Programming a Small Arena for Campus and Community
In many collegiate arenas, the weeks after basketball season can feel like a pause in the calendar. However, for the most effective venues, the opposite is true. It is a chance to introduce entirely new audiences to the building.
At the Joan Perry Brock Center at Longwood University, that transition is already underway this spring.
Within just a few weeks, the arena will welcome several distinct events. A nationally recognized family entertainment tour will arrive first. A headline concert tied to one of Longwood’s most celebrated campus traditions will follow. The calendar also includes a regional collectibles show and a specialty reptile expo. Each event brings a different audience through the doors. Together, they reflect an important reality for modern venue operations. Mid-size arenas perform best when they remain flexible enough to support a wide range of programming beyond varsity competition.
A Multipurpose Arena Serving Central Virginia
The Joan Perry Brock Center opened in August 2023 as a 72,000 square foot multipurpose arena designed to serve both Longwood University and the surrounding region. Located in Farmville in Central Virginia’s Piedmont region, within reach of Richmond and Charlottesville, the venue was envisioned as a gathering place for campus and community alike.
The arena seats approximately 3,000 guests for basketball and can accommodate more than 3,000 attendees for concerts, ceremonies, and large events. Capacity varies depending on configuration. During the academic year, the venue hosts approximately 30 Longwood Lancer men’s and women’s home basketball games.
Still early in its lifecycle, the Joan Perry Brock Center is rapidly establishing itself as a regional destination that supports athletics, entertainment, and community events within the same calendar. In addition to basketball, concerts, family entertainment, amateur sports, trade shows, banquets, and high school graduations all play a role in activating the building throughout the year.
Spring Programming Brings New Audiences
This spring provides a clear example of that approach.
On April 1, the Harlem Globetrotters bring their 100 Year Tour to Farmville. What began with legendary players such as Curly Neal, Meadowlark Lemon, Wilt Chamberlain, and Goose Tatum continues today with stars including Hammer, Torch, and Bulldog. Known for combining athleticism, humor, and crowd interaction, the Globetrotters return to the JPB for the third time to deliver an experience that appeals to families across generations.
Later in the month, the arena will host the PirateDog Sports Card and Collectible show for the third time, where attendees gather to buy, sell, and trade sports cards and memorabilia. Shortly afterward, the venue will welcome a regional reptile expo that draws hobbyists and enthusiasts from across Virginia.
Meanwhile, in collaboration with Longwood Athletics, the arena will host the Longwood Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony on April 17. The event celebrates past Lancer athletes and reinforces the facility’s role as a gathering place for campus traditions.
Between those events comes one of the most anticipated traditions on the Longwood calendar, along with additional campus events that continue to activate the arena throughout the spring.
Spring Weekend Moves the Headline Concert Indoors
Longwood University’s Spring Weekend is a long-standing campus tradition and one of the most anticipated events of the academic year. The multi-day celebration brings together students, alumni, and the campus community for a high-energy weekend of music, activities, and traditions that have been part of Longwood culture for decades.
The signature event is Oozeball, a fiercely competitive volleyball tournament played in a pit of mud on Stubbs Lawn. Student organizations line the lawn with booths and activities, while dining services move outdoors for a cookout style atmosphere that transforms the campus into a festival setting. Live music and entertainment run throughout the weekend, creating what many students consider one of the defining experiences of their time at Longwood.
This year marks an important evolution for the event.
For the first time, the weekend’s headline concert will take place inside the Joan Perry Brock Center. Hosting the performance indoors allows the event to continue regardless of weather while providing an arena environment for both the artist and audience.
The headliner is Yung Gravy, an artist known for blending nostalgic musical influences with modern hip hop production. Sampling sounds that range from classic soul recordings to contemporary pop, his music pairs nostalgic melodies with modern trap rhythms and a signature baritone delivery. In just a few years he has evolved from a breakout SoundCloud artist into a platinum selling performer with billions of streams and sold-out tours across North America, Europe, and Australia.
Promotion for the concert also extends beyond Longwood’s campus. Outreach to neighboring universities across the region invites students from other institutions to attend the show, introducing new audiences to both the campus and the arena.
Event Operations Behind a Flexible Arena Calendar
While the calendar may appear seamless to visitors, hosting such a wide range of events requires careful coordination behind the scenes.
A venue that transitions from athletics to concerts to conventions must maintain operational flexibility while delivering a consistent experience for every renter and guest. Seating layouts change, technical requirements shift, and event preparation timelines vary widely depending on the program.
At the Joan Perry Brock Center, this adaptability is supported by a team that understands the building’s role on campus and in the community. The objective is simple. Every event should feel like the building was designed specifically for it.
Student Employees Gain Real-World Venue Experience
The arena also serves as a hands-on learning environment for Longwood students working in the facility.
Through the CENTERS operating model, student employees gain experience across many aspects of venue management. Some assist with event production, supporting sound boards, lighting, and other technical elements during concerts and performances. Others contribute to marketing by designing promotional posters and other collateral, shooting event video, and producing promotional content.
For students interested in sports, entertainment, and live event management, these roles provide valuable resume-building experience in an increasingly competitive industry. Students also work directly with guests through positions in the box office, ushering, customer service, and event operations, giving them exposure to the full range of responsibilities required to run a professional venue.
For many students, the Joan Perry Brock Center becomes both a campus gathering place and a launch point for careers in the sports and entertainment industry.
Regional Media Partnerships Expand Event Awareness
Promoting such a diverse calendar requires reaching audiences both on campus and throughout Central Virginia.
This spring, the arena partnered with NBC 12 in Richmond to film segments highlighting upcoming events at the venue. The broadcasts showcased the building’s versatility while introducing new visitors to the experiences available inside the arena.
Regional media partnerships remain an important marketing tool for many mid-size venues. They help raise awareness not only for individual events but also for the venue itself as a destination for concerts, performances, and community gatherings.
Watch the JPB Spring promo – Part 1
Watch the JPB Spring promo – Part 2
Lessons from the Third Year of Operations
Across the country, universities are investing in arenas that serve multiple purposes for both campus and community audiences. These facilities must balance athletics, student programming, entertainment, and community events within a single calendar.
Success often depends on the ability to think beyond any single type of event. Beyond public events, the facility regularly supports campus life with admissions orientations, college fairs, athletics camps, pep rallies, and graduation ceremonies that bring students, families, and community members together throughout the academic year.
As Greg Ross, Vice President of Operations for CENTERS, explains, “Mid-size arenas succeed when they embrace their versatility. The calendar needs to serve students, families, and the broader community. The venues that thrive are the ones that continually look for new ways to activate the building.”
Now in its third year of operations, the Joan Perry Brock Center continues to build that rhythm. By welcoming a wide variety of events and audiences, the arena is steadily establishing itself as a year-round hub for Longwood University and the surrounding region.
Each spring transition brings a new mix of audiences through the doors, demonstrating how a mid-size campus arena can remain active, relevant, and deeply connected to both campus life and its surrounding community.
For additional information on upcoming public events at the Joan Perry Brock Center, read the full event announcement here.
Craig Stover serves as General Manager of the Joan Perry Brock Center at Longwood University, where he leads facility operations, event booking and scheduling, and long-term asset planning for the multipurpose arena. Stover brings more than 20 years of experience in arena management, including nearly nine years as Senior Director of Operations at PNC Arena in Raleigh, home of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. His career also includes leadership roles at Madison Square Garden, T-Mobile Center, and Spectrum Center. He holds certifications in Ice Technologies and Mechanical and Electrical Print Reading and attended Pembroke State University.