By Brian Barber
Tulsa World
The BOK Center's John Bolton was honored recently as the 2012 Pollstar Facility Executive of the Year at an awards ceremony in Los Angeles.
Bolton was chosen out of all venue managers in the world by the industry organization.
The other five nominees for this year's award were all California-based executives from the Staples Center, Greek Theatre, Gibson Amphitheater, The Wiltern and HP Pavilion.
It was Bolton's third time to be nominated, and winning, he said, was hard to wrap his head around.
"I have so many colleagues and friends that do such an amazing job and that I respect so much," he told the Tulsa World. "I am honored beyond belief.
"The truth is that I could never have received such an award without the staff that I work with every day in Tulsa. They are the ones that truly deserve the recognition and accolades, not me."
Bolton added that the honor helps draw national attention to the BOK Center and Tulsa's success as a concert market.
Since opening in 2008, the BOK Center has won numerous awards and is consistently ranked in the top 10 among venues for ticket sales.
The BOK Center was nominated for the third consecutive time at the awards ceremony as the Arena of the Year but lost to New York City's Madison Square Garden.