The Civic Center saw $14.9 million in combined ticket sales in fiscal year 2019. That’s the venue’s best take in years. More than 600,000 people attended events at the Civic Center.
Civic Center General Manager Rik Edgar gave the Peoria City Council an overview of the venue's turnaround on Tuesday.
Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis complimented the work Edgar has done in the past year leading the Civic Center.
He said previous managers for SMG, the company that runs the day-to-day operations of the venue, would tell city leaders they couldn't attract the shows that Edgar said he's able to pull in through networking.
"We really felt that we had a very nice facility here. We're strategically located in the community. We were really scratching our heads about why we weren't getting some of these concerts that we weren't getting 40 miles down the road or in the Quad Cities, and so on," Ardis said.
Ardis said Edgar has proven previous Civic Center managers wrong about the facility's appeal.
Can the Civic Center book more diverse acts for a diverse Peoria?
At-Large City Councilwoman Rita Ali said she would like to see more acts geared towards people of color at the Peoria Civic Center.
“I go through the annual report, and you know, you see the images. I want to see more diversity in terms of the images. In terms of which acts are brought," she said. The report highlights acts such as Bob Seger, John Mellencamp, Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Blake Shelton - all of whom are white men.
Civic Center General Manager Rik Edgar said he’s tried to land more diverse acts, but it all boils down to first attracting more diverse acts to Peoria and selling enough tickets to their concerts that they want to come back.
“We want to bring in some of these acts, and I can promise you, it’s not from a lack of effort. It’s just also trying to find that right act," Edgar said.
He said when he first started a year ago, he was told Peoria was a country market. Bob Seger was the first big rock show the Civic Center hosted since 2012. The sellout show made $1.1 million, breaking the previous revenue record set by Elton John.
Other performers haven't played well in Peoria, however. Comedian Jo Koy's show didn't see great numbers here, despite sellouts elsewhere, Edgar said.
Ali did commend the popular "The Lion King" musical hosted at the Civic Center Theatre last October. That show generated an estimated $7.8 million for the local economy. The musical has a diverse cast.
The theatre booked a record 23 concerts last fiscal year. Edgar said 19 are already scheduled for this fiscal year.
Bottom line finances
The Peoria Civic Center expects $149,907 in net income before depreciation this fiscal year. Add that in, and a $4.3 million deficit is projected.
Fifth District Councilman Denis Cyr, a former Peoria Rivermen hockey player and manager, suggested selling naming rights to the Civic Center to generate some new revenue.
Edgar said the Civic Center has sold $650,000 worth of sponsorships, but he said naming rights aren't the big moneymaker they used to be even a few years ago.
First District Councilwoman Denise Moore pointed out leaking water from the ceiling at a recent visit to the Civic Center. Edgar said there isn't currently money in the budget for the tuck-pointing needed to fix the issues.
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