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Convention center revenue recovering

Staff rebuilds income after lost bookings

The Blair County Convention Center has been able to bounce back financially after seeing revenue drop earlier this year because of lost bookings.

“The convention center staff has done a good job of recovering … so it should be a fairly successful year,” financial consultant Steve Koval predicted last week.

“We’re going to have a very good December,” Convention Center CEO Barry Kumpf told the convention center authority members reviewing Koval’s report showing year-to-date figures.

“If anyone wants to schedule a Christmas party, they don’t have many dates to choose from,” Kumpf said.

In a financial report the convention center authority reviewed in May, Koval identified a revenue drop of $75,000 during the first four months of the year, reflecting fewer room rentals and a corresponding decline in food and beverage sales.

That report was influenced by lost bookings including Mid-State Tool & Supply’s annual trade show.

After years of booking the trade show at the convention center and drawing regional customers, the company decided to instead hold a virtual tool showcase that would be accessible to anyone with a computer.

The convention center also expected 2018’s revenue would drop because after the sale of Wolf Furniture, its new owners indicated their intention to use the convention center less often than the previous owners.

In recognition of that lost revenue, Kumpf told the convention center authority that he initiated some new marketing tactics to counter the loss.

And after the authority meeting on Wednesday where Koval reviewed the latest figures, Kumpf praised convention center staff members Barbara Wise, Antoinette Marx and Joe Harteis for their efforts resulting in the bottom-line improvement.

“They’re the ones who were following up on every single lead and returning every phone call,” Kumpf said. “They made the difference.”

The year-to-year financial report authority members showed 2018 ending with $386,624 in net operating revenue. But Kumpf said he expects that number will come in around $420,000 based on the amount of business booked for November and Decem­ber.

If that happens, the convention center will end the year with net operating revenue close to $429,275, the comparable amount reported in 2016.

While a net operating revenue of $420,000 would be less than the $468,900 net operating revenue reported in 2017, convention center leaders recognize 2017 as the facility’s best financial year, when revenue added up to $2.2 million and expenses came in at $1.73 million.

The net operating revenue is typically set aside for capital improvements based on a 10-year-plan starting in 2015.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 946-7456.

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