Clear Channel Entertainment and General Contractor R.J. Griffin Company had quite a task at hand during the winter and spring of 2004.the on-time completion of the Ford Amphitheater at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa , Fla. , by July. With a concert schedule of more than 20 artists kicking off that month, millions of dollars were at stake, should the amphitheater not be completed by opening day. In an effort to guarantee the on time completion of this state-of-the-art concert venue, R.J. Griffin utilized the scheduling techniques developed by Draper & Associates.

This unique $23 million, 17 acre venue features a 2.2 acre translucent fabric membrane stretched over an arched galvanized steel truss superstructure, approximately 20,000 seats: 9,900 reserved and a sloped grassy lawn peaking at 40 feet (from the stage floor) that can accommodate more than 10,000 patrons. The amphitheater also has two 20 x 30 foot video monitors and a state of the art digital sound system. Along with the Stage building, amphitheater seating, including specialized box seating, and the roof - the state of the art venue also includes concession buildings, restrooms, beverage and merchandise stands, the Amphitheater Administration Offices, two retention ponds and two paved plazas.

The Critical Path of this Project ran through the Amphitheater Roof, Stage Building and the Seating Area. Due to the close quarters amongst the trades, coordination was necessary to insure that proper time was given for each activity to be completed, while also ensuring that the scheduled work could be completed safely and concurrently on both the roof and seating area below.

The original start time for this project was September 2003, however due to design issues with the Amphitheater Roof and Stage Building , construction of the 60 foot columns that support the roof structure did not begin until mid January 2004. With only six months from the start of vertical construction to beneficial occupancy there was no room for error in completion of the project. Much of the success of this project can be attributed to the bi-weekly project coordination meetings, held by Draper & Associates, which allowed the trades to make adjustments to the Near Term Schedule to account for weather and material delivery issues, as well as to capitalize on opportunities to complete phases of the work early.

The Owner, Clear Channel Entertainment, wanted the project schedule maintained in Primavera Project Planner, but R.J. Griffin preferred the Draper & Associates format of the time scaled logic network in the Near Term Format. To accommodate these demands the Project Coordination Meetings were held utilizing Draper's Near Term Schedule update process. The updated Near Term Schedule was then utilized to update the Primavera Schedule and create the reports requested by Clear Channel Entertainment.

The Ford Amphitheater was completed on schedule and within budget by its first scheduled concert in July 2004. Draper & Associates is very proud to have been a player on the Project Team of this fast paced and unique project.