A new hockey team is just one new attraction that Bloomington city officials anticipate will bring more foot traffic back to the downtown arena.
The Bloomington Bison will host 36 hockey games each season in the ECHL starting next October.
Bloomington Deputy City Manager Billy Tyus said the arena already is starting to get active again hosting various events — everything from wrestling to competitive dance.
“I think having events weekly is not something that is out of the realm of possibility,” Tyus said.
The city-owned area also has hosted other sports previously, including basketball and indoor football. The city took over management of the area during the pandemic as a cost-saving measure.
Tyus didn’t give any specifics possibilities for upcoming attractions, but said the city would “be aggressive” in pursuing sports, concerts and other events that have wide and diverse appeal.
‘At least break even’
The city projects the hockey team, owned by Indianapolis-based Hallett Sports and Entertainment, will generate $20 million for the city through profits and rent over 20 years.
Tyus added a figure not included in that estimate — a $1.50 per ticket surcharge that will go toward arena maintenance.
In the last 12 months before the pandemic, the arena reported an operating loss of $370,000.
Tyus said even with the infusion of cash from the Bison, it’s unlikely the arena will turn a profit.
“I would love for that building to be profitable, but the reality of the situation is that doesn’t often happen, but we’re making a go of it. It would be a goal of us to at least break even,” he said.
The hockey team has agreed to help the city recoup some of its costs if revenue falls short of attendance and sales targets.
Tyus said he doesn’t anticipate that being a problem, based on the average ECHL attendance of 4,500 per game. Hallett’s agreement with the city requires a minimum 2,200 in average attendance and $20,000 in food and beverage sales per game.
Tyus said the city will look beyond just dollars and cents to measure the hockey team’s impact in the community.
“This community is not shy about how they feel about something,” Tyus said.
The arena has hosted three hockey teams since it opened in 2006. The last one left in 2019.
Arena naming rights
Tyus said the city and Hallett Sports have a revenue-sharing agreement in place for arena naming rights, adding the city wanted to wait until events started to pick up again before seeking a sponsor.
“One of the things we wanted to do was show that we’re going to make this a viable venue. Now that we’ve started to do that, we’re more comfortable reaching out to companies to say, ‘We would love it if you would put your name on the building,'" Tyus said.
Hallett Sports would get 20% of the revenue from a naming-rights deal.
“We’re confident it will happen. I don’t like to put a timeline on it, but it will happen within the next year I’m pretty certain,” Tyus said.
Grossinger Motors agreed to pay the city $850,000 for arena naming rights in 2017. That deal lapsed two years ago.
