Andy Long’s love for performing led him to the entertainment industry, but instead of taking his chances as a performer, Long studied business at Iowa State University with the goal of pursuing a career in event management. Spending two years as a regional marketing director for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus helped prepare him for the fast-paced lifestyle of a facilities manager. Eager to return to his home state, Long was hired last June by Global Spectrum to manage Hy-Vee Hall, Wells Fargo Arena, Veterans Memorial Auditorium and the Polk County Convention Complex. He had 13 years of experience in facilities management in South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Ames prior to joining the Iowa Events Center, but he said his current job’s “many nuances” make the experience unlike anything he or his company has encountered before.

How did you get interested in the entertainment business?

I did a lot of shows while I was at Iowa State, performing most of the time. My senior year of college, I actually produced “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” I had a $45,000 budget and was in charge of about 40 students who were actors and techies. That’s kind of where I got the fever for this end of the business.

Why did you decide to shift your attention to event management after having spent so much time as a performer?

I wasn’t really good at the starving-artist side of things. I felt that I could sing, dance and play the piano, but I didn’t feel like I could outsing a singer and outdance a dancer. I figured that I could go down the path of a performer, but at some point in time, I was going to end up on the business side of things. So I decided to start out there.

In your two years with Ringling Bros., what were you responsible for?

Marketing, sales, promotion, advertising – everything from arriving in towns early to market the shows to staying on afterwards to settle the books.

Was that job a real stepping stone for you?

It was. It gave me the chance to travel all around the country, meet all kinds of people and figure out where I wanted to end up. I always say that I got my master’s in marketing from Ringling Bros. You learn everything about marketing shows and promotions. You get more mileage out of taking an elephant through downtown Washington, D.C., than you can get from books. The facilities management business has always wanted to get Ringling personnel because they know you have a solid background.

While you were moving up the ladder in the facilities management business, did you ever think you’d end up back in Iowa?

Iowa was always in the back of my mind. My family was here, and my wife’s from here. When anybody would ask me where I was from, I would say, “I’m from Iowa, but I’m living in Dayton, Ohio, or Charleston, S.C.,” wherever I was working at the time. It wasn’t that I had necessarily wanted to get out of the state, but for the career that I was in, there weren’t a lot of opportunities in Iowa right after I got out of college.

Has does the Iowa Events Center compare to when you opened the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., six years ago?

I always tell people that I was young and dumb enough to open up another building, but I just didn’t realize how dumb I was. This is s huge project. Opening up one building is a big enough job on its own, and then you throw in opening up two – Hy-Vee Hall and Wells Fargo Arena – and then you throw in operating two other venues – Vets and The Plex – while you’re doing all this other stuff. It just throws all kinds of curveballs at you.

Is the situation in Des Moines unique compared with what Global Spectrum has had in other cities?

Global Spectrum has other facilities, and a couple of combinations of two facilities in one place, but nothing with four. Taking a 50-year-old building and combining it with a new one is challenging, fun and tiring.

Is scheduling going like you want it to?

We’re getting a ton of calls, and we already have a full schedule because of some of the events we’re moving over from Vets. The interest in a new building is huge because it means more interest from people who want to see the building and the shows.

Where do the Iowa Stars fall into the scheme of things?

By having a 40-night tenant from October to September, you have to fit all the other scheduling around it. But getting a hockey team is great for us because you know you have 40 nights of business already and it builds consistency.

Has the time commitment been what you expected it to be?

Yes, and maybe just a little bit more. We’ve all been putting in a lot of time this month with the tournaments, but I expect that in a year, things will all be calming down. Luckily I have a very understanding wife who understands this business. When we get down the road and things are running the way they’re supposed to, I can spend more time with my two kids (Samantha, 8, and Eric, 4).

Do you see yourself in Des Moines for the long haul?

I hope, for everyone’s sake, that this is my final resting spot. People ask me where the best place I’ve traveled is, and I say Des Moines. I’m married and have two children now, and it’s a chance for us to be around family and the things that are important in life.