City of Dubuque officials are recommending that a new management firm take the lead overseeing operations at Grand River Center.
Dubuque City Council will consider a new facility management agreement for the center at Monday, March 20, meeting.
City Manager Mike Van Milligen and Leisure Services Manager Marie Ware recommend that the city enter an agreement with OVG360 to operate, market and manage Grand River Center, a press release states.
Platinum Hospital Group LLC has managed the center since it opened in 2003, and its agreement with the city to do so is set to end March 31. In October, the city sought proposals for a professional management firm to oversee the facility's daily operations. Officials said at the time that they wanted to see if the center could be operated in a more cost-effective manner.
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The request for proposals received three responses: OVG360, Platinum Hospitality Group LLC and VenuWorks Inc. OVG360 received a unanimous recommendation, the release states.
“OVG360’s strategy presented of an aggressive approach to sales and marketing, dedicated food and beverage approach, partnership-driven approach, revenue generation through sponsorship sales, focus on sustainability, commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and excellence in transition matched the city’s goals and vision for the Grand River Center into the future,” Ware said in the release.
OVG360 works with 230 venues, including 59 convention centers, "with most of their clients being public entities including cities, counties, and states," the release states. Those venues include Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center and Hy-Vee Hall at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Waterloo Convention Center at Sullivan Brothers Plaza in Waterloo and Tyson Events Center and Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City.
Should the city council approve the agreement with OVG360, the company would take over the facility's management on March 31.
It was a fantastic design with only one exception, and that being that the main exhibition hall should have been twice the size that it is . Its not big enough for a decent auto show, boat show, home show, or any other tradeshow . if twice the size it would have filed the bill as a concert venue also . Doubling the size of that space could still be done . The property down there has plenty of parking available and then some if needed . But like everything Dubuque thinks small and cheap or cheap and small which ever ! The Five Flags facility was conceived small and worked somewhat well for small events but like everything only big events make enough money to render a place profitable nowadays . Its a small box in a relatively compact downtown area with parking being a problem . Spending more money on anything other than maintenance of that facility is foolhardy at best .
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Sell it.
Why aren’t the bids disclosed? How do we know who had the lower bid, as opposed to the best sales pitch? Come on man!
It was a fantastic design with only one exception, and that being that the main exhibition hall should have been twice the size that it is . Its not big enough for a decent auto show, boat show, home show, or any other tradeshow . if twice the size it would have filed the bill as a concert venue also . Doubling the size of that space could still be done . The property down there has plenty of parking available and then some if needed . But like everything Dubuque thinks small and cheap or cheap and small which ever ! The Five Flags facility was conceived small and worked somewhat well for small events but like everything only big events make enough money to render a place profitable nowadays . Its a small box in a relatively compact downtown area with parking being a problem . Spending more money on anything other than maintenance of that facility is foolhardy at best .
Exactly
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