Business View Magazine March 2023

213 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 3 WESBANCO ARENA AND CAPI TOL THEATER was selling tickets at the theater’s box office. “COVID really helped us to move forward and modernize in a lot of ways,” Tucker says. In addition to the aforementioned upgrades, the Capitol Theatre increased its use of online ticket operations and has invested more of its marketing dollars in social media and digital marketing. The same can be said of WesBanco Arena. In her role, Tucker is trying to create more buzz while collaborating with colleagues to attract unique acts and activities, such as off-Broadway acts. “Many of our events have been in place for a number of years and those are extremely valuable and important to the community,” she says, highlighting monster truck pulls as one of several examples. But given the venues compete with the Charleston, West Virginia market 180 miles away for acts, she wants to add more diversity. “I think you will see some interesting new acts and (entertainment) here in the next year or two,” Tucker says. “We are working on a number of exciting new things.” While there is excitement around what’s to come for WesBanco Arena and the Capitol Theatre, there are some challenges. Perhaps the most notable one is hiring event staff, especially in part- time and seasonal roles. Many of the full-time employees have been with the venues for many years, and teams like the maintenance staff go to great lengths to ensure everything runs smoothly. Says Tucker, “we all work hard to create a fun atmosphere for guests but getting the employees we need can be difficult.” Fortunately, there are strong partners available to help. In addition to the Wheeling CVB, the Wheeling Nailers organization and the city of Wheeling are strong partners to help drive ticket sales and branding efforts. Part of these efforts includes marketing other venues and fun things to do around the Wheeling area such as the Wheeling Island Hotel Casino Racetrack and the city’s park system.