Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Classic Bob and Dub McKenzie there on Christmas Week News
Radio eight forty whas, I'm Dwight whitting that's John Gate.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
No, John William Alben, come on, I'm sorry, it's John
William altin the third.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Damn it Beck. How you doing Kentucky Venues CEO, how
are you, my friend?
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Good morning, Really good to see you.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
You're looking great to me, go look at great Christmas sweater,
that bright red and you look. You look amazing.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Man. You're ready for Christmas.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
We're ready. I tell you what look for. I spend
some time with family and grandkids, and it's the time
to celebrate and enjoy life and counter blessings I have.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
I was definitely counting my blessings down in Cabo Santa Lucas.
I had my biggest blessing on my arm, my wife Susan.
But I wanted you on the show because Kentucky Venues
in Freedom Hall and the Fare and Exposition Center in
the Downtown Convention Center, so many venues. For the Kentucky Venues,
you do an amazing job you and your staff to
(00:55):
the point where this I think this is amazing. Out
of the sixteen large just events in Louisville. Fifteen of
them are held at Kentucky Venues, and the one that's
not you can probably guess it's Derby, but you all
still handle all the parking for Derby, so you might
as well say you're sixteen for sixteen. That's huge, and
(01:17):
that's a big thing to take on and tackle hosting
the largest events.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Right it is. We're just thankful Dwight to have a
wonderful team. Our staff works hard day in and day out.
Last year they were three hundred and sixty three days
out of the year. That's a lot of time put in.
But all the partnerships everybody in this town corporating from
Little Tourism, the Sports Commission, the mayor, and the Metro
Council in the Kentucky General Assembly, they've been so supportive.
(01:45):
They changed the law to give us more flexibility so
we can be competitive worldwide, all the attractions here in town.
It takes all that to make this work.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Okay, you mentioned that you wanted to be more competitive
and you wanted to run it like a business, be profitable,
and it seems like anybody would want that, but it
took a while for to get it changed. We've done
that and you changed it, and boy did you take
advantage of it. David Beck, you and your staff. Now
it's the busiest. It just got rated. Kentucky Venues the
(02:15):
busiest convention center in North America and all North America.
Louisville's Kentucky Venues is now the busiest out of all
North America.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
That's got to make you feel proud.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
It is. We celebrate with our staff last week, a
little gathering just let them know how much we appreciate
them as we go into this holiday season. And that
recognition was just on the Kentucky Exposition Center by itself,
that did not include Kick and so just that one entity. Wow,
it's the busiest, and you know, over five million people
came through the doors of about two hundred and eighty
(02:48):
different events. But I want to you about Kick two,
just down the street from here, off Fourth Street. They
had sixty four new clients. This last year. We had
sixty four new clients that had never been the kid before.
So I hope that's the new normal that we're going
to see that year after year continue to grow the business.
It's not just tourism, it's economic development, a major source
of employment in our community and the commonwealth.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Well, but is the story out there now that Louisville
is the place for a convention?
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Because it sounded to me.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
And by the way, I know, because we're friends, I
get to look a little inside baseball. I know some
of the really attractive cities that were up against when
it comes to some of these conventions, and you got
to go in there and you've got to fight for
Louisville and you do bring them into Louisville. Is it
getting easier though, because the words getting out.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
I tell you the competition in this industry, it's brutal, right,
it is. It's massive hotel rooms, a facilitation. You know.
The General Assembly saw the business plan and they just
didn't write a check. They saw the eternal investment. Sure,
and they've invested almost a half billion dollars. If you
drive by the Tech Exposition Center, you'll see cranes up
the air, steel in concrete. That will give us. The
(04:00):
first new building is three hundred and fifty thousand square
feet that's equivalent about six football fields. And once we
get the keys of that in December of twenty six,
then we'll tear down the old West Hall replace it.
See when Kick was renovated. It was closed for two years.
We're keeping the doors at KEC open during this construction.
So we've got to add a new building for weing
(04:21):
take one down from new gates to new infrastructure, our
own power supply so we can have electricity if the
city goes dark, we can still operate. All these things
the legislature has done. Shows are eternal and investment. So
the facilities, you have to have good facilities. You got
to take care of your property. You got to take
care of your people, or you can't take care of
(04:41):
your clients.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
David Beack, Kentucky Venue CEO joins the show. Like I said,
Raid the busiest convention center in entire of all North America,
all of North America. And then we had another mile
Stone this year as well with Danny Wimmer presents Longer
than Life, which you know I love very much. Latter
(05:04):
Life becomes the largest music festival in North America and
we beat out some big players. We're talking California with
the entire nation, and we become the largest music festival
in North America.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
That's a big deal, man.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
It really is. You know, those two weekends of Bourbon
miyon and alatter life over four hundred and fifty thousand people,
massive crowds which see to me, that's another part of
economic development. Besides the dollars that brings that into Louisver, Kentucky.
It's about the way of life here that helps us
with retention of existing employees. That's caused as people the
(05:39):
recruit to come to louis of Kentucky with a type
of entertainment we have here locally, it's major. We had
over eighty countries we know of this last year came
to Louisville, Kentucky. The year before then over one hundred
and ten Wow, every state in all fifty states represented,
all one and twenty counties come through our property throughout
the year. Those people come to Louisville from any of them.
(06:02):
It may be the first time the Commonwealth Kentucky. They
may come back for tourism, they may come back for vacations,
They may want to invest here, they may want to
do business here, and a lot of us repeat business.
