Former stadium executive to manage MSG Sphere at The Venetian

A former executive at Allegiant Stadium and T-Mobile Arena has been appointed senior vice president and general manager of the MSG Sphere at The Venetian.

Raul Gutierrez, who has more than 30 years of experience in management, was named to the position on Friday and will be responsible for the oversight of the 17,500-seat facility, currently being built just east of The Venetian Expo.

Gutierrez will oversee event production, guest relations, food, beverage and merchandise operations as well as ticket and cash room operations and technical operations.

“Throughout my career I have focused on delivering exceptional experiences for guests, but the opportunity to be part of redefining the venue experience with MSG Sphere is truly thrilling,” he said in a release announcing his appointment. “This is an exciting time to both join and help build the team, and I am eager to work with talented colleagues across MSG Sphere to deliver the next generation of entertainment right here in Las Vegas.”

The $1.9 billion entertainment venue, owned by New York-based Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp., is expected to open in the second half of next year. It will be the first of several similar entertainment venues built around the world.

When completed, the Sphere will have a high-resolution display plane larger than three football fields, the world’s largest beam-forming audio system with more than 160,000 speakers, and it will deliver superior sound to every seat in the house.

Longtime executive

Gutierrez will report to Rich Claffey, executive vice president and chief operations officer at MSG Sphere.

“I am pleased to welcome Raul to MSG Entertainment, where his expertise in venue management and operations will be vital as we prepare to open our first MSG Sphere next year,” Claffey said in a release.

When at Allegiant Stadium, Gutierrez was vice president of operations and oversaw the operations, maintenance and engineering departments.

Prior to that, he was executive director of arena operations at T-Mobile Arena, where he was responsible for all front-of-house operations such as guest services, box office and facility presentation, among other departments.

He has also held roles at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York and BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Gutierrez started his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he held a variety of roles over a 20-year tenure with the organization.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.