Home-grown boy fits perfect

Daren Libonati was recently named director of the Thomas & Mack Center, Sam Boyd Stadium and Cox Pavilion

Daren Libonati is the epitome of the home-grown boy done good. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas graduate worked his way up from intern into the top spot in UNLV events as the new director of the Thomas & Mack Center, Sam Boyd Stadium and Cox Pavilion.

Libonati served as interim director during an 11-month national search for the replacement of former director Pat Christenson, who left the university to become president of Las Vegas Events.

"Daren is the perfect fit for this position. In the 13 years I've known him, I've watched him grow from an intern to one of the top executives in the venue management industry," Christenson said when Libonati took the interim job.

In the end, UNLV recruiters couldn't find anyone better suited for a job Libonati was made for.

"Daren used to be the guy who would always come to me during the game and remind me that we could kick a field goal," former Rebel football coach Harvey Hyde said. "No matter what the situation was, he's say, 'Don't worry coach, I can make it from here. This is the spot where I was making them during warm-ups. Don't worry about the wind in my face, that's when I'm the best.' That's the attitude he has and it's a good attitude."

Hyde is proud to be the man who gave Libonati his first chance, as a placekicker at UNLV.

Libonati began his career at the Thomas & Mack Center in 1988 as an event coordinator after graduating from the university with a bachelor of science degree in sports management.

"My first real event coordinating, that I was most proud of, was when we brought the Grateful Dead to Las Vegas. I had to coordinate how we were going to take this event through two sold out days and organize it within the boundaries of the Sam Boyd Stadium and working with the different police entities here in town to make it work. It was a wonderful experience," Libonati recalled.

In 1991, he was promoted to event booking director for the Thomas & Mack Center and Sam Boyd Stadium.

"I was most proud of the fact that once I got rolling as a booking director I had the opportunity to book the first Garth Brooks date. And we chased him for about a year and a half to try to convince him to come play here. He just didn't know how to look at Las Vegas. He passed us the first year and went to Reno. My strength at the time was just pure persistence and I think we just finally wore their team out and got close to the right people so they thought they should at least go give this building a shot and see. And we established a relationship from there on."

In 1993, Libonati was lured away by MGM just in time to help open the Grand Garden arena. As the director of event booking, Libonati was involved in booking entertainment to attract gaming customers. Events ranged from boxing to concerts to bull riding. In 1994, the site was nominated as Arena of the Year for being the highest grossing venue in its 15,000-plus capacity.

After two and a half years with MGM, Libonati helped open the Star of the Desert Arena in Primm. In just two years, the 6,500-seat venue was entertaining such diverse acts as ZZ Top, Melissa Etheridge, Reba McEntire, professional bull riding and professional boxing.

Libonati returned to the Thomas & Mack Center as associate director of the center and Sam Boyd Stadium in 1998. Now as the director, he's received support from all ends of the community.

"Daren is the right guy for the job," insisted Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission. "What he brings, having worked in the private sector for big hotels and competing against the Thomas & Mack, gave him great insights into how to make it work. And he understands the boxing business, which will be an asset for bringing fights to his property."

Libonati pulls out all the stops to bring in the big fights. Once he even wrote a poem for boxing promoter Don King in an attempt to bring a fight to UNLV. "So I ask you now, promoter extraordinaire, don't leave this deal, up in the air. Bring on Chavez, boxing's pound for pound best and the blue collar fans, will fill your nest."

Libonati doesn't consider himself much of a poet, though he has long filled birthday cards with "Roses are Red" sentiments. But he does know that sometimes it takes an extra touch to woo big promoters.

In spite of his brushes with fame and celebrity, working alongside rock stars and the titans of the athletic world, Libonati insists he never gets star-struck.

"When you're working, you're so geared to thinking about taking care of all your responsibilities you almost adopt those artists as if you're working for them," he said. "I don't think we've ever really been star-struck. You get to know them in a different way than you know them as a fan. You understand and feel the different needs they have and you understand it's not all glamorous. It's only glamorous when they get up on stage. Some of the work they do to get by is pretty hectic for them. So you have a different respect for them after that."

The closest the director ever got to being in awe of a celebrity was when Phil Collins came to town. In a chat with the production manager, Libonati confessed that when he was 12, his father had put on Genesis music in an effort to teach his son how to drum the "right way."

The manager told Collins, who brought it up when he and Libonati met. Later, Collins and Libonati went to a fight together and to dinner. At dinner, Collins called Libonati's father up on a cell phone and said, "I just wanted to thank you for the compliment."

Now that Libonati is in charge of campus event facilities, he sees a few changes he would like to make. Promoting the university's new ticket brand unlvtickets.com is the first big push. But other than that, the director suspects changes will be seamless.

"I don't think things will change much as far as the outside perception, but internally we'll continually find new ways for campus life to use the facilities."

A strong commitment to give Rebel athletic programs more practice time is also a goal.


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