Alerus Center Bounces Back

Officials with the 22,000-capacity Alerus Center in Grand Forks, N.D., are reporting the facility is having a bad year financially on the arena side but plans are already in the works to turn that situation around.

Steve Peters, president of VenuWorks, which manages the venue, told the Grand Forks Herald that although the convention side is showing steady growth since the nearby Canad Inns opened, a lack of concerts at the arena has contributed to a projected $86,000 loss by year’s end.

The city is also home to the 13,000-capacity Ralph Engelstad Arena at the University of North Dakota, which hosted Brad Paisley last month and has Dane Cook and Miranda Lambert scheduled this month.

But Peters has already proposed solutions to make the Alerus Center more attractive to touring acts, the paper said.

One plan is to book a series of smaller, classic rock concerts, which are lower cost and easier to schedule. Other proposals include installing a new curtain system at the arena for a more intimate concert experience and bringing in a new minor league sports team.

Peters was not available for comment at press time.