The venue formerly known as Mosaic Place had “an extremely exciting” 2022 as operations returned to pre-pandemic levels, while the next two years promise to be as exciting, the venue’s annual report says.
After several years of reduced business, the Moose Jaw Events Centre/Multiplex experienced a full year of activities last year, said general manager Ryan MacIvor during city council’s April 24 regular meeting.
In August, the naming rights partnership with The Mosaic Company expired after 11 years. This prompted a rebrand to the Moose Jaw Events Centre, which will remain until a new naming partner is acquired.
With pandemic restrictions lifted, the Events Centre booked 211 meeting days totalling 1,635.5 hours — versus 675 hours in 2021 — and hosted several events, including the annual Festival of Trees Gala Dinner, the Snowbirds’ 50th-anniversary gala, the inaugural Greek Night and Ukraine fundraiser, MacIvor said.
The naming partnership for the Moose Jaw Ford Curling Centre also ended, prompting a rebrand to the Moose Jaw Curling Centre. The name change did not affect activities, as nine bonspiels attracted over 500 curlers and 210 league nights featured 7,890 curlers.
The arena saw 839 ice bookings last year — double that of 2021 — totalling 1,435.5 hours of usage by 24,388 users, said MacIvor. Leading the way for usage were minor hockey, skating clubs, adult rec leagues, and WHL and AAA games.
“It’s important to highlight that the Events Centre is more than just an ice centre,” continued MacIvor.
Concerts returned last year, including Alice Cooper, Brett Kissel, Shinedown, Stars on Ice, Jurassic Quest, The Great Benjamin Circus, Lonestar and Sawyer Brown. Those events attracted more than 25,000 concertgoers.
Other activities included the one-day Touch a Truck event, which attracted over 1,000 people and raised $600 for early childhood literacy. Meanwhile, an inaugural cheerleading championship attracted more than 1,500 competitors and more than 1,000 family members.
Meanwhile, SaskTix now boasts 26,181 account holders, with those people purchasing 160,931 tickets last year, compared to 91,595 in 2021.
Also, SaskTix now supports the Events Centre and curling club, WHL and AAA Warriors, Mae Wilson Theatre, Prince Albert Raiders, Centennial Auditorium, Moose Jaw Rotary clubs, and Assiniboia Co-op.
Those entities held 239 events last year.
Meanwhile, the food and beverage department employed 148 part-time and casual staff who worked 17,435 hours, said MacIvor. The department also introduced new food platters and developed partnerships with food and drink companies.
The Events Centre sold 4,080 hot dogs last year totalling 2,040 feet, he pointed out. If stacked end to end, that would exceed the CN Tower’s height at 1,815 feet.
Meanwhile, the venue poured 13,803.34 litres (485,862 ounces) of beer, which equates to 30,336 16-ounce red Solo cups. Also, it popped 2,557.8 kilograms (5,684 pounds) of popcorn, which is nearly 130 20-kilogram bags and the weight of almost two Zamboni machines.
The venue had a positive community effect since it hosted several events — like Remembrance Day, a Ukraine fundraiser, and Tim Hortons’ Smile Cookie Day — and donated back $51,608.68, he continued.
OVG360 enhanced the building’s energy management by installing 1,973 LEDs and adding 14 motion sensors to control power usage. This led to just over three million kilowatt hours of consumption versus 3.4 million KWH in 2019, while natural gas consumption rose to roughly 330,000 cubic metres versus roughly 275,000 cubic metres in 2019.
Financially, the Events Centre finished with a deficit of $671,065, but after including the management fees and the city subsidy, that turned into a surplus of $58,875.
In 2023, the venue will host many activities, such as the wheelchair curling championships, the World Para Ice Hockey Championships, and more hockey games.
“It was a pretty great year for us, while there are other areas for us to grow,” MacIvor added.
Last year was a post-pandemic recovery year for event centres across Canada, so MacIvor and his team did a good job of reinvigorating the building, said Coun. Crystal Froese. She also appreciated how they pursued new opportunities, such as the Touch a Truck event.
“I just see (this year) as being a better year for us the further we get away from the pandemic,” she added.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, May 8.
