One of two U.S.-headquartered companies is expected to manage Sudbury’s proposed downtown arena/events centre when it opens by May 2028.
Last week, California-based ASM Global and Colorado-based Global Spectrum Facility Management pre-qualified to manage the facility slated to take shape in downtown Sudbury.
This means both companies have passed all technical requirements, with a subsequent request for proposals process expected to open within days to help the city evaluate both companies to determine which one should manage the facility.
One of these two venue operators is expected to be selected by February.
ASM Global previously came up when they were pre-qualified to manage the Kingsway Entertainment District, a precursor to the current downtown project that city council cancelled two years ago. The current 5,800-seat downtown events centre is virtually identical to the Kingsway proposal.
ASM Global promotes themselves as “a preeminent management and content partner” with more than 400 venues worldwide, including stadiums, arenas, convention centres and theatres.
Global Spectrum Facility Management, also known as Spectra, is owned by Oak View Group, which is also an international company specializing in venue management. They have a Toronto office.
Although the city could manage the venue in-house, city Growth and Infrastructure manager Tony Cecutti said they wouldn’t get as much out of the 5,800-seat facility.
The companies to bid on the centre’s management have experience managing large centres of this nature, connections to promoters and networks to do the work more efficiently, Cecutti said.
“They’ve got a team that is managing multiple facilities around the globe,” he said.
“They’ll have connections with companies like Ticketmaster, and they have different types of systems that are common for people who purchase tickets nowadays.
“That’s becoming the norm in the industry, and it makes it a lot more cost-effective, and the quality of product they deliver is high because they’re used to this and get very proficient at it.”
The business model will include revenue to help incentivize facility use.
Although the events centre isn’t slated to open until May 2028, Cecutti said getting an operator on board now will help plan out what the facility will look like.
They’re expected to work alongside the architect and builder during the design process “to make sure we’re not missing certain things that would attract certain types of artists and acts that we might not otherwise be able to entice.”
Cecutti clarified that both the architect, Toronto-based BBB Architects, and the advisors the city is working with also have experience working with events venues. Having the operator join the team early on will add another layer of expertise in designing the facility.
In addition to selecting a venue operator early next year, the city plans on bringing construction management into the fold within the next six months.
“We’re still at early stages of the process,” Cecutti said. “We’re pulling all the pieces together.”
Early in the new year, the city anticipates narrowing in on a preferred site within the south district of downtown Sudbury for the events centre to be constructed. Geotechnical work is underway to better understand ground conditions, and KKR Advisors staff have been meeting with parties interested in developing the balance of the south district with private ancillary facilities.
The city has spent the last several months buying south district properties and tearing down buildings to make way for the events centre and private ancillary buildings. The lone holdout was Wacky Wings, which the city expropriated at a cost of at least $2.49 million — a number expected to grow as additional compensation is considered in the expropriation process.
Wacky Wings has been allowed to continue operating at 187 Shaughnessy St. until the end of March.
The events centre building budget has been approved at $200 million, but the total budgeted amount is $225 million, which includes downtown land acquisitions/demolition and the $4.38-million spent on the since-cancelled Kingsway Entertainment District.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