So glad to have those people come through those concerts
and all the other events. Takes a World Championship horse show.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Yeah, that's another thing, and we've had that for years.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Yes, yeah, and then the National Farm Machinery Show, the
largest indoor farm show in February will be back. That's
our show. That's one of ours. So we have a
lot of first in Louis of Kentucky and a lot
of us. Sometimes we're too close to us to recognize
what we had right here in our own backyards. So
none of that happens by accident. A lot of work,
a lot of tradition, a lot of dedication to make
(06:44):
those shows happen and continue a year after year to
be here at our hometown. You take the day Womer concerts,
those two weekends, we had two events in between those
two shows at the same property that a lot of
people don't recognize.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
That's crazy.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Lot of people work hard to keep the calendar full.
That's restaurants, that service stations, that's hotels. Everybody benefits when
you have that kind of growth and success here locally.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
And that's crazy that you would book two events on
both weeks that Danny Wimmer presents. Was there the same
week with Louder than Life and the same week with
Bourbon and Beyond. Because it's quite busy, it would be
so easy. As a matter of fact, I would probably
do a blackout. We're just blacking that out. But you
all said, hey, we need the revenue, the city needs
the tax. You go ahead and you fill that up.
(07:28):
That I got to tell you. And here's another thing
they'll love about you. Sometimes the good guys do win.
And I'm talking about Louder than Life. After that second flood,
they were pulling out. It was done, but you just
did the neighborly thing. The venue had been flooded and
(07:49):
all the equipment was there, and you didn't want anything
out of it. You reach out to Danny Wimer and
you say, hey, look, I understand your events rained out.
I understand it's flooding. You've got all your equipment there.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
We have enough.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Storage space here at Freedom Hall and the Fairgrounds. If
you need it, you can store your stuff at our facility.
They did, and then that led to a friendship between
you and Danny Wimmer because of your generosity and ultimately,
in my eyes, saved Louder than Life.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
We see, I did not know Danny of by name.
Why we got acquaint it and I think a lot
of Danny I do too. I got a great team.
He'll be in town in a few days. We'll get together.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Yet his autograph on it, but go ahead.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Well, we stay in touch. And that's another example I
tell our staff. Open often we have the chance to
be exposed to some of the biggest and best meeting
planners in the world, entertainment, trade shows, you name it.
We can learn from them. What we learned this week,
we can apply next week. And so it's a constant,
lifelong learning process. We've learned a lot from WP and
(08:53):
what they do and how they do it, and we've
incorporate some things we learn from each other. That's the
kind of industry this is. And we're all competitive. If
we want to get together. Business is business. We represent
the comwealth Kentucky. So we have to make sure when
we're at the table negotiating, we're not just giving it away.
But yet we want to live and let live. Everybody
has to benefit in these arrangements.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Where are we at?
Speaker 1 (09:14):
I gave you a cassette of one of my songs
to give to Danny. Weimmer to have my band play
and have you ever given him that tape or not?
Because I haven't heard anything from that.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Well, he asked me where he came from.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Good.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Let's talk about freedom Hall, because Freedom Hall man such
great history there, Elvis, Presley, led Zeppelin, you name it,
even in Mike Tyson Fight. A lot of great history there,
and I love that venue. I would rather see a
concert there than anywhere else. And here's why. I can
sit in section three point thirty three, the dead last
row ZZ whatever it might be, and my seat is
(09:49):
still going to be pretty darn good. The seating is
perfect in Freedom Hall. You're never above the sound, You're
always got a great view. It's getting a facelift or
is it has it started?
Speaker 3 (10:01):
It has, And that's another example. The bones, the structure
Film Hall are wonderful. And I've had a chance to
visit all the various coaches over the last twenty years
that have played in coach basketball there, the different entertainers,
the different trade shows that use it. It gets used
a lot more than people recognize. And it's a great
venue that it is being renovated, a new lighting, new signage.
(10:24):
Everything is being improved, enhanced. The suites are being renovated
and we're putting in new seats, so your seat will
still be in that section, but it's going to be
a new chair. So I walked out this weekend and
looked at Freedom Hall. It's odd looking to see it
without the seats in there in some areas, but you
got to take them out and get them out of
there and then bring in new and so I'm proud
(10:45):
that facility. A lot of times I'll just walk out,
no one's interet me, and I think about the history.
The people have performed here, entertained here. The President of
United States spoken theremham I'll leave fighting there, and Billy
Graham preached in that right, and Elis Presley. You look
at all the major entertainers have been through Freedom Hall,
(11:06):
and so we're preserving Freedom Hall, but we're upgrading it
and making it something that today's clientele can enjoy and
just love to be there and enjoy the entertainment. The
sporting events, you know, sporting events are major to our
community coming out of COVID. Sporting has been critical to
our growth and success. And we hold archery, volleyball, basketball,
(11:27):
you name it. It takes place at our two venues.
In fact, we have clients using both properties and that's
one of the reasons we're working on the tunnel concept
to connect our to properties so we have the benefit
of the restaurants and hotels in this community. That takes
support the growth of existing clients, but also the growth
for tomorrow's clients as well.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
David Back, Kentucky Venues CEO, and the guy that's saved
louder than life in my eyes.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Listen, brother, thank you for the time.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Thanks for everything that you and your staff do at
Kentucky Venues to keep people here in Louis of Kentucky.
And you do that despite of a great anchor around
your neck called Dede Hudson. Sorry, David Beck. Always good
to see you, my friend. Merry Christmas to you too, brother.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Good to see you.
Speaker 4 (12:14):
Brother.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
I appreciate all that you do, keep us in form,
keep us entertained, enjoy these holidays. The Merry Christmas to
you and Susan.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
I don't know about it in formed, I will inform
you this though. Southern comfort hot tub. What a way
to reconnect with the one or the ones you love. Listen,
talk about a great Christmas gift for the entire family.
