Convention Center Board Considers Management Firms

The Paducah Convention Center Board of Directors met Tuesday afternoon at the Paducah City Hall to discuss the possibility of hiring a management company for the convention center.

Also present at the meeting were McCracken County Judge Executive Bob Leeper, Paducah Mayor Brandi Harless, and Paducah City Manager Jim Arndt. 

Board Chairman Brian Katz explained that to be able to compete with other cities and have the ability to attract the groups they want, a commercial kitchen is needed. The board feels that they do not have the expertise to be able to efficiently manage such an operation, even though their current management under the direction of Michelle Campbell has done very well.

Chairman Katz went on to say that they are operating at a profit, and much of this is due to Campbell's hard work. He said, however, the food and beverage business is something they have never dealt with directly as this has been seen about by caterers. The estimates by both management company finalists show that this will add to the profits.

The management company finalists are Spectra and VenuWorks. Spectra, of Philadelphia, PA, manages the convention centers in Owensboro and Sevierville, TN. VenuWorks, of Ames, IA, manages the Ford Center in Evansville and the convention center in Vicksburg, MS.

Further discussion will take place at a workshop at 5:00 pm Monday, July 23rd, before the McCracken County Fiscal Court meeting. The Convention Center Board will make the same presentation to the members of the Fiscal Court and the Paducah Board of Commissioners.

Judge Executive Bob Leeper and Mayor Brandi Harless felt this would be better, rather than their committing the City and County to helping the Convention Center themselves, on behalf of the two governing bodies. While the convention center is operating at a profit, and estimates from both management companies show the profits continuing with the new food and beverage operation, if there were to be a loss, they would have to look to the City and County for help.

While there is no specific time frame for this move, the Convention Center Board would like to make the decision soon.