Blue Cross Arena

What Blue Cross Arena does

Blue Cross Arena is a multi-purpose indoor entertainment venue located at One War Memorial Square in Rochester, New York. Founded in 1955, the venue hosts concerts, family shows, sporting events, and theater performances, serving as a primary live entertainment destination for the Rochester metropolitan area. The venue is municipally owned by the City of Rochester and operated under a management agreement by VenuWorks of Rochester, LLC, a subsidiary of VenuWorks, Inc., an employee-owned venue management company headquartered in Ames, Iowa, that specializes in operating mid-sized community venues. The arena functions as a public-private partnership typical of municipal entertainment infrastructure, with the city retaining ownership and VenuWorks handling day-to-day operations, event programming, and guest services.

The venue's product surface centers on event venue rental as the core offering, supplemented by private suite rentals (capacity up to 40 guests with 16 seats, in-suite food and beverage, 4 VIP parking passes), concessions and merchandise operated by VenuWorks and local partners, advertising and sponsorship programs, and ancillary guest services such as lost and found and ADA accessibility support. Ticketing is distributed through Ticketmaster (online and 1-800 line) and the on-site Box Office, with the Saffire platform powering the venue's website and digital ticketing infrastructure. The technology stack is entirely vendor-sourced; there is no proprietary technology, software product, or platform owned by the venue itself.

The business model is event-driven with four revenue streams: transaction-fee ticket sales through Ticketmaster and the Box Office, quote-based suite rentals sold under multi-year contracts, concessions and merchandise (operated by VenuWorks and local partners), and advertising/sponsorship programs structured around 2026 partnership tiers. The customer base is segmented into general public event attendees (primary), corporate/sponsor clients, and suite holders, with no publicly disclosed standard pricing for general admission tickets. The venue employs 11-50 staff and is currently undertaking facility improvements as part of the City of Rochester's ROC the Riverway initiative. Revenue figures are not disclosed in available sources.

Name

Blue Cross Arena

Legal name

Blue Cross Arena - At The War Memorial

Website

https://bluecrossarena.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2026

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blue Cross Arena is a multi-purpose indoor entertainment venue in Rochester, NY, hosting concerts, family shows, and sporting events. Operated by VenuWorks of Rochester, LLC under a municipal management agreement, the venue serves general audiences, corporate clients, and suite holders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Entertainment Venue

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Spectator Sports (7112)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports & Arena Event Venues (Stadiums, Arenas) (THAHAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional & Major League Stadiums (MPAKAEAA), Concession & Stadium / Arena Catering (THAFAIAG)

Keywords

• Live entertainment venue
• Event ticketing
• Arena suite rentals
• Venue concessions
• Sponsorship advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue from ticket sales for concerts, family shows, and sporting events. Tickets are sold through Ticketmaster online platform and in-person at the Blue Cross Arena Box Office. All sales are final with no refunds unless an event is officially canceled or rescheduled.
2. Suite Rentals: Private suites available for up to 40 guests with 16 total seats including stadium seating and bar-style viewing. In-suite food and beverage service available for purchase. Includes 4 VIP parking passes. Pricing is quote-based with custom options.
3. Advertising and Sponsorship: Venue offers advertising and sponsorship opportunities for businesses to reach event attendees. Sponsorship programs are available for 2026 with various partnership tiers.
4. Concessions and Merchandise: Concessions operated by VenuWorks and its local partners offering food, snacks, and beverages. Merchandise stands available for concerts and sporting events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Blue Cross Arena is a multi-purpose indoor entertainment venue that hosts concerts, family shows, and sporting events. Its core paid offerings include event ticketing sold through Ticketmaster and the on-site box office, private suite rentals for corporate or group hospitality, on-site concessions and merchandise, and sponsorship/advertising packages sold to brands. The venue is managed end-to-end by VenuWorks of Rochester, LLC.

