Call it an early Christmas gift for downtown Everett. The Silvertips are winning and the Everett Events Center is off to a strong start. A victory for the sports fans and downtown visionaries alike.
After barely two months in business, the events center is poised to make a profit within 15 months — proof that Everett can play host to myriad events and attract the crowds necessary to jumpstart the life of the city’s core. Already, nearby businesses are reporting seeing a lot more customers when the center is open for an event, and one restaurant owner even reported having to turn customers away when things get too busy. Downtown Everett too busy? That probably hasn’t happened since folks lined up for films at the competing Everett and Roxy theaters.
Now people are coming here for everything from state volleyball tournaments to hockey games to children’s ice shows to bullriding. Yes, bullriding. No one can say our events center isn’t versatile. That doesn’t even include the other features at the center. Officials report the conference center, a ballroom with a to-die-for view of the mountains, is booked every Saturday night from February through June. And the second ice rink draws about 1,000 people each week for the open skating sessions.
But the good news goes beyond the center’s own success. The fact that big events such as Disney on Ice — which had two near-sellouts in eight shows here — can come to Everett without hurting its attendance at KeyArena in Seattle is proof that the two can not only co-exist but that the market was ready and waiting for a Snohomish County venue. That should be good news for the future of concerts at the events center.
Now if we could just get someone to buy naming rights. Maybe next Christmas.
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