There you go, a Southern covered hot tub. Susan and
I were in ours just about every single night. It's
the perfect way to end every single day, just you
(12:40):
and the one you love reconnecting. No phones, no tablets,
no televisions, just you and the one you love, getting
that massage from that beautiful one hundred and four hundred
and three degree water. And now you're probably thinking, well,
I can't afford a hot tub. Yes, yes you can
hot tubs as low as sixty five dollars a month.
Did you hear that we had twelve month same as
(13:00):
cash and made ours an absolute breeze. You're gonna love
your Southern covered hot tub. Seventy five O one Preston Highway.
Tell Todd and the crew that we said, Hey, stick
around more on the way at news Radio eight forty
w h A s oh.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
My gosh, good one.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Yeah, Ron all right, I want to introduce I want
to introduce everybody to ron I met Ron at Gustavo's
Mexican Grill. He introduced me to a song called Believe
in American Dreams. I introduced you to something called Number
one Tequila and we were but so was your song.
Speaker 5 (13:36):
Hey, dude, I've got twenty five bourbons and one tequila.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
That's what I'm talking about, Number one tequila. But h
and by the way, join us tomorrow night at Bardo's
pizza as we're gonna be collecting toys. One last push
for collecting toys. It's rocking the stock in Dave Moody,
Patrick Michaels is going to be their performing live. It's
gonna be one heck of a good time. Third and
(14:00):
Market Baronos tomorrow seven to ten. But Ron, and by
the way, thank you for the toy donations from you
and your wife. I want to play a little bit
of your song right now and then at least get
to the chorus. But then I want to talk about
this as well.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
John.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Can we hit the song and get into the first
intro the song? What's the name of the song?
Speaker 5 (14:19):
It's called Santa Claus. And I accidentally put an E
on the end of clause because twenty something songs on
on streaming have Santa Claus with an E and it's
all about Tim.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Moe the Santa Claus.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Okay, let's go ahead, a little bit of a Santa
Claus from Rons.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
The odd Room take its toll on trees, the windblows
away those colors lead Turkey days done gone by. My
little girl's got Christmas in.
Speaker 6 (15:05):
Her eyes, she asked me through a whimper in till
and I say, Sam Claus.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
This year might have been the dree, could have been
the tree song with the Christmas fairite in me.
Speaker 7 (15:26):
Santa Claus, Santa Clauus call the beady and Santa Claus.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Santa Claus, Santa.
Speaker 7 (15:33):
Claus, I steal.
Speaker 5 (15:36):
Santa Claus.
Speaker 8 (15:41):
How about that ron welcome tone?
Speaker 1 (15:44):
It sounds great, man, and it's also got a lot
of production in there. You get the sleigh bells if
you listen to the tire song throughout the song. And
by the way, you can hear this anywhere your stream songs.
How do people find it?
Speaker 5 (15:56):
They just search for Colonel ron co O L O
N E L space r Win on any streaming and
look for Santa Claus.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Let's talk about the history of the soul. What made
you listen? What made you want to write and produce?
Because this is a it's fully produced, is well done?
Whoever did this well?
Speaker 8 (16:14):
First of all, this was Phil Bright.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Oh, Phil Bright's amazing. I know Phil Bright.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Phil Bride is amazing producer.
Speaker 5 (16:20):
I'm still trying to convince his wife that he's a genius. No,
he is when it comes to music.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Phil Bride is So how did how does he even
get on your radar. I want to do a Christmas song.
Speaker 5 (16:32):
This song came from a conversation in a bar. I
overheard a guy talking about losing his wife. So his
little girl says she want to go see Santa Claus.
And she gets there and she says, all I want
this year is.
Speaker 8 (16:42):
To have my mom.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 8 (16:44):
And I'm like, oh shit.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
Dumb dub dub dub dub duh good, oh good, oh good.
Speaker 5 (16:49):
Okay, I'm sorry, but anyway, it just hit me and
I wrote this song years ago, but I'm just now
recording it. And I went to see Phil Rick Boone
from Bobby Lance Band introduced me to him. I thought
I was going to do an audio book there and
I heard his music and I said, oh man, I
want to record. So I did my first song and
released last December, and I've already done four or five.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
Let's talk about your history with the city and doing songs,
because it's not your first rodeo on this. In the eighties,
you did one involving the University of a little fighting cardinals.
Oh god, but it took off here locally big time,
and it remained number one on one of the pop
stations here, a competitive station. It remained number one on
(17:35):
their charts for like two weeks. Yes, and that's pretty
cool though, right, I mean, just come up with it.
Speaker 8 (17:41):
Was by accident.
Speaker 5 (17:42):
I I was going to record this song with a
Bobby Lance band called Now It's Time to Do It
at the NCAA uh huh okay, And I get to
the studio and Bobby Lance talks me into rapping it.
So I become Louvill's first white rapper in nineteen eighty
eight I think it was.
Speaker 8 (17:57):
And it just went over.
Speaker 5 (17:58):
And then then Howard Snellenberger comes to Louisville. He hears
the basketball songs about Denny Crumb and he wanted a
football song.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Is it true that.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
To do this football song? Tumbleweed puts up like two
grand to get this produced. They said, Howard Snellenberger wants
you to write a song. He's pretty important, him and
his club, and they're sponsors. They've always been great supporters.
They chip in on this and they say, we gotta
get this done. Is there truth to that?
Speaker 8 (18:27):
It's absolutely really yes. And Howard even opened the song.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Oh does he really?
Speaker 8 (18:34):
He's like, it takes everybody to be number one and
it was so much fun.
