The Abbotsford Centre operated at a loss of $1.7 million in 2014 – but the centre saw a number of changes and successes in the year, according to general manager Andrew Nash.
Nash, who was appointed to his position in September 2014, presented the centre’s 2014 annual report on Monday.
He said the biggest shift was when the agreement with the Abbotsford Heat hockey team was severed by the city last April, and changes were subsequently made to the contract with Global Spectrum – the company that operates the Abbotsford Centre – as it related to entertainment initiatives.
The arena generally operated at a loss of about $2 million each year, not including the Heat shortfalls, and the facility’s deficit in 2013 was estimated at $2.3 million.
2014 also brought an organizational shift as there were about seven positions eliminated “for cost-saving measures and also just re-vamping and re-culturing the staff,” said Nash.
He said the year included four sold-out shows and all but one event was revenue-positive. TobyMac broke an attendance record with more than 7,000 in attendance and the fastest sellout was Florida Georgia Line, with tickets gone in about eight minutes.
Increased community access has been a success, said Nash, as the centre now has a recreation hockey league and other groups, such as Yale Academy, have been using it for games and tournaments.
“The facility is being used every day, which I believe for the first four years … was not actually happening.”
In trackable tickets, the Greater Vancouver area had the most ticket-buyers, followed by the Fraser Valley. About 20 per cent of tickets were bought in Abbotsford, followed by Surrey at about 15 per cent. However, Nash explained that doesn’t account for tickets purchased with cash, which may mean more people are coming from Abbotsford and the Valley.
Mayor Henry Braun said he was pleased only one event lost money, saying it was quite a shift from previous years in which close to half lost revenue.
Braun told The News that while the centre is not where he’d like it to be, the new Global Spectrum contract will save about $500,000 per year.
He said once there is an anchor tenant, the city may be able to get the arena loss down to about $1.2 or $1 million per year, “but that’s as good as it’s going to get.”
The city is still pursuing anchor tenants, but any potential option “will not be a drain on the taxpayers of Abbotsford … and I believe that can be done.”
Braun said he doesn’t think the naming rights deal will happen until there is an anchor tenant in place, but the city is pursuing both.
The centre will also see another change, as director of marketing Mike Noetzel is leaving to serve as general manager of a facility in Windsor, Ont. He has been at the Abbotsford Centre for about two years.
