Iowa Events Center bids to host NCAA men’s basketball, passes on volleyball, wrestling
What a difference a couple of months make. Shortly after Des Moines showed the nation it could stage a fine party while hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tourney, local convention leaders were saying they would seriously consider bidding to host about every championship the NCAA offers in an arena.
When this month’s deadline rolled around, the team of Drake University, the Iowa Events Center and the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau bid to once again host the first two rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in 2019, 2020, 2021 or 2022.
But that’s it.
Why the narrower bid? Chris Connolly, who runs the Events Center, said the convention team decided to focus on bringing back the lucrative men’s tournament. He’s confident Des Moines will land the games in one of those years.
“We as a team are feeling really good about it,” he said, adding that he couldn’t describe details of the bid for competitive reasons.
The Polk County Board of Supervisors voted to offer $50,000 for expenses each year Des Moines hosts the games, the same support it offered for this year’s tournament.
Why take a pass on the other events like volleyball, women’s basketball and wrestling?
Basically, the odds were slim that Des Moines could again land the national wrestling tournament because it has been going to larger arenas, and selling out,” Connolly said. The women’s basketball tournament has already been here, too, but it’s not a big money maker, he added.
“Sometimes you just have to make tough decisions,” said Connolly, events center general manager.
There has been talk of going after the women’s volleyball tournament, but there were conflicts with other events at Wells Fargo Arena, Connolly said.
Iowa State University stepped aside after hosting this year’s NCAA basketball tourney games in Des Moines, which means the Cyclones would be eligible to play at Wells Fargo Arena if Des Moines lands the tournament.
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