5 Questions With: Beth Paul, general manager, Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville

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Bon Secours Wellness Arena has been in downtown Greenville for 25 years, hosting major sporting events, musical and theater acts, and just about everything in between.

In this 5 Questions With feature, general manager Beth Paul talks about the secret to the facility’s success and its role in boosting the Upstate’s tourism industry.

Oh, and she also dishes on one of her favorite acts to have performed at the facility.

What has been the key to success for the past 25 years, and what lessons can businesses take from it?

Working as a team and leveraging everyone’s unique strengths has played a big part in the success of Bon Secours Wellness Arena – it may sound cliché but could not be more true. I am lucky to work with a team of more than 400 as well as many talented vendors. They all have a passion for the industry and work very hard to make the arena successful.

On the business side, we prioritize keeping in mind that finance and operations have a reciprocal relationship. You have to be in a strong financial position to maintain the resources to run an operation of this size. We have also been fortunate to be in a position that allows us to continually reinvest.

Diversifying our programming also continues to be important and play a role in our success. We are continually evaluating how to reach new and diverse audiences and how to add new forms of programming, such as sporting and community events.

The arena also continues to have great support from community partners and sponsors, the City of Greenville, Greenville County, and many others. Our partners have supported our need to pivot when required while focusing on sustainable growth, which I also consider a critical part of the success of any business operation.

What has been the biggest post-pandemic challenge you’ve had to overcome, and what did you learn from it?

We work in an industry that brings people together, so the pandemic naturally created many immediate challenges. We found ways to safely host events and produced a number of events that were socially distant. We also adopted new touchless technology throughout the venue, including security measures and ticketing systems.

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Being forced to quickly automate our systems resulted in many benefits and lessons learned. One of the greatest lessons was that removing many of the tactical responsibilities of our team allowed us to serve people in new, more personal ways such as being greeters or offering assistance to patrons. This level of personal touch cannot be replaced and is so important in running a successful entertainment venue.

How do you think The Well would benefit from the proposed Gracie Plaza at the Arena District redevelopment project?

The proposed Gateway project, also known as Gracie Plaza, would inject new life into what many consider to be an emerging entertainment district in downtown Greenville. The current design offers a walkable, connecting link between Bon Secours Wellness Arena and downtown, as well as space for residential apartments, commercial businesses, restaurants and creative studios. The design is well-planned and would create only positive implications for the arena and surrounding area. Gracie Plaza would also provide an ongoing “sense of place” for the arena that is not solely driven by our events schedule.

What is The Well’s role in boosting the Upstate’s tourism industry?

Our team is humbled to play a part in boosting the upstate’s tourism industry. Increasingly, we have been able to secure truly notable concerts, sporting, and other events that help drive more visitors to the upstate. We are proud that more than 500,000 people walk through the arena’s doors annually, leading to a more than $70 million impact on the Greenville metro area.

Bon Secours Wellness Arena is also lucky to have the upstate as its backdrop – it’s an amazing place to visit and our tourism continues to be fueled by VisitGreenville, which continues to be among the most productive economic development organizations in our region.

What is your dream act to perform at The Well? If they’ve already visited, who was it?

There have been many amazing shows over the arena’s past 25 years of entertaining the Upstate. One personal favorite was Tina Turner in October 2000. I’ve truly never seen anyone like her perform!

As far as dream acts go, there really isn’t a particular artist or band that stands out. Rather, I hope that each event we produce delivers an amazing experience. Our team also prioritizes continuing to provide experiences for diverse audiences; we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to experience the power of live entertainment. At the end of the day, any artist or band that will positively impact the upstate is a win in my book.

Beth Paul is general manager of Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville