Lancaster Event Center on track for record year, manager says

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BY JEAN ORTIZ / Lincoln Journal Star

The Lancaster Event Center is on track for a record year — a feat aided by marketing efforts, the decision to expand and even the sluggish economy, the complex’s manager said.

The 84th Street and Havelock Avenue center that will host events such as home and garden and horse shows, wedding receptions and the “Mother of All Garage Sales” in 2008 is set up for its best year in its seven-year history, center manager Ron Snover said.

Snover appeared before the Lancaster County Board on Thursday, touting stats about the center’s success, including attendance, bookings and revenue.

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(LJS File)

(LJS File)

“I’m almost scared to tell you how well we’re doing,” he said. “It might change on me.”

In 2008, the center will host 152 events spanning 287 days.

From Jan. 1 to March 22, the center saw 220,000 visitors. That’s an increase of 17 percent over the same period in 2007.

Ag-related shows have seen a 70 percent increase in attendance. The center also has seen a 75 percent increase in concession sales and an 11 percent increase in vender numbers.

Snover also has set his sights on national shows, including the national high school rodeo finals.

The Nebraska State Fair also is on the list of events he’d like to see using the complex. The Lancaster County Agricultural Society, which owns the center, recently sent a letter to Gov. Dave Heineman laying out a proposal that would use an interlocal agreement to allow the state fair use of the site.

A shared complex, rather than duplicated efforts, could benefit both sides, he said.

The future location of the state fair, housed at State Fair Park since 1901, is up in the air.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln would like to acquire the fairgrounds for a public-private research park. The State Fair Board doesn’t want to move.

If the Legislature decides to turn State Fair Park over to UNL, the Legislature and the State Fair Board will have to decide where to move the fair; the event center, other Lincoln locations and Grand Island are possibilities.

Snover attributed some of the Event Center’s recent success to the economic downturn. Lancaster County’s location in the middle of the country has attracted event organizers looking for a place that easily could draw attendance from across the country, he said.

Improved sales and marketing efforts have helped, though the County Board’s decision to expand the complex factored in, too, Snover said.

The County Board last year approved a plan to issue up to $10 million in bonds — $8 million that would go toward expanding the complex and another $2 million to refinance the center’s debt.

The expansion will add a third pavilion and parking, and cover the Amy Countryman Outdoor Arena, among other upgrades.

Pavilion 3, which Snover already is booking, is scheduled to open June 1. The arena should be completed by Oct. 1 while the last of the 900 additional parking stalls should be done in time for the county fair in August, he said.

Expansion plans are on track, even slightly ahead of schedule. Minus a few cold spells, the weather has worked in the center’s favor, Snover said.

Word about the expansion plans is getting out, Snover said, and events that once considered the site too small are giving it another look.

“Before, we were always on the verge of not being big enough. ... It’s really sealed the deal,” he said.

Reach Jean Ortiz at 473-7107 or jortiz@journalstar.com.