The Iowa Events Center expects to spend $24,000 less than its $1.036 million budget and generate $165,000 in revenues for Polk County during its current fiscal year, said General Manager Matt Homan during a presentation to the Polk County Board of Supervisors this morning. This is in part due to an approximately $600,000 boost in revenues attributed to the Iowa caucuses.

The Events Center has a positive outlook for the future as well. Ovations Food Service recently named Norbert Henkel as the new general manager at the Events Center, and is spending $200,000 to upgrade the center’s concession stands and to add Quiznos and Starbucks food outlets.

The Iowa Events Center also has secured the AAU world wrestling tournament for probably the next three to six years, Homan said, which is expected to bring in 15,000 people over the Easter weekend. “I think this is all setting a good framework for being a great host city for any wrestling events,” Homan said.

The center will host a USA Taekwondo 2008 national qualifier this weekend and has the next 21 of 26 days booked with events. In November, it will host its first Celebrity Food & Wine Expo, which Homan said could be a trend for the Events Center in the future in terms of “creating events ourselves, marketing and producing them.”



Given that Polk County was looking at a loss from the Events Center, Polk County Supervisor John Mauro told Homan, “You people have done just an absolutely phenomenal job.” He added that these results will likely cause the county to discuss whether now is a good time to move the Polk County Convention Complex to the Iowa Events Center.