The Florida Orchestra has selected VenuWorks, a national venue management firm, to run day-to-day operations at the Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg’s city-owned waterfront performance venue, as the orchestra prepares to take over its management.
The orchestra will lead artistic direction for its own Mahaffey performances and help shape the theater’s broader cultural programming. VenuWorks will handle programming and booking, marketing, ticketing, food and beverage, staffing, financial reporting and guest experience.
“As The Florida Orchestra prepares to enter into an agreement with the City of St. Petersburg to manage the Mahaffey Theater, we are thrilled to begin sharing our vision and plans with the community,” said Ignacio Barrón Viela, the orchestra’s president and CEO. “VenuWorks stands as the right partner for this venture, one that understands the needs of the orchestra, the community and the shared commitment to grow St. Petersburg’s strength as a city of the arts.”
The management arrangement is part of The Florida Orchestra’s plan to keep St. Petersburg as its home base for administration, events and educational programs while continuing performances in St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Tampa. Now in its 59th season, the orchestra has 70 professional musicians and conductors and performs more than 100 concerts each season, reaching more than 150,000 people annually through concerts, education and community programs.
The Florida Orchestra said it has already begun talks with local artists and arts organizations about future programming at the Mahaffey. VenuWorks, a 100% employee-owned company that has managed publicly owned theaters and cultural facilities for 30 years, also operates Fresno’s 2,351-seat Saroyan Theatre and Evansville’s 1,900-seat Victory Theatre.