Bookings Increase, Staffing Issues Remain at Coliseum
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The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne is seeing a return to normalcy in terms of event bookings. However, officials tell The Journal Gazette staffing levels and ticket sales are still slow to recover from the impact of the pandemic.
In an annual report to the Allen County-Fort Wayne Capital Improvement Board this week, General Manager Melanie Henkes said the coliseum had 1,198 use days – or days in which an event is using one of the venue’s spaces – in 2021, up more than 38% over the previous year, according to the publication.
However, that number is still 30% lower than 2019.
She says the coliseum failed to reach its goal of 1 million guests in 2021, but is on track to surpass that number this year.
“While our booking is as solid as it’s ever been, the ticket sales are not necessarily sellout crowds because people are having to make decisions on their entertainment value dollars, where are they going to spend it,” said C.J. Steigmeyer, chief operating officer for the coliseum.
Staffing levels at the coliseum and the nearby Grand Wayne Convention Center also remain a problem.
The Journal Gazette reports convention center Executive Director Bart Shaw proposed a plan to increase hourly wages by $2 to help address the staffing shortage, which was approved by the CIB.
You can read the full story from The Journal Gazette by clicking here.