From the Bloomington City website: http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=18&recordid=304
It wonderful they can finally show an operating profit, but they are far from breaking even. These figures don’t include the interest of around $2,000,000 per year or the upcoming payments they are finally going to start making on the building!
Celebrate!
Based on information in a newly released year-end report, officials with the U.S. Cellular Coliseum have announced that records show pleasing numbers in both ticket sales and attendance.
According to the report, the coliseum grossed $3.9 million in ticket sales, and hosted nearly 300,000 fans and supporters from May 2012 through April 2013.
A record high operating profit for the coliseum was reached this past fiscal year at $176,759, without auditor’s adjustment’s.
The economic impact of the U.S. Cellular Coliseum over the past 7 years (opened April 2006) is over $98 million based on Bloomington-Normal Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Illinois Office of Tourism standard formulas used to measure economic impact from tourism. These formulas measure the total effects of direct and/or indirect recirculation of income.
“Despite a recovering economy, the U.S. Cellular Coliseum’s overall performance and economic impact to the local community was a success,” said Bart Rogers, Vice President of the Central Illinois Arena Management.
Detailed in the report, the City of Bloomington and its surrounding communities received an economic contribution of nearly $13 million due to the entertainment scene that the coliseum provides. This has been a consistent average since 2009.
Maintaining its track record over the past five years, the coliseum was able to host more than 200 events including sold out performances by various music artists, and sporting events.
Most notably, Luke Bryan, a Country and Western singer, broke the coliseum’s all-time single attendance record when nearly 15,000 fans flocked to the coliseum for Bryan’s two-day concert tour.
The arena also hosted five other sold out ticket events during the year.
“It is very exciting to see what this facility in seven years ultimately means to Bloomington and the surrounding area,” said Rogers. “We will continue to strive to increase the number of profitable events held at the Coliseum as being the largest entertainment attraction in the Bloomington /Normal metro area.”
Recognizing the success of Bloomington’s entertainment hub, “Venues Today”, a premier concert and convention industry publication, ranked the coliseum second as the busiest and most successful mid-size venue in the Midwest, just behind Toledo, Ohio’s Huntington Center.
