The authority that manages the Blair County Convention Center is open to hosting more out-of-state Division I football teams, after hosting the Oregon Ducks in late September.

Executive Director Tom Schilling said Wednesday that, since hosting the Ducks during the Sept. 27 weekend when the team played Penn State, the convention center has been in contact with personnel from two universities about hosting their football teams in 2026. And it remains open to fielding requests from others, he said.

Until this year, the Oregon team and other visiting football teams generally stayed in the State College area when playing Penn State.

But Oregon’s rental of the convention center went well and that was relayed to other teams, Schilling said during an authority meeting.

The first-time booking brought about 300 people — team members, coaches and associates — to the convention center and to the adjacent Country Inn and Suites by Radisson.

As part of its responsibility, the convention center set up security through the Blair County sheriff’s office and the Allegheny Township police department.

Schilling said the security measures were praised as “top notch.”

They included restricted access to the convention center during the football game weekend, from the intersection of Convention Center Boulevard and Convention Center Drive, the only road leading to the convention center and adjacent hotel.

The potential for more bookings with visiting football teams also provides the convention center with a chance to bring in revenue on weekends when the facility is generally idle.

Nobody wants to rent space in the convention center during a weekend when there’s a home football game at Penn State, Schilling said.

In looking toward 2026, Schilling said that events booked so far will generate about $1.4 million in revenue, an amount that he hopes will increase to about $2.5 million with additional bookings through the end of 2026.

While the $1.4 million includes almost $110,000 from new clients, it also reflects a $192,000 loss in light of McAney Brothers’ decision to stop holding its twice-a-year food show for vendors and a $112,000 loss in light of the Ken Chertow’s wrestling camp’s move to Lancaster County.

The wrestling camp, which has been holding two-week camps at the convention center for five years, is advertising its 2026 camp location at the Spooky Nook Sports Center in Manheim, a former warehouse remodeled into a multi-use sports center with an on-site hotel.

Schilling said he believed the camp’s decision to look for another site reflected its inability to negotiate acceptable lodging rates.

The loss of that business is disappointing, he added, because the camps are held in July, which is typically a slow time for the convention center.

Blair County Commissioner Dave Kessling also told the authority Wednesday of his intention to follow up with the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania about its proposed 2028 conference at the convention center. Kessling said he learned Tuesday that CCAP has communication and lodging concerns that need to be addressed to keep the event on the convention center’s schedule.

“We’re not giving up on that,” Kessling said.

CCAP leaders voted in 2023 to hold their 2028 fall conference at the convention center. The event typically attracts leaders and family members from all areas of the state.

In January, the authority is expected to review a 2026 operating budget that will reflect a reduction in bed tax revenue from the county.

Commissioners, who took actions earlier this year which revised how bed tax revenue would be distributed, indicated recently that the convention center’s annual allocation will be about $150,000.

Under a previous agreement, the convention center was receiving $180,000 annually. But for 2025, the allocation was budgeted at $120,000 in light of pending changes to the distribution.

Schilling has previously said that the convention center spends more than $120,000 annually for marketing and advertising the facility in ways that bring people into Blair County.

“I think the commissioners recognize the value we provide,” Schilling said.