Speaker 5 (18:40):
And I mean I can remember being in the top
stands at U of L. They're playing Tennessee and the
Lady Birds are doing a routine to my song on
the field and no one in the stands would believe
it was me. So I told Howard, I said, now,
this isn't right.
Speaker 8 (18:56):
So he gave a seats behind the team.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
My favorite Howard snell Linburger's story is when the Stones
played the Steel Wheels Tour at the football field at
Carlinos Stadium in September nineteenth, nineteen eighty nine. A dear
friend of mine, John Ramsey, he's he's there somewhere because
of Snellenberger. He's tied to the program, always has been football.
(19:20):
And evidently Mick Jagger walks into the weight room and
Snellenberger has him kicked out, and I forgot who was there,
like a really big linean whatever. John Ramsey says that
to excuse that, he says, well, you can't kick me out.
I'm Mick Jagger. And his response was, I don't care
(19:41):
if you're Mickey Mouse, you get out of my trading.
But anyway, you write this song and you take it
to Phil bright, he gets it produced for you. But
outside of writing producing songs, you've also got a love
for bourbon, and you do these burber A Bourbon tours.
It's a big deal now for Kentucky. I mean they
(20:03):
stay booked up. I didn't realize how booked up these
tours stay until Mandy Connell, not Mandy Connell, someone else
reached out to me and said, hey, we're coming, we
want to go. They stay booked up, especially in the fall, right.
Speaker 5 (20:16):
It's up the fall in the spring, and you know,
people think, people seem to think that the tours are
there's fewer of them, but they don't realize. When I
started doing this in twenty seventeen, the company I worked for, Mintju,
they had fifteen buses and we were booked all the time.
Speaker 8 (20:32):
Now they have over thirty.
Speaker 5 (20:34):
Oh and there's six or seven competitors, and we still
have to rent vehicles at times, so they're not There's
a lot of touring going on out there.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
So you're a tour guide, but you're also you've also
written and produced music. Do you ever play for your
guest like or sing or do you say, hey, you know,
here's a song I did about a bourbon tasting turn
into a mass murder and just make them feel awkward.
Speaker 5 (20:57):
Oh well, And what I do is, sometimes you know,
they they ask about the colonel and all that, and
then I tell him about singing, and they say, we'll
play us a song, And I said, after you've had
a few drinks in the tour, I don't want to
make the tour about me, So after the tour is
over and running way home, I'll play them.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Do you have to know a lot about bourbon? Though?
Speaker 1 (21:15):
For these tours, because I guess they're because they're question boxes, right,
they getting they and they got a ton of questions
because they haven't. Well, I will say they often don't
know what they're talking about. Because some of them do,
and that's well on the tour, but some don't. They
have no idea about burbon.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
They don't.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
And a lot of times I will teach them how
to make whiskey on the kitchen stove. Well, really, I'll
make it small so that when they see the big
it makes sense.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
That's pretty cool.
Speaker 5 (21:39):
You go into distillery and there's a twelve thousand gallon
tank and they're talking about.
Speaker 8 (21:43):
It just goes over your head.
Speaker 5 (21:44):
But if I show them how to do it on
the kitchen stove like a cooking show that they're like, cool.
Speaker 8 (21:48):
I knew what was going on.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
So what's next? We've got a Santa Claus song from
your Colonel Ron. What's coming next?
Speaker 8 (21:54):
The next thing is on my tours.
Speaker 5 (21:56):
A lot of times women will say the only reason
I'm here is because he likes whiskey, but I like wine.
And I've heard this so many times that I decided
to write a song called Whiskey and Wine.
Speaker 8 (22:05):
I don't like it feeling it.
Speaker 5 (22:07):
I love it, Phil, I've produced it and we're gonna
I'll probably release an adversity.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Oh so it's already done.
Speaker 8 (22:14):
It's done, it's ready to go.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Well listen, Uh name the song and how people can
find it again?
Speaker 5 (22:20):
Uh, Santa Claus, just search for Colonel Ron on anything
that streams and you'll find it.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
All right, we're gonna play out with it here. It
is right here, Colonel Ron. Good to see you, my friend,
and great great work on this song. All right, news
Radioway forty w h A S vote.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
I want lute on your side.
Speaker 4 (22:41):
All I want is my Mamabout without my Mama? It
can't beat Christmas and all fine mouth. She gotta miss us.
Speaker 7 (22:49):
All I want this year, you see, is to have
my mama back here with me.
Speaker 8 (22:58):
Santa Claus, Santa Claus.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
I believe in Santa Claus.
Speaker 8 (23:03):
Santa Claus, Santa Claus.
Speaker 7 (23:06):
I stay with me in Santa Claus.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
Santa Claus was great that night.
Speaker 8 (23:35):
You told my little girl, daddy'll be alright.
Speaker 5 (23:37):
You said, your mama.
Speaker 4 (23:39):
Is hearing away. She'll be with you every day. The
way daddy worked was more than a miracle. The things
that he said, he said kind of lyrical. As we
left the store that day, my daughter said, Daddy, Mamma,
sare and away. My daughter said, Daddy, mamma, say you
(24:00):
re away.
Speaker 7 (24:03):
Santa Claus.
Speaker 8 (24:05):
Save the claws up.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
To me and Santa Claus. Santa Claus, Santa Claus. I
still didn't and stay up the clothes, said the Lama.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Would save the claw. Really are staring away.
Speaker 7 (24:19):
And stat up the clover, the shoot the claws, and
you know my clothes still I really do stand Santa Claus,
sant the close up, sat the claws.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
I love you down with me to serve up the clothes,
and I love the laws.
