Convention Center Committee - April 25, 2025

Present: Katlyn Balstad, Charley Johnson, Mallari Ackerman, Clare Hughes, Joe Raso, Kent Kolstad, Emma McIntyre, Taylor Snelling, Denise Kolpack, Dave Piepkorn, Shannon Full.

Absent: Tim Mahoney, John Strand, Michelle Turnberg.

Others Present: Jim Gilmour, Assistant City Attorney Erik Johnson, Michael Redlinger, Susan Thompson, Tom Hazinski - HVS (via video conference), Henry Detmer - HVS (via video conference).

Charley Johnson said due to the unavailability of the Commission Chambers a couple of upcoming meetings will need to be moved. He said May 2nd and 9th will be at 1:00 pm at Gateway Commons (Fargo Police Department building) and May 16th will need to be moved to 9:00 am in the Commission Chambers. Calendar invites have been updated, he said.

Tom Hazinski and Henry Detmer from HVS presented the market analysis. They said the analysis was based on a hypothetical building program with a 40,000 sq. ft. exhibit hall, a 20,000 sq. ft. ballroom and 7,500 sq. ft. of meeting space (totaling approximately 155,000 sq. ft. of floor area). They said the key findings were as follows:
• Fargo is an important regional destination with a growing economy.
• There is potential for urban improvement and increased tourism.
• The lack of a large convention facility makes Fargo an outlier compared to other cities.
• The proposed venue size is comparable to similar communities.
• An adjacent hotel with 150-200 rooms is recommended.
• The location of the venue is important for access to amenities.
• Demand projections estimate 205 events and 88-89,000 attendees in a stabilized year, generating approximately 31,000 new room nights.
• The venue is unlikely to break even, requiring public support (estimated at $350,000.00 annually at stabilization). Lodging tax revenues are a potential source.
Mr. Hazinski said he recommends considering hotel management of the convention space for potential cost savings.
Charley Johnson introduced the topic of criteria for the Request for Proposal (RFP) and a list of possible criteria was distributed for review. He said he would ask everyone to review the criteria and identify any missing or unnecessary information and bring that back to the group for further discussion. He said he will resend the market analysis with the corrected room nights chart.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:57 p.m.