MOOSE JAW - Last year was the first time since 2019 that the Events Centre experienced a full year of events, concerts, sporting activities and programming under building manager OVG360, representing a return to post-pandemic normalcy.
, presented the venue’s 2023 annual report during city council’s June 10 regular meeting.
The OVG team is committed to surpassing the expectations of the City of Moose Jaw, the building tenants and promoters by making budget-conscious decisions, she said. These efforts create a welcoming experience for users and attendees, generate revenues, and provide an economic spinoff for the community.
The MJEC welcomed over 133,000 people last year, which wouldn’t have been possible without dedicated and hard-working employees, she continued.
Rentals
Rentals for meeting and banquet spaces rebounded nicely from the pandemic, as groups booked nearly 200 days totalling 2,384.5 hours versus 1,635.5 hours in 2022.
The venue welcomed back several well-known events — such as the , and graduations — and hosted shows for new groups, such as the PEO Sisterhood and Prairie Heart Quilters’ Guild.
Also, the Events Centre provided $38,875 worth of support to community groups.
Finances
The building had revenues of $3,627,358 and expenses of $4,190,753, and after including the city subsidy and excluding the management fee, management incentive and contribution to the city, it finished with a surplus of $26,627.
The subsidy it received last year was $912,940, which was $15,940 more than budgeted but $11,499 less than in 2022. Also, the venue had a cost recovery rate of 77.35 per cent.
Curling
The curling centre remained vibrant and active and attracted more young fans, as the venue formed a new partnership with Holy Trinity Catholic School Division and welcomed students for their phys-ed classes, Fritzler said.
Meanwhile, more than 210 league games occurred and attracted 7,800 curlers. Moreover, the venue held 12 bonspiels — three more than in 2022 — that attracted over 700 curlers.
A major milestone was hosting the , Fritzler said.
“My curling fun fact is that our curling rocks put on 14,000 kilometres going up and down the ice, which is across Canada and back,” she pointed out.
Ice bookings
Ice time remained in high demand, especially with the addition of summer ice, which was well received and successful, she continued.
There were 1,208 total ice bookings totalling 2,202.5 hours versus 839 bookings totalling roughly 1,600 hours in 2022.
Meanwhile, the WHL Warriors played 37 games that attracted 107,577 fans, with games averaging 2,908 paid tickets. Also, the AAA Warriors played 28 games and attracted 7,230 total fans.
Para hockey
“One of the pinnacle hockey events we held in 2023 was the . This made history for Moose Jaw and the Events Centre because it was the first time ever held in Canada,” said Fritzler.
Data shows that more than 15,000 people attended the games, 275 athletes, officials, delegates and support staff participated, the venue served 10,040 meals, and there were 2,500 hotel nights.
There were also two million event videos streamed worldwide, 900,000 social media livestream views, 94,000 social media engagements and nine million online impressions.
Live events
The Events Centre hosted several events and concerts that appealed to everyone, from the FMX World Tour featuring death-defying motorcycle tricks to A Christmas Rock Story circus featuring acrobats, aerialists, daredevils and music.
“Another milestone was the pre-season (. It was a sold-out event for the building, while the energy was really electric for that game,” said Fritzler. “(Also), it was the first pro lacrosse game held in southern Saskatchewan.”
Ticketing
grew last year, as it supported 297 events and sold 336,699 tickets, compared to 243 events and 316,497 tickets in 2022.
Furthermore, the platform saw $5.2 million in gross ticket sales, more than $2 million in net sales, had 38,239 user accounts, and saw 7,418 tickets transferred between people.
The top groups SaskTix.ca supported were the Mae Wilson Theatre (96), MJEC/curling centre (75), WHL Warriors (40), Prince Albert Raiders (39) and AAA Warriors (28).
Food and beverage
Food and beverage services grew in 2023 after “an exciting first year” in 2022 under OVG360’s in-house management, Fritzler said.
Specifically, the venue hosted food specials five nights a week, added a grab-and-go concession stand, continued and expanded partnerships with food-related community businesses, added Friday night tailgating parties and opened a kids-focused Snak Shak concession.
The numbers showed MJEC served 10,995,068 millilitres of draft beer from 197 kegs, sold 4.33 kilometres (14,238 feet, 36 city blocks) worth of Twizzlers, sold 10,855 500-millilitre Dasani water bottles, and dished out 3,150 kilograms (7,000 pounds) of fries.
Social media reach
The venue’s Facebook page reached 1.2 million people last year compared to 510,266 in 2022, a jump of 235 per cent, said Fritzler. Furthermore, 60,300 people visited the page compared to 16,141 people in 2022, a rise of 373 per cent, while the platform gained over 3,000 new followers, a year-over-year increase of 630 per cent.
Also, the Instagram page reached 16,500 people versus 7,295 in 2022, an increase of 226 per cent, mainly due to the ice hockey championship.
Council comments
Coun. Kim Robinson wondered why Moose Jaw didn’t receive the para hockey tournament in 2024, pointing out that Hockey Canada said the city had “a very, very good chance of hosting again” if it purchased the necessary equipment.
Furthermore, he asked if a naming rights partner had been found yet, while he wondered what effect the lack of steel rigging had on acquiring events and concerts.
Hockey Canada wanted to give another community the opportunity to host that championship, while OVG360 is speaking with an organizer about bringing other events here, said Fritzler.
Furthermore, rigging steel plays “a very vital role” in the shows the venue can acquire, although its absence forces the venue to rent multiple 80-foot booms to install and rig shows, she continued.
“There are some promoters and shows and groups and artists that prefer to not go to event centres without (rigging steel) because there is so much more work involved in setting it up,” she added.
City manager Maryse Carmichael said she was overseeing the naming rights file and was speaking with the consultant. She noted that there were no new updates since her last one a month ago.
Coun. Heather Eby said the cost recovery percentage was great to see, while this year should be event better. Also, she was pleased that the city didn’t host the para hockey tournament this year because it would have forced the Warriors to play elsewhere during their historic playoff run.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, June 24.
