The Porter County Expo Center will lose $350,000 in business because of a shutdown for a renovation, but the facility’s director expects the center’s fresh look to bring in additional business in the coming months.
The Expo Center and adjacent Expo Center East are in the midst of a $3.2 million upgrade, part of a $30 million capital upgrade plan for county facilities being funded with a bond issue. Work started in August, shortly after the annual county fair concluded.
“The anticipated completion date is the beginning of May,” said Lori Daly, the facility’s director.
Daly said an event is scheduled for May 11 and another tentatively is May 4. An invitation-only ribbon cutting is scheduled May 16.
Daly said the project, in addition to being on time despite the surprise need for new electrical infrastructure, was on budget.
While she was able to reschedule events that otherwise would have been canceled because of the renovation, the rest went on hiatus during the renovation, though a few events have been able to take place in the 4-H building.
Among the casualties was the annual Earth Day Celebration, held at the Expo Center since 2012. The Porter County Recycling and Waste Reduction board agreed to cancel the event.
“We did not find another venue that can accommodate our needs,” Therese Haller, Porter County Recycling’s executive director, said in a release. “We normally have 70 exhibitors, entertainment, activities, and more than 2,000 attendees.”
Organizers thought they would alienate many of their faithful vendors and not have adequate space for the festivities many have come to enjoy and respect, Haller said.
Haller said the next Earth Day Celebration is scheduled for April 18, 2020, at the Expo center.
“Next year, we’ll be in a renovated facility with a new sound system, both of which will take the event to a new level,” Haller said. “We really hope everyone will join us to celebrate the planet and learn how to reduce their impact.”
Daly is focused on bringing more events to the Expo Center once the renovation is complete.
June, July and August typically are lightest for contracted events, she said. Daly said while June is a big month for weddings, the Expo Center wasn’t booking many with its old look; the county fair is held for 10 days in July; and in August, families are getting ready to go back to school.
Daly would like to fill those months with a balance of weddings and trade shows, and take greater advantage of outdoor space, including the grandstand arena, for additional events.
“The ultimate goal is to get the facility humming again and self-sustaining,” she said, and be able to put money aside to address issues, like the need for new carpeting, as they come up and without having to dip into county funds.
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