Due to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, VenuWorks and the City of Bloomington have agreed to terminate the contract to manage the City’s Grossinger Motors Arena. Management functions for the Arena will move to existing City staff, and currently scheduled events are not affected.
“We have been a proud partner of the City of Bloomington since 2016. However, we understand the need to suspend our operations at the arena,” says Steve Peters, President of VenuWorks.
The agreement, entered in April of 2016, provides full-service venue management for Grossinger Motors Arena. Services include operations, programming, finance & administration, food & beverage, and sales and marketing.
During the management term, many national acts including Kane Brown, WWE, Judas Priest, Chris Stapleton, Jim Gaffigan, Cole Swindell, and Luke Combs entertained fans in Bloomington. VenuWorks implemented new operational procedures, improved venue safety and security, and expanded event concession offerings.
“The City is grateful to VenuWorks for their dedicated service over the years. They’ve been valued partners,” says Tim Gleason, City Manager. “Current circumstances due to COVID-19 are limiting events at the Arena and other venues, however. The Arena will continue to function at allowable capacity. The City will bring management of the facility inhouse for the time being and evaluate our options going forward. The City is fortunate to have many talented employees that can assist with the operation of the Arena during this time.”
Gleason continues, “We expect a seamless transition and City personnel will be reaching out to all sponsors and tenants. We appreciate our community partners and look forward to what the future holds for the Arena.”
“It has been my pleasure to become a part of the Bloomington community and to manage this venue for the City. Our VenuWorks team has truly enjoyed bringing the top talent, exciting games, and personal touches to all of our events at the Arena,” says Lynn Cannon, Executive Director.
Termination of the agreement is effective June 8, 2020, pending approval by the Bloomington City Council.
