Category Archives: Denny Sanford Premier Center

A new bag policy goes into affect tonight. While I can’t understand why anyone would want to carry in a bag or purse to a show anyway, I do understand that women like to have makeup and other personal items with them, but I wonder if the policy isn’t about safety (concealed weapons) but about people sneaking in their own beverages and snacks. The last time I paid to go to a show at the EC my ticket was $120 (very good seats) and drinks were about $50. Remember, well over 90% of what you spend at the EC (tickets, food, beverages, etc.) goes straight out of town and doesn’t get circulated in the local economy. I have asked since the place has opened what their yearly sales are and how much of that money stays in Sioux Falls and have yet to get an answer from the city who owns the facility and pays the mortgage and maintenance.

A business operator adjacent to the EC Campus came to one of the public input sessions for EC Campus Book Club and asked why there are so few concerts and events at the Denty this year.

Over the next 5 months there is only 6 concerts scheduled and about a dozen other events.

This building isn’t cheap to operate, with that few of rentals, how can it even break even with sponsorships?

I have also heard that major corners were cut when building the facility. Someone told me that most of the internal walls are only thin sheetrock, in other words if someone pushed you hard enough into the wall, you might go thru. As with the siding, many things will have to be fixed and upgraded here in the near future. This is what happens when you ‘ramrod’ things on the cheap. Thanks Bowlcut!

Wednesday, May 22, 8:30 AM

Convention Center, 1201 Northwest Avenue, Mtg. Rooms 8-10

This is quite the spreadsheet for a multi-million dollar business (Full Doc: Denty-2018-Finances)

I have asked since the place has opened what their yearly sales are. If I had to guess, looking at the sales tax paid (3 pennies) it would be around $55 Million. Where does that money go? Straight out of town to artists, promoters and to Ovation’s coffers (they are the concession provider). We get back a whopping $3.7 million in which $2.1 million (the net operating income) goes into a revolving fund the city has in their bank account but that SMG controls.

Am I the only one that has noticed that the economy in Sioux Falls has been staggering ever since the Denty opened? Well, when you send $55 million straight out the door of our community each year, it has an effect and not a good one.