@NMSU
Doug Parten - Getting the show going
There is a certain electricity in the air during a packed house at the Pan American Center. While it's difficult to miss the thousands of excited, screaming fans and the rock stars or sports teams about to put on the show, often overlooked is the crew that spent the previous day working to set up everything.
A proud member of that crew is Doug Parten, operations manager for New Mexico State University Special Events. He's worked at the Pan Am for 15 years, including five years as a student. His self-described duties include "covering everything - from the toilets to the artists to the patrons."
There are 45 to 50 events per year held in the Pan Am and each has special requirements that Parten and his team make sure are covered. For bull riding events, tons of dirt has to be haul onto the floor of the arena, then hauled out the very next day. Basketball and volleyball games require assembling the parquet floor, which is more like a massive jigsaw puzzle. Twice, presidential visits to the Pan Am immediately followed a concert.
"We closed the doors to the concert trucks at 2 a.m. and opened the doors to the campaign trucks at 3 a.m.," Parten said.
The show Parten remembers most was heavy metal band Metallica in 1997.
"We had six inches of snow," he said. "They shut down the interstate so more than 3,000 fans were stranded in El Paso. That show was excellent."
Typically concerts are confirmed three to six months ahead of time. From there Parten and others begin to figure out what supplies are needed, which could be anything from additional generators to furniture in the dressing rooms to dry ice. Some of the supplies are already in the building; others might need to be rented either in town or from across the country.
Next time you're at the Pan American Center, you probably won't notice Doug Parten or his crew, but certainly notice the work they've done.
Written by Justin Bannister.