HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – Once the Holland Civic Center’s renovation is complete, who will oversee its operations?
The Civic Center Place Board heard presentations on Friday from two firms seeking the contract to handle scheduling and management of the facility. Philadelphia area-based SMG is a familiar name in West Michigan, as it is the operator of both Van Andel Arena and DeVos Place in Grand Rapids and offered 50 grand to the city as a grant if it is selected. VenuWorks, headquartered in Ames, Iowa, claims to focus more on venues in small to mid-sized markets such as Holland.
Board Chairman Nathan Bocks said, “What we’re looking for is a company that has the ability to be able to come in and make sure that the Civic Center continues to provide the types of services and operations that it has for the last 60-plus years, and we know that there are opportunities for additional uses and additional events at the Civic Center, so we’re looking to broaden the scopes of the events that are able to take place there as well.”
The board made no decision at Friday’s meeting as visits to some of the venues that each firm operates are planned. The facility is slated to open this coming fall after the 14.5 million-dollar renovation project is complete.
A link to the entire interview with Nathan Bocks on this matter is here.
