The Nashville Predators Form Sabertooth Sports & Entertainment

Predators Holdings, LLC has formed Sabertooth Sports & Entertainment, LLC (SS&E), which will engage in operational and sales opportunities beyond Bridgestone Arena.

This new venture, which was announced on Thursday (April 28), will include project management, consulting, sales, marketing, event booking and production, ice rink operations, venue operations, special event creation, economic development, and all administrative support and other services related to sports, events, venues and entertainment.

“We have been working on the SS&E concept for quite some time,” says Sean Henry, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Nashville Predators. “Due in part to the success of the Predators, Bridgestone Arena and our Ford Ice Centers, we have garnered attention from others in the community asking us for assistance with sales, marketing and event operations. As we take this new step forward, we are pleased to not only help our partners, but to elevate our Middle Tennessee communities and accelerate economic development across our region.”

Current partnerships with the Predators including the Simmons Bank Open golf tournament, Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival, EAMOTION’s Jingle Beat, Music City Winterfest and CMA Fest will now be managed by SS&E.

The Preds already ventured out of Bridgestone Arena, most notably the Ford Ice Centers in Antioch and Bellevue which opened in 2014 and 2019 respectively. As the sport continues to grow in communities on Middle Tennessee, SS&E will further extend the impact of the Scott Hamilton Skating Academy (SHSA) and other programs that originated at the Ford Ice Centers.

One of the first examples of this extension of the impact of the Ford Ice Centers and SHSA is the soon-to-be-named Montgomery County Multi-Purpose Event Center, which is currently under construction in Clarksville, Tenn. Featuring two sheets of ice – one convertible to a full event venue with approximately 6,000 seats, suites and hospitality areas – the building is scheduled to open during the 2022-23 season under SS&E’s management. Serving as the home of Austin Peay State University’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, the venue will host a variety of events covering the full entertainment spectrum. Just as the Ford Ice Centers have done for Antioch and Bellevue, the completion of this project will also provide significant economic impact to Montgomery County.

Steven Boero