Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Mitchel Field is a former Army/Air Force base located in the center of Nassau County. This 1,200-acre base was shut down in 1960 and declared surplus property by the U.S. Government. Nassau County obtained much of this property from the government in 1961. With the obtainment of Mitchel Field, many proposals were put forth. Some of the recommendations included a civic center, a large central library, residential housing, museum and cultural center. After consideration of these recommendations, the result was to build a 15,000 seat arena (additional seats were added from 1981-1984 that increased the seating capacity to over 18,000). The arena was built at the cost of 32 million dollars and sits on sixty-three acres of Mitchel Field. The building was dedicated to those who had made the supreme sacrifice for their country; hence the name Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The Nassau Coliseum has accommodated virtually all forms of entertainment and sports, from state-of-the-art rock concerts, touring family shows, professional wrestling, boxing, track & field, lacrosse and soccer. It is also home to the New York Islanders, NHL team and the NY Dragons, arena football team.

Presently, SMG Management privately operates the Coliseum. SMG was founded in 1977 to manage its first account, the Louisiana Superdome. Since its founding it has grown to 176 facilities. These facilities benefit from the company’s depth of resources and its unparalleled expertise, leadership, and creative problem-solving. Our successful growth has been built on the many partnerships we have developed with our clients — both municipal and private.

Organizationally, SMG has two separate operating divisions, one for stadiums and arenas and another for convention centers, providing the same effective business principles to two distinctively different business segments. At this time SMG manages 74 arenas, 7 stadiums, 51 convention centers, 34 performing arts centers, and 10 other recreational facilities. SMG-managed facilities grossed more than $1 billion in 2004, hosting more than 9,000 events and attracting more than 50 million patrons.

Our ownership and team of dedicated corporate support personnel make us unrivalled in the field of private facility management. SMG is a joint venture in general partnership form with two equal principals: The Hyatt Hotel Company and ARAMARK Corporation.
---www.nassaucoliseum.com