The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum will receive just over $3.5 million in appropriation from the County Council to help the venue make up for lost revenue as a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The pandemic has placed a stranglehold on the events and convention industry the last three months, which has put a strain on the venue’s bottom line.
Coliseum general manager Randy Brown says he’s “disappointed” to have met with the body under these circumstances adding that, outside of maintenance requests in the shared interest of Council, the venue has never sought such a request.
“Back January and February, we were on track to have possibly a record setting year: two NCAA tournaments, great event activity. And the last event we hosted was on March 15, the alpaca event with no public invited.”
And the instability in the entertainment industry continues: the Mad Ants season is unlikely to begin until mid-December, and concerts continue to be postponed or outright canceled. Because of this, expenses on operations have gone down internally, but that still doesn’t account for the total loss of revenue.
With all these factors into play, Council approved the $3.5 million from the county’s general fund, to be dispersed in three areas: $2.3 million for salaries, $1.2 million for services, and just over $100,000 for supplies, all of which intended to help the venue meet its obligations for the rest of the year.
Brown remains optimistic for the venue’s future, highlighting October 17 as the scheduled opener for the Komets and that Purdue-Fort Wayne’s basketball season is slated to begin in November. How many people will be allowed in by then remains unknown.
He also says it’s not all doom and gloom in the short-term, either.
“On the positive side, we’ll be announcing at noon, we’re adding a concert in the parking lot. That’ll be in August, so we’re trying to be creative and being proactive to make things happen as much as we can.”
Specifically, the parking lot will host contemporary Christian rock band Casting Crowns on Thursday, August 13, as part of the band’s Drive-In Theater Tour. Attendees of the show will be able to experience the band live and in-person, while maintaining social distancing.
Tickets go on sale Friday.
