WesBanco Arena and the Capitol Theatre – Wheeling, West Virginia

October 11, 2024

WesBanco Arena and the Capitol Theatre

A Top Tier Venue Experience

Wheeling, West Virginia’s Premier Entertainment Venues

As Downtown Wheeling embraces growth, WesBanco Arena and the Capitol Theatre are at the heart of the revitalization, ushering in a new era of culture and events. Since 1977 the arena has been a cornerstone of entertainment in Wheeling, hosting legendary performances and serving as a home to local sports teams like the Wheeling Nailers, and the Wheeling Minors. The strikingly preserved historic theater opened in 1928, is an icon of the friendly city, bringing an array of musical, performance, and comedy acts to the thriving community.

Doubling Down on Events

Over the past year, WesBanco Arena and the Capitol Theater have hosted an impressive 110 events, doubling their usual annual count. This surge in activity is a testament to the venues’ dedication to diversifying their offerings. “It’s just been a whirlwind the last year,” notes Kelly Tucker, Executive Director of the Greater Wheeling Sports and Entertainment Authority. “We wanted to see what kind of shows work and don’t work in both venues. For many years it was just the Broadway series, the Wheeling Symphony, Nailers Hockey, annual events that we’re still doing, which are great, but we wanted to open up and utilize both buildings.”

Part of the growth strategy was to bring Kyle Knox on board as Marketing Manager of Greater Wheeling Sports and Entertainment, WesBanco Arena, and Capitol Theater. “We didn’t have a marketing manager in place,” explains Tucker. “We’ve had to increase our operations, maintenance crew, and just continue to build the team so that we can execute so many events.”

Job fairs have been a helpful tool in sourcing part-time staff such as ushers, box office personnel, concessions workers, security, and door guards.

“In a lot of instances, we have an event happening at the arena and also an event happening at the same time at the theater,” she depicts. “So, there’s the core group of management, but then we need to rely on those part-time positions to help facilitate, and to make sure that all of those events are successful.”

Recent happenings at WesBanco Arena run the gamut, from a family-friendly Dinosaur Adventure to Rough N Rowdy Barstool Sports. The fall season at the Capitol Theatre offers a diverse lineup, including comedy shows and musical performances covering genres from pop to classic rock to country.

“We’re always searching for new and different types of events,” says Tucker. “We’re not opposed to trying anything. We’re doing a lot of research on our end, keeping a lot of data analytics, just so that we can understand the business and the market in a better way than we have in the past.”

“We want to make sure that we offer a variety of events, to serve the community as a whole,” adds Knox.

Enhancements and Modernization

Facility improvements have been a major focus, particularly at the Capitol Theatre. Knox reports that a renovation of the theater’s fly system, which controls the raising and lowering of lighting, curtains, and drops, is set to be completed in the fall of 2024. “That was about an $800,000 renovation, it included some ARPA funding,” he discloses. “When that is complete, it will be much more up-to-date with industry standards.” Repairs are also being made to the historic venue, including plasterwork.

“It is an old theater, it has had some wear and tear over the years and just needed to be brought up to date. So, we have a group working on that.”

Furthermore, security has been enhanced with the installation of a Chia system, which streamlines the screening process for event attendees. “That was a huge step for us. It makes the process much smoother for our fans,” maintains Tucker. “It’s seamless, as you just walk straight through, instead of wandering. A lot of people who weren’t used to it, they understood it, and we didn’t get very much pushback.”

Making a Comeback

The past year showcased several noteworthy events at both venues. The theater saw sold-out performances by comedians Jerry Seinfeld, and Nate Bargatze, as well as a packed house for REO Speedwagon. “Our holiday season last year was successful with multiple shows, including Kenny G,” Tucker illustrates. “The community loved it, and they came from a broad geographic area for that.”

The arena recently welcomed back Disney on Ice and Toughest Monster Truck, both drawing large crowds after several years of absence. “We had phenomenal attendance over both of those shows,” she boasts. Professional Bull Riding (PBR), a beloved community favorite, is also hosted at the arena. In 2023 WesBanco featured Whiskey Myers, its first concert in a decade. Since then, other big names have hit the stage with great success, including the Kiss of Death Tour featuring Ice Nine Kills and In This Moment, Alice Cooper, and DropKick Murphys for St. Patrick’s Day. “We’re headed into a Godsmack show here in October. We are trying to fill that arena concert void that has been here for several years,” Tucker relays.

Community Partnerships

Strong partnerships with entities such as the Professional ECHL Hockey team the Wheeling Nailers have been instrumental in moving the arena forward. “We work together on a lot of building improvements here at the WesBanco Arena,” Tucker recounts. “At the theater, which is home to the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, we’ve also made great strides, collaborating and coming up with some new, fresh ideas.”

Building and maintaining strong community partnerships has been central to the venues’ success. “That has been a main focus, to integrate ourselves with members of the community,” Tucker emphasizes. “We have worked with the Oglebay Institute to bring different community partners in with the different shows we’re doing, to create some excitement on their end.” The ongoing collaboration with the symphony extends beyond the theater building, supporting the 4th of July celebrations at Heritage Port, by providing food and beverage services. “We are just playing with each other’s strengths, so that every event in the community is very successful, which is what we want,” Tucker asserts.

Looking Ahead

Knox points to the wide variety of programming at both venues, noting the diversity of events and the vibrant atmosphere of downtown Wheeling. “If you’re traveling in from out of the area, there is a great restaurant and shopping scene, hotels available, our streets are newly paved, we have new sidewalks,” he details. “It’s just a great time to live and work in downtown Wheeling, and we’re excited to see those out-of-town visitors come in and enjoy these shows.” As Wheeling continues to revitalize its downtown, WesBanco Arena and the Capitol Theater will continue to play a pivotal role in attracting visitors to the community.

Tucker shares a recent initiative to upgrade both venues’ websites-www.wesbancoarena.com and www.capitoltheaterwheeling.com- “That was big investments on our end to make those websites current, streamline things, make it easy for fans to go on, purchase a ticket, and see what’s coming up.”

The recent success of WesBanco Arena and the Capitol Theater are representative of Wheeling’s resurgence. Through planning, ongoing facility improvements, community partnership, and collaboration, these venues will continue bringing world-class entertainment to the city for decades to come.