Product overview

Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial is a multi-purpose entertainment venue in Rochester, NY, operated by VenuWorks. The venue operates on a single unified product model, offering event hosting services as its core offering, supplemented by premium add-on modules including private suite rentals, concessions, merchandise, and event ticketing. The venue also provides supporting services such as lost and found, sponsorship opportunities, and comprehensive guest services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Event Venue Rental Multi-purpose indoor entertainment venue space for hosting concerts, family shows, and sporting events, managed by VenuWorks of Rochester, LLC and offered to event promoters and organizers in Rochester, NY.
• Event Ticketing Ticket sales and box office service for concerts, family shows, and sporting events at the arena. Tickets are available online through Ticketmaster and in-person at the Blue Cross Arena Box Office. All sales are final with no refunds unless an event is officially canceled or rescheduled.
• Private Suite Experience Private suite rental for up to 40 guests featuring 16 total seats including stadium seating and bar-style viewing, dedicated networking space, in-suite food and beverage service available for purchase, and 4 VIP parking passes. Pricing is quote-based with custom options, sold via direct sales contact.
• Concessions and Merchandise On-site concessions operated by VenuWorks and its local partners offering food, snacks, and beverages at events, plus merchandise stands available for concerts and sporting events.
• Sponsorship and Advertising Sponsorship and advertising opportunities for brands and local businesses to reach arena event attendees. Sponsorship programs are available for 2026 with various partnership tiers, sold directly by the venue.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VenuWorkscoreOthers · 5 January 2026VenuWorks of Rochester, LLC manages all operations, event management, and guest services at Blue Cross Arena. VenuWorks is an employee-owned venue management company that specializes in managing and revitalizing venues in mid-sized communities across the U.S. since 1996. The company takes a community-centered approach, offering tailored strategies for venue operations, programming, marketing, and management.
• TicketmastercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial ticketing platform for Blue Cross Arena events. Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or through Ticketmaster customer service 1-800-653-8000.
• The DistilleryminorOthersRestaurant partner located at 1142 Mt Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620. One of the recommended dining options near Blue Cross Arena.
• Dinosaur Bar-B-QueminorOthersRestaurant partner located at 99 Court Street, Rochester, NY 14604. One of the recommended dining options near Blue Cross Arena.
• Hilton Garden Inn DowntownminorOthersHotel partner located at 155 East Main Street, Rochester, NY. One of the recommended hotel accommodations near Blue Cross Arena for visitors.
• Hyatt Regency RochesterminorOthersHotel partner located at 125 East Main Street, Rochester, NY. One of the recommended hotel accommodations near Blue Cross Arena for visitors.
• Civic Center GarageminorOthersParking partner located at South Fitzhugh Street, Rochester, NY. Connected to Blue Cross Arena via underground tunnel. 4-minute walk from arena. One of the primary parking options for venue visitors.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ASM Global: ASM Global (formed from the merger of SMG and AEG Facilities) is the largest venue management company worldwide, operating hundreds of arenas, stadiums, and convention centers on behalf of municipalities. It is the most direct competitor to VenuWorks for municipal venue management contracts like the one held at Blue Cross Arena.
• VenuWorks (parent company): VenuWorks, Inc. is the parent operating company that runs Blue Cross Arena through its VenuWorks of Rochester, LLC subsidiary. It also manages other mid-size community venues across the U.S. under similar public-private partnership structures, making it both the operator and a structural peer.
• Dunkin' Donuts Center (Providence, RI): Dunkin' Donuts Center is a ~12,400-seat arena in downtown Providence, owned by the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority and operated by a private management company. It is a directly comparable mid-size, municipally-affiliated multi-purpose arena in the Northeast.
• Grossinger Motors Arena (Bloomington, IL): Grossinger Motors Arena is a ~7,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Bloomington, IL managed by VenuWorks. Because it is operated by the same parent company under a similar community/municipal model, it is a sister-property peer with directly comparable operating economics.
• Tsongas Center (UMass Lowell, MA): Tsongas Center is a ~6,500-seat multi-purpose arena on the UMass Lowell campus that hosts concerts, family shows, and college sports, operated under a private management contract. Its mid-size capacity and event mix make it a comparable peer to Blue Cross Arena.
• WesBanco Arena (Wheeling, WV): WesBanco Arena is a ~5,400-seat multi-purpose arena in Wheeling, WV also managed by VenuWorks. As another VenuWorks-operated mid-size community venue, it offers the closest operational and revenue-mix benchmark to Blue Cross Arena.
• BOK Center (Tulsa, OK): BOK Center is a ~19,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Tulsa operated by ASM Global for the City of Tulsa, hosting concerts, family shows, and sporting events. It is one of the closest analogs to Blue Cross Arena in scale, ownership model, and event mix.
• XL Center (Hartford, CT): XL Center is a ~16,000-seat multi-purpose arena in downtown Hartford hosting concerts, sports, and family entertainment, municipally connected through the Connecticut Convention Center. Its size, programming mix, and downtown mid-size city profile closely mirror Blue Cross Arena.

Broad incumbents

• Live Nation Entertainment: Live Nation is the world's largest live entertainment company, owning Ticketmaster and operating numerous venues and amphitheaters. It both competes for arena bookings and controls the primary ticketing channel that Blue Cross Arena relies on.
• AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group): AEG is a global sports and live entertainment company that owns/operates major arenas, teams, and festivals (e.g., Crypto.com Arena, Coachella). It competes with VenuWorks-style operators for venue management contracts and directly books events into competing mid-size arenas.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bluecrossarena
• Facebookfacebook.com/BlueCrossArenaRochester
• Instagraminstagram.com/bluecrossarena
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blue-cross-arena

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blue Cross Arena