Case Studies
Ashley for the Arts,
Arcadia, WI
To say Ashley for the Arts in Arcadia, WI has grown is an understatement. 2009 was the first year of the festival and had 300 people in attendance. Since REG began working with the festival in 2011, the event has grown exponentially.
Ashley for the Arts, Arcadia, WI
In 2018, just nine years following inception, there were over 70,000 people in attendance! Ashley for the Arts takes place annually during the second weekend of August at the 54-acre Memorial Park in Arcadia, WI, which includes a 6,000-seat amphitheater and a pavilion. Putting additional events in this under-utilized venue was one of the original goals for a group of community leaders that first conceptualized the idea of putting together an affordable, family event that would promote the arts. Ashley Furniture Industries, one of the largest furniture manufacturers in the world, is headquartered in Arcadia and took on the responsibility of funding, planning, and executing the event.
In 2011, after two years of featuring local and regional entertainment, the event reached out to REG to help secure a couple of national acts to add to their line-up. The goal was and continues to be to put together an eclectic family-friendly line up that feature’s country, rock, classic rock and pop. In addition to live entertainment, there are over 100 art and craft vendors, a 5k run, regional and local bands featuring every kind of music imaginable, from steel drum bands to local high school choirs, art and music lessons, a car show, food vendors, and more. To top it all off, patrons get all of this for $10, which gets a person into all 3 days of the event. Not only is it extremely affordable for families, but all proceeds from the event are donated back to local charities. A record-breaking $535,000 was raised and donated to charitable organizations in 2018.
In 2018, REG secured Rascal Flatts to headline the event and more than 50,000 people came through the gates that day. Country duo Dan + Shay performed earlier in the day and said it was the biggest crowd they had been in front of so far in their career. The other national-level acts in 2018 included ZZ Ward, Rick Springfield, Daughtry, Chris Janson, Carly Pearce, and Andy Grammer. Ashley for the Arts plans to keep growing the event – not just in overall attendance, but in the number of charitable organizations they support, the attractions they provide, and by continuing to book top-notch headline entertainment during all segments of the weekend. REG is proud to be part of an event that has grown so quickly and gives back to the community with both monetary donations and by promoting the arts.
Pendleton Whisky Music Festival,
Pendleton, OR
The Pendleton Whisky Music Festival in Pendleton, OR was an idea many years in the making even though it didn’t exist until 2016. Since the mid-1980s, Romeo Entertainment Group has been booking entertainment for the Pendleton Round-Up, a week-long annual rodeo and community event held in September.
Pendleton Whisky Music Festival, Pendleton, OR
For many of those years, Doug Corey represented the Round-up (first as a board member, then President). The Pendleton Round-Up grounds contain two potential concert venues. The large rodeo arena was previously used for concerts but, having the rodeo and concert in the same venue presented too many logistical challenges. Thus, the concerts were moved to Happy Canyon arena. Following the move, Corey continued to have casual conversations with Bob Romeo about the potential that the rodeo area had for hosting a large concert event, separate from the Round Up. This concept finally came to fruition a few years ago when a group of investors came together with the goal of putting on an annual concert event during the summer in the arena. Beyond that, the annual objective was to make enough money to keep investing back into the event. Their goal was to create an annual community event that would be the “can’t miss” yearly summer tradition amongst families.
The Inaugural Pendleton Whisky festival was held in 2016 and featured Zac Brown Band. The first year drew 11,600 people and set the tone for the “Party in Pendleton.”
In 2017, the festival exploded when REG booked Maroon 5 and they were announced as the headliner. Within the first four hours of the on sale, the event sold 12,000 tickets. The festival ended up completely selling out with more than 15,000 in attendance. In 2018, REG and the Festival Board decided to increase the capacity to 18,500 to make room for the undeniable growth that the festival was experiencing. 2018 was another sell-out year with the unique pairing of Blake Shelton and Pitbull. R.J. wanted to create something unique to set the event apart from everything else in the market. The pairing helped open up marketing opportunities and allowed for the festival to reach multiple radio formats and multiple targeted audiences digitally. The festival sold 14,000 tickets in the first week alone. To fully put the attendance numbers into perspective, only approximately 16,000 people live in the city of Pendleton. The event provides great stimulation for the local economy, especially hotels, restaurants and local businesses. This year, the festival added a downtown pre-party the night prior to the concert with free entertainment to even further promote local businesses.
West Fargo, ND
When REG came back on in 2009 as the talent buyer for the Red River Valley Fair in West Fargo, ND, Bob and R.J. Romeo assessed the situation surrounding the fair and its decreasing attendance. They discussed the attendance problem with the new fair manager, Bryan Schultz, and he agreed that change was needed.
Red River Valley Fair, West Fargo, ND
When REG came back on in 2009 as the talent buyer for the Red River Valley Fair in West Fargo, ND, Bob and R.J. Romeo assessed the situation surrounding the fair and its decreasing attendance. They discussed the attendance problem with the new fair manager, Bryan Schultz, and he agreed that change was needed. REG agreed to move forward in working with the event on two conditions: First, they would agree to stop selling individual tickets to the shows and move to a pay one price or free with gate admission model. Second, they would allow REG the flexibility to pursue up and coming national talent and create a mixture of established and up and coming talent for their lineup. REG was confident that they could accomplish this and not exceed the $30,000 per night talent budget. The fair agreed to the two stipulations and REG went to work. In 2009, REG booked Zac Brown Band with Julianne Hough as well as Survivor, Joey & Rory with Joe Diffie, Gloriana with Trailer Choir, 38 Special, and Diamond Rio for a total talent budget of $137,015. R.J. had become aware of Zac Brown Band early in their career and decided to take a shot. Come fair time, the band was on fire with their debut radio single “Chicken Fried” quickly climbing the charts. That show alone drew over 15,000 people and sold enough beer and drove enough ancillary revenue to pay for the entire entertainment budget that year and total revenues exceeded all projections. For the first time in almost a decade, the Red River Valley Fair made money and had a surplus to make infrastructure improvements on the grounds.
Cheyenne, WY
Romeo Entertainment Group provides booking services for Cheyenne Frontier Days consisting of 7 days of talent and 15 performances. REG also assists with consulting on marketing and social media, processing contracts, and providing an on-site service representative during the event.
Cheyenne Frontier Days, Cheyenne, WA
Romeo Entertainment Group provides booking services for Cheyenne Frontier Days consisting of 7 days of talent and 15 performances. REG also assists with consulting on marketing and social media, processing contracts, and providing an on-site service representative during the event. Past artists secured by REG on the main stage at Cheyenne Frontier Days include: Zac Brown Band, Eric Church, Jason Aldean, Nickelback, Florida Georgia Line, Kenny Chesney, KISS, Tim McGraw, John Mellencamp and many more.