Bobby Goldwater, the newly appointed senior vice president and general manager of the future Staples Center sports arena in downtown L.A., never thought he’d leave his old job as vice president and events booker at Madison Square Garden.

“I was with Madison Square Garden for 24 years. I love the Garden, I love New York. Everyone, including me, thought I’d stay at the Garden forever. But Staples Center offered the opportunity and challenge to start something from scratch to see the building being built, to book and run the building, to develop a quality customer service-oriented staff,” said Goldwater.

Goldwater, who played a pivotal role in luring the Grammy Awards to the Garden in 1997, is charged with bringing numerous high-profile events to Staples Center. The Democratic National convention in 2000, the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 2002, and the NBA and NHL all-star games are all on the arena’s wish list. Not to mention the Grammys, which Los Angeles is trying to wrest away from New York on a permanent basis.

Keeping the center booked with events will pose Goldwater’s biggest challenge. “We are not going to take for granted that any event will automatically choose Staples Center as their location,” Goldwater said. “Instead, we are going to be very aggressive. I have contacts that I plan to cultivate, and we also plan to create our own events.”

In addition to hosting events, the arena will be home to the Los Angeles Lakers, Kings, and Clippers. With three major sports teams competing in the same venue, scheduling may pose a challenge. However, Goldwater says that the center “will be able to accommodate all the teams and have a full schedule of events as well.”

Goldwater says Staples Center is ahead of schedule for suite leasing. The 160 luxury suites range in price from $195,000 to $310,000 per year and all are expected to be leased by the end of 1998. The arena is scheduled to open in the fall of 1999.

Goldwater is intent on making the arena a venue that will “meet and beat” the expectations of patrons. “This is going to be the last great sports and entertainment facility built this century, and the first great one of the 21st century,” said Goldwater. “We intend to set a high bar. My full attention is on developing this organization to be the best arena anywhere in the world.”

Alexa Apallas