged to start at a later date.
