Business View Magazine | June 2019

53 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE JUNE 2019 BVM: Can you talk a about the physical aspects of the Centre? Kowaluk: “The facility was built in 1972. It was built through a series of phases. We started, initially, with an arena and, from there, built another phase with more convention services and additional twin arenas, and eventually ended up with an agricultural center that finalized the complex in 2005. The facility itself is now 540,000 square feet and sits on approximately 90 acres of land. There are 2,500 free parking spaces, increasing wheelchair accessibility, multiple meeting rooms and banquet halls, a 5,000-seat main arena, and a 550-seat amphitheater.” Schumacher: “If you go outside on the roughly 90 acres, you’ve also got outdoor show rings for equestrian or other equine events. You’ve got other spaces that are green space, spaces that are used for things like monster trucks or Derby events, and then you have camping. We actually have a serviced campground, onsite.” BVM: How is the Centre administered? Kowaluk: “We are governed by a leadership group of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba, which is the local nonprofit organization that hosts the fairs in the city here, as well as our city of Brandon, and the province of Manitoba. We operate as a community center in that we operate with rates that our community can afford, not necessarily a cost-recovery basis at all times.” BVM: Is the Centre self-sufficient? Schumacher: “We get operating funds from the city and the province in addition to our own revenue. We have all of our revenue streams from pursuing everything from rec hockey to field sports, to convention-meeting-type events, equestrian events, theatrical - you name it - and sponsors, including naming rights partners. We do try to be as self-sustaining as possible. It’s a little more challenging with venues like this, when over half the building, overall, is for the public good, keeping your rates so that it’s user-friendly; not just here, locally, but even regionally. But then, ultimately, there are those where you focus more THE KEYSTONE CENTRE