Speaker 5 (24:33):
Set the glass
Classic Bob and Dub McKenzie there on Christmas Week News
Radio eight forty whas, I'm Dwight whitting that's John Gate.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
No, John William Alben, come on, I'm sorry, it's John
William altin the third.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Damn it Beck. How you doing Kentucky Venues CEO, how
are you, my friend?
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Good morning, Really good to see you.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
You're looking great to me, go look at great Christmas sweater,
that bright red and you look. You look amazing.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Man. You're ready for Christmas.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
We're ready. I tell you what look for. I spend
some time with family and grandkids, and it's the time
to celebrate and enjoy life and counter blessings I have.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
I was definitely counting my blessings down in Cabo Santa Lucas.
I had my biggest blessing on my arm, my wife Susan.
But I wanted you on the show because Kentucky Venues
in Freedom Hall and the Fare and Exposition Center in
the Downtown Convention Center, so many venues. For the Kentucky Venues,
you do an amazing job you and your staff to
(00:55):
the point where this I think this is amazing. Out
of the sixteen large just events in Louisville. Fifteen of
them are held at Kentucky Venues, and the one that's
not you can probably guess it's Derby, but you all
still handle all the parking for Derby, so you might
as well say you're sixteen for sixteen. That's huge, and
(01:17):
that's a big thing to take on and tackle hosting
the largest events.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Right it is. We're just thankful Dwight to have a
wonderful team. Our staff works hard day in and day out.
Last year they were three hundred and sixty three days
out of the year. That's a lot of time put in.
But all the partnerships everybody in this town corporating from
Little Tourism, the Sports Commission, the mayor, and the Metro
Council in the Kentucky General Assembly, they've been so supportive.
(01:45):
They changed the law to give us more flexibility so
we can be competitive worldwide, all the attractions here in town.
It takes all that to make this work.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Okay, you mentioned that you wanted to be more competitive
and you wanted to run it like a business, be profitable,
and it seems like anybody would want that, but it
took a while for to get it changed. We've done
that and you changed it, and boy did you take
advantage of it. David Beck, you and your staff. Now
it's the busiest. It just got rated. Kentucky Venues the
(02:15):
busiest convention center in North America and all North America.
Louisville's Kentucky Venues is now the busiest out of all
North America.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
That's got to make you feel proud.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
It is. We celebrate with our staff last week, a
little gathering just let them know how much we appreciate
them as we go into this holiday season. And that
recognition was just on the Kentucky Exposition Center by itself,
that did not include Kick and so just that one entity. Wow,
it's the busiest, and you know, over five million people
came through the doors of about two hundred and eighty
(02:48):
different events. But I want to you about Kick two,
just down the street from here, off Fourth Street. They
had sixty four new clients. This last year. We had
sixty four new clients that had never been the kid before.
So I hope that's the new normal that we're going
to see that year after year continue to grow the business.
It's not just tourism, it's economic development, a major source
of employment in our community and the commonwealth.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Well, but is the story out there now that Louisville
is the place for a convention?
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Because it sounded to me.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
And by the way, I know, because we're friends, I
get to look a little inside baseball. I know some
of the really attractive cities that were up against when
it comes to some of these conventions, and you got
to go in there and you've got to fight for
Louisville and you do bring them into Louisville. Is it
getting easier though, because the words getting out.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
I tell you the competition in this industry, it's brutal, right,
it is. It's massive hotel rooms, a facilitation. You know.
The General Assembly saw the business plan and they just
didn't write a check. They saw the eternal investment. Sure,
and they've invested almost a half billion dollars. If you
drive by the Tech Exposition Center, you'll see cranes up
the air, steel in concrete. That will give us. The
(04:00):
first new building is three hundred and fifty thousand square
feet that's equivalent about six football fields. And once we
get the keys of that in December of twenty six,
then we'll tear down the old West Hall replace it.
See when Kick was renovated. It was closed for two years.
We're keeping the doors at KEC open during this construction.
So we've got to add a new building for weing
(04:21):
take one down from new gates to new infrastructure, our
own power supply so we can have electricity if the
city goes dark, we can still operate. All these things
the legislature has done. Shows are eternal and investment. So
the facilities, you have to have good facilities. You got
to take care of your property. You got to take
care of your people, or you can't take care of
(04:41):
your clients.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
David Beack, Kentucky Venue CEO joins the show. Like I said,
Raid the busiest convention center in entire of all North America,
all of North America. And then we had another mile
Stone this year as well with Danny Wimmer presents Longer
than Life, which you know I love very much. Latter
(05:04):
Life becomes the largest music festival in North America and
we beat out some big players. We're talking California with
the entire nation, and we become the largest music festival
in North America.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
That's a big deal, man.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
It really is. You know, those two weekends of Bourbon
miyon and alatter life over four hundred and fifty thousand people,
massive crowds which see to me, that's another part of
economic development. Besides the dollars that brings that into Louisver, Kentucky.
It's about the way of life here that helps us
with retention of existing employees. That's caused as people the
(05:39):
recruit to come to louis of Kentucky with a type
of entertainment we have here locally, it's major. We had
over eighty countries we know of this last year came
to Louisville, Kentucky. The year before then over one hundred
and ten Wow, every state in all fifty states represented,
all one and twenty counties come through our property throughout
the year. Those people come to Louisville from any of them.
(06:02):
It may be the first time the Commonwealth Kentucky. They
may come back for tourism, they may come back for vacations,
They may want to invest here, they may want to
do business here, and a lot of us repeat business.
