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December 12, 2007

Aud name change sign of the times

Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - The Chronicle-Journal

At first blush, the decision by the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium board to look at the possibility of allowing a corporate sponsor to put its name on the building strikes a sour note. Thunder Bay‘s cultural jewel is rightly regarded as a world-class performing arts centre, having hosted performances ranging from musical legends (Gordon Lightfoot, BB King) to comic heavyweights (Bill Cosby, Dennis Miller) to Broadway musicals (“Cats,” “Fiddler on the Roof”) to children‘s entertainers (Robert Munsch).
But this stellar lineup comes with a price – a hefty price. All of these performances, whether a one-man standup routine or an elaborate stage production, come with huge costs.

Regularly, it‘s a cost the facility cannot bear on its own. Despite the best efforts of management and staff, the Auditorium has had to be subsidized by its owner: the citizens of Thunder Bay. The goal of it being fully self-sufficient has yet to be realized. But it is improving. At one time, Thunder Bay taxpayers pitched in $1 million per year, about one-third of the annual $3-$3.5-million budget. Last year, the city contributed $475,000 to the operation.

Whether or not that‘s an appropriate burden for the local tax base is a discussion for another time, but clearly every avenue should be explored that brings the tax subsidy as close to zero as possible. With that in mind, the Auditorium board of directors are being proactive in exploring the option of a naming sponsor.

The trend is so established in other cities it‘s almost a given that any major facility, whether a concert hall or hockey arena, will have a corporate name on it. The names roll easily off the tongue: Air Canada Centre (which replaced venerable Maple Leaf Gardens), the Bell Centre (which replaced the Montreal Forum), the Rogers Centre (not SkyDome). It‘s prudent for Thunder Bay‘s swankiest facility to look at the economic benefits of a similar arrangement.

But if a sponsor does come forward, it should be with two conditions. One, the words “Community Auditorium,” recognizing the volunteers who made it a reality and the patrons who buy tickets, should be part of the new name. Two, the sponsor should have no input into programming. As general manager Bob Halvorsen noted in an interview with The Chronicle-Journal, the naming agreement should include that stipulation.

Stewardship of the facility must stay where it is now and must continue to benefit the citizens of Thunder Bay.