DePaul Univ.'s new 10,000-seat, $164M Wintrust Arena that will "double as an 'event center' for McCormick Place will open this fall with a pair of gala fundraisers," according to Fran Spielman of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. Wintrust Arena Assistant GM/Entertainment David Kennedy said he is also “holding dates” between October and December for promoters of three concerts and for a “family show.” Kennedy: "We’re not really competing with the United Center, Soldier Field or Wrigley Field that have tens of thousands of folks. We have the flexibility to shrink the venue down a little bit to what they call a half-concert for a few thousand people or to go to the larger number of 7,000 to 9,000." With 17 home games for DePaul men’s basketball and 6-8 games for its women’s team, Kennedy said that he is "more than half-way home toward the goal of booking the arena for 50 events during the first twelve months." The arena opens in October, but SportsCorp President Marc Ganis predicted that most of the events would be “economically meaningless, both to the facility and to Chicago taxpayers." Ganis: "It was a ridiculous use of limited public money at a time when we’re raising taxes to unprecedented levels and still see no light at the end of the tunnel. Every now and then, governments decide to build vanity projects. That’s what this is.” Studies "assumed that attendance for DePaul basketball games that drew roughly 3,200 fans to All-State Arena would triple at the new venue." Kennedy: "This is a game-changer for them in terms of the amount of students and alumni. ... We’re excited about the access and truly feel that people will come" (CHICAGO.SUNTIMES.com, 4/4).