So glad to have those people come through those concerts
and all the other events. Takes a World Championship horse show.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Yeah, that's another thing, and we've had that for years.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Yes, yeah, and then the National Farm Machinery Show, the
largest indoor farm show in February will be back. That's
our show. That's one of ours. So we have a
lot of first in Louis of Kentucky and a lot
of us. Sometimes we're too close to us to recognize
what we had right here in our own backyards. So
none of that happens by accident. A lot of work,
a lot of tradition, a lot of dedication to make
(06:44):
those shows happen and continue a year after year to
be here at our hometown. You take the day Womer concerts,
those two weekends, we had two events in between those
two shows at the same property that a lot of
people don't recognize.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
That's crazy.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Lot of people work hard to keep the calendar full.
That's restaurants, that service stations, that's hotels. Everybody benefits when
you have that kind of growth and success here locally.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
And that's crazy that you would book two events on
both weeks that Danny Wimmer presents. Was there the same
week with Louder than Life and the same week with
Bourbon and Beyond. Because it's quite busy, it would be
so easy. As a matter of fact, I would probably
do a blackout. We're just blacking that out. But you
all said, hey, we need the revenue, the city needs
the tax. You go ahead and you fill that up.
(07:28):
That I got to tell you. And here's another thing
they'll love about you. Sometimes the good guys do win.
And I'm talking about Louder than Life. After that second flood,
they were pulling out. It was done, but you just
did the neighborly thing. The venue had been flooded and
(07:49):
all the equipment was there, and you didn't want anything
out of it. You reach out to Danny Wimer and
you say, hey, look, I understand your events rained out.
I understand it's flooding. You've got all your equipment there.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
We have enough.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Storage space here at Freedom Hall and the Fairgrounds. If
you need it, you can store your stuff at our facility.
They did, and then that led to a friendship between
you and Danny Wimmer because of your generosity and ultimately,
in my eyes, saved Louder than Life.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
We see, I did not know Danny of by name.
Why we got acquaint it and I think a lot
of Danny I do too. I got a great team.
He'll be in town in a few days. We'll get together.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Yet his autograph on it, but go ahead.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Well, we stay in touch. And that's another example I
tell our staff. Open often we have the chance to
be exposed to some of the biggest and best meeting
planners in the world, entertainment, trade shows, you name it.
We can learn from them. What we learned this week,
we can apply next week. And so it's a constant,
lifelong learning process. We've learned a lot from WP and
(08:53):
what they do and how they do it, and we've
incorporate some things we learn from each other. That's the
kind of industry this is. And we're all competitive. If
we want to get together. Business is business. We represent
the comwealth Kentucky. So we have to make sure when
we're at the table negotiating, we're not just giving it away.
But yet we want to live and let live. Everybody
has to benefit in these arrangements.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Where are we at?
Speaker 1 (09:14):
I gave you a cassette of one of my songs
to give to Danny. Weimmer to have my band play
and have you ever given him that tape or not?
Because I haven't heard anything from that.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Well, he asked me where he came from.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Good.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Let's talk about freedom Hall, because Freedom Hall man such
great history there, Elvis, Presley, led Zeppelin, you name it,
even in Mike Tyson Fight. A lot of great history there,
and I love that venue. I would rather see a
concert there than anywhere else. And here's why. I can
sit in section three point thirty three, the dead last
row ZZ whatever it might be, and my seat is
(09:49):
still going to be pretty darn good. The seating is
perfect in Freedom Hall. You're never above the sound, You're
always got a great view. It's getting a facelift or
is it has it started?
Speaker 3 (10:01):
It has, And that's another example. The bones, the structure
Film Hall are wonderful. And I've had a chance to
visit all the various coaches over the last twenty years
that have played in coach basketball there, the different entertainers,
the different trade shows that use it. It gets used
a lot more than people recognize. And it's a great
venue that it is being renovated, a new lighting, new signage.
(10:24):
Everything is being improved, enhanced. The suites are being renovated
and we're putting in new seats, so your seat will
still be in that section, but it's going to be
a new chair. So I walked out this weekend and
looked at Freedom Hall. It's odd looking to see it
without the seats in there in some areas, but you
got to take them out and get them out of
there and then bring in new and so I'm proud
(10:45):
that facility. A lot of times I'll just walk out,
no one's interet me, and I think about the history.
The people have performed here, entertained here. The President of
United States spoken theremham I'll leave fighting there, and Billy
Graham preached in that right, and Elis Presley. You look
at all the major entertainers have been through Freedom Hall,
(11:06):
and so we're preserving Freedom Hall, but we're upgrading it
and making it something that today's clientele can enjoy and
just love to be there and enjoy the entertainment. The
sporting events, you know, sporting events are major to our
community coming out of COVID. Sporting has been critical to
our growth and success. And we hold archery, volleyball, basketball,
(11:27):
you name it. It takes place at our two venues.
In fact, we have clients using both properties and that's
one of the reasons we're working on the tunnel concept
to connect our to properties so we have the benefit
of the restaurants and hotels in this community. That takes
support the growth of existing clients, but also the growth
for tomorrow's clients as well.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
David Back, Kentucky Venues CEO, and the guy that's saved
louder than life in my eyes.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Listen, brother, thank you for the time.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Thanks for everything that you and your staff do at
Kentucky Venues to keep people here in Louis of Kentucky.
And you do that despite of a great anchor around
your neck called Dede Hudson. Sorry, David Beck. Always good
to see you, my friend. Merry Christmas to you too, brother.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Good to see you.
Speaker 4 (12:14):
Brother.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
I appreciate all that you do, keep us in form,
keep us entertained, enjoy these holidays. The Merry Christmas to
you and Susan.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
I don't know about it in formed, I will inform
you this though. Southern comfort hot tub. What a way
to reconnect with the one or the ones you love. Listen,
talk about a great Christmas gift for the entire family.
There you go, a Southern covered hot tub. Susan and
I were in ours just about every single night. It's
the perfect way to end every single day, just you
(12:40):
and the one you love reconnecting. No phones, no tablets,
no televisions, just you and the one you love, getting
that massage from that beautiful one hundred and four hundred
and three degree water. And now you're probably thinking, well,
I can't afford a hot tub. Yes, yes you can
hot tubs as low as sixty five dollars a month.
Did you hear that we had twelve month same as
(13:00):
cash and made ours an absolute breeze. You're gonna love
your Southern covered hot tub. Seventy five O one Preston Highway.
Tell Todd and the crew that we said, Hey, stick
around more on the way at news Radio eight forty
w h A s oh.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
My gosh, good one.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Yeah, Ron all right, I want to introduce I want
to introduce everybody to ron I met Ron at Gustavo's
Mexican Grill. He introduced me to a song called Believe
in American Dreams. I introduced you to something called Number
one Tequila and we were but so was your song.
Speaker 5 (13:36):
Hey, dude, I've got twenty five bourbons and one tequila.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
That's what I'm talking about, Number one tequila. But h
and by the way, join us tomorrow night at Bardo's
pizza as we're gonna be collecting toys. One last push
for collecting toys. It's rocking the stock in Dave Moody,
Patrick Michaels is going to be their performing live. It's
gonna be one heck of a good time. Third and
(14:00):
Market Baronos tomorrow seven to ten. But Ron, and by
the way, thank you for the toy donations from you
and your wife. I want to play a little bit
of your song right now and then at least get
to the chorus. But then I want to talk about
this as well.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
John.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Can we hit the song and get into the first
intro the song? What's the name of the song?
Speaker 5 (14:19):
It's called Santa Claus. And I accidentally put an E
on the end of clause because twenty something songs on
on streaming have Santa Claus with an E and it's
all about Tim.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Moe the Santa Claus.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Okay, let's go ahead, a little bit of a Santa
Claus from Rons.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
The odd Room take its toll on trees, the windblows
away those colors lead Turkey days done gone by. My
little girl's got Christmas in.
Speaker 6 (15:05):
Her eyes, she asked me through a whimper in till
and I say, Sam Claus.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
This year might have been the dree, could have been
the tree song with the Christmas fairite in me.
Speaker 7 (15:26):
Santa Claus, Santa Clauus call the beady and Santa Claus.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Santa Claus, Santa.
Speaker 7 (15:33):
Claus, I steal.
Speaker 5 (15:36):
Santa Claus.
Speaker 8 (15:41):
How about that ron welcome tone?
Speaker 1 (15:44):
It sounds great, man, and it's also got a lot
of production in there. You get the sleigh bells if
you listen to the tire song throughout the song. And
by the way, you can hear this anywhere your stream songs.
How do people find it?
Speaker 5 (15:56):
They just search for Colonel ron co O L O
N E L space r Win on any streaming and
look for Santa Claus.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Let's talk about the history of the soul. What made
you listen? What made you want to write and produce?
Because this is a it's fully produced, is well done?
Whoever did this well?
Speaker 8 (16:14):
First of all, this was Phil Bright.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Oh, Phil Bright's amazing. I know Phil Bright.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Phil Bride is amazing producer.
Speaker 5 (16:20):
I'm still trying to convince his wife that he's a genius. No,
he is when it comes to music.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Phil Bride is So how did how does he even
get on your radar. I want to do a Christmas song.
Speaker 5 (16:32):
This song came from a conversation in a bar. I
overheard a guy talking about losing his wife. So his
little girl says she want to go see Santa Claus.
And she gets there and she says, all I want
this year is.
Speaker 8 (16:42):
To have my mom.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 8 (16:44):
And I'm like, oh shit.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
Dumb dub dub dub dub duh good, oh good, oh good.
Speaker 5 (16:49):
Okay, I'm sorry, but anyway, it just hit me and
I wrote this song years ago, but I'm just now
recording it. And I went to see Phil Rick Boone
from Bobby Lance Band introduced me to him. I thought
I was going to do an audio book there and
I heard his music and I said, oh man, I
want to record. So I did my first song and
released last December, and I've already done four or five.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
Let's talk about your history with the city and doing songs,
because it's not your first rodeo on this. In the eighties,
you did one involving the University of a little fighting cardinals.
Oh god, but it took off here locally big time,
and it remained number one on one of the pop
stations here, a competitive station. It remained number one on
(17:35):
their charts for like two weeks. Yes, and that's pretty
cool though, right, I mean, just come up with it.
Speaker 8 (17:41):
Was by accident.
Speaker 5 (17:42):
I I was going to record this song with a
Bobby Lance band called Now It's Time to Do It
at the NCAA uh huh okay, And I get to
the studio and Bobby Lance talks me into rapping it.
So I become Louvill's first white rapper in nineteen eighty
eight I think it was.
Speaker 8 (17:57):
And it just went over.
Speaker 5 (17:58):
And then then Howard Snellenberger comes to Louisville. He hears
the basketball songs about Denny Crumb and he wanted a
football song.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Is it true that.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
To do this football song? Tumbleweed puts up like two
grand to get this produced. They said, Howard Snellenberger wants
you to write a song. He's pretty important, him and
his club, and they're sponsors. They've always been great supporters.
They chip in on this and they say, we gotta
get this done. Is there truth to that?
Speaker 8 (18:27):
It's absolutely really yes. And Howard even opened the song.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Oh does he really?
Speaker 8 (18:34):
He's like, it takes everybody to be number one and
it was so much fun.
Speaker 5 (18:40):
And I mean I can remember being in the top
stands at U of L. They're playing Tennessee and the
Lady Birds are doing a routine to my song on
the field and no one in the stands would believe
it was me. So I told Howard, I said, now,
this isn't right.
Speaker 8 (18:56):
So he gave a seats behind the team.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
My favorite Howard snell Linburger's story is when the Stones
played the Steel Wheels Tour at the football field at
Carlinos Stadium in September nineteenth, nineteen eighty nine. A dear
friend of mine, John Ramsey, he's he's there somewhere because
of Snellenberger. He's tied to the program, always has been football.
(19:20):
And evidently Mick Jagger walks into the weight room and
Snellenberger has him kicked out, and I forgot who was there,
like a really big linean whatever. John Ramsey says that
to excuse that, he says, well, you can't kick me out.
I'm Mick Jagger. And his response was, I don't care
(19:41):
if you're Mickey Mouse, you get out of my trading.
But anyway, you write this song and you take it
to Phil bright, he gets it produced for you. But
outside of writing producing songs, you've also got a love
for bourbon, and you do these burber A Bourbon tours.
It's a big deal now for Kentucky. I mean they
(20:03):
stay booked up. I didn't realize how booked up these
tours stay until Mandy Connell, not Mandy Connell, someone else
reached out to me and said, hey, we're coming, we
want to go. They stay booked up, especially in the fall, right.
Speaker 5 (20:16):
It's up the fall in the spring, and you know,
people think, people seem to think that the tours are
there's fewer of them, but they don't realize. When I
started doing this in twenty seventeen, the company I worked for, Mintju,
they had fifteen buses and we were booked all the time.
Speaker 8 (20:32):
Now they have over thirty.
Speaker 5 (20:34):
Oh and there's six or seven competitors, and we still
have to rent vehicles at times, so they're not There's
a lot of touring going on out there.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
So you're a tour guide, but you're also you've also
written and produced music. Do you ever play for your
guest like or sing or do you say, hey, you know,
here's a song I did about a bourbon tasting turn
into a mass murder and just make them feel awkward.
Speaker 5 (20:57):
Oh well, And what I do is, sometimes you know,
they they ask about the colonel and all that, and
then I tell him about singing, and they say, we'll
play us a song, And I said, after you've had
a few drinks in the tour, I don't want to
make the tour about me, So after the tour is
over and running way home, I'll play them.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Do you have to know a lot about bourbon? Though?
Speaker 1 (21:15):
For these tours, because I guess they're because they're question boxes, right,
they getting they and they got a ton of questions
because they haven't. Well, I will say they often don't
know what they're talking about. Because some of them do,
and that's well on the tour, but some don't. They
have no idea about burbon.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
They don't.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
And a lot of times I will teach them how
to make whiskey on the kitchen stove. Well, really, I'll
make it small so that when they see the big
it makes sense.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
That's pretty cool.
Speaker 5 (21:39):
You go into distillery and there's a twelve thousand gallon
tank and they're talking about.
Speaker 8 (21:43):
It just goes over your head.
Speaker 5 (21:44):
But if I show them how to do it on
the kitchen stove like a cooking show that they're like, cool.
Speaker 8 (21:48):
I knew what was going on.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
So what's next? We've got a Santa Claus song from
your Colonel Ron. What's coming next?
Speaker 8 (21:54):
The next thing is on my tours.
Speaker 5 (21:56):
A lot of times women will say the only reason
I'm here is because he likes whiskey, but I like wine.
And I've heard this so many times that I decided
to write a song called Whiskey and Wine.
Speaker 8 (22:05):
I don't like it feeling it.
Speaker 5 (22:07):
I love it, Phil, I've produced it and we're gonna
I'll probably release an adversity.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Oh so it's already done.
Speaker 8 (22:14):
It's done, it's ready to go.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Well listen, Uh name the song and how people can
find it again?
Speaker 5 (22:20):
Uh, Santa Claus, just search for Colonel Ron on anything
that streams and you'll find it.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
All right, we're gonna play out with it here. It
is right here, Colonel Ron. Good to see you, my friend,
and great great work on this song. All right, news
Radioway forty w h A S vote.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
I want lute on your side.
Speaker 4 (22:41):
All I want is my Mamabout without my Mama? It
can't beat Christmas and all fine mouth. She gotta miss us.
Speaker 7 (22:49):
All I want this year, you see, is to have
my mama back here with me.
Speaker 8 (22:58):
Santa Claus, Santa Claus.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
I believe in Santa Claus.
Speaker 8 (23:03):
Santa Claus, Santa Claus.
Speaker 7 (23:06):
I stay with me in Santa Claus.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
Santa Claus was great that night.
Speaker 8 (23:35):
You told my little girl, daddy'll be alright.
Speaker 5 (23:37):
You said, your mama.
Speaker 4 (23:39):
Is hearing away. She'll be with you every day. The
way daddy worked was more than a miracle. The things
that he said, he said kind of lyrical. As we
left the store that day, my daughter said, Daddy, Mamma,
sare and away. My daughter said, Daddy, mamma, say you
(24:00):
re away.
Speaker 7 (24:03):
Santa Claus.
Speaker 8 (24:05):
Save the claws up.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
To me and Santa Claus. Santa Claus, Santa Claus. I
still didn't and stay up the clothes, said the Lama.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Would save the claw. Really are staring away.
Speaker 7 (24:19):
And stat up the clover, the shoot the claws, and
you know my clothes still I really do stand Santa Claus,
sant the close up, sat the claws.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
I love you down with me to serve up the clothes,
and I love the laws.
Speaker 5 (24:33):
Set the glass
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