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  #201  
Old Posted Jun 22, 2011, 7:28 PM
DC1983 DC1983 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flar View Post
"Generating economic activity and helping the city's downtown" : You cannot effectively run an organization like HECFI with such a fuzzy and ill-defined mandate. There's no objective basis on which to base organizational goals and decisions.

"run like a business with a goal of turning a profit" : now there's a clear goal to base decisions on. These are not at odds, this is probably the best way to serve the more lofty aims of HECFI as a vehicle for economic activity and downtown renewal.
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  #202  
Old Posted Jun 27, 2011, 9:37 PM
markbarbera markbarbera is offline
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Hamilton City Council has dissolved HECFI's Board of Directors and put in an interim management board. Methinks more heads will soon be rolling. I hope Mr. Gillespie keeps his resume current.

Not exactly shaping out as a banner year for former wunderkind Adames either...
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  #203  
Old Posted Jun 28, 2011, 4:34 AM
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"Council also voted to put out a call to the private sector for proposals for the “purchase, lease or management” of Hamilton Place, Copps Coliseum and the Convention Centre."

Should be interesting to see who will submit a bid. Katz? MLSE? Balsillie? Braley? AEG? Live Nation?
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  #204  
Old Posted Jun 28, 2011, 11:43 AM
DC1983 DC1983 is offline
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Originally Posted by SteelTown View Post
"Council also voted to put out a call to the private sector for proposals for the “purchase, lease or management” of Hamilton Place, Copps Coliseum and the Convention Centre."

Should be interesting to see who will submit a bid. Katz? MLSE? Balsillie? Braley? AEG? Live Nation?
Hmm.. think Balsillie's going to wanna venture into a risky business (Hamilton) given the state of his current business?

I think HECFI being privatized is a good thing, and I look forward to the changes it may bring.
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  #205  
Old Posted Jun 28, 2011, 1:02 PM
thistleclub thistleclub is offline
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Seems like belated action, hastily construed, from a bunch of councillors who were essentially asleep at the switch for the last 5-6 years.

My guess is that Live Nation, which manages the Crown-owned Molson Amphitheatre (as well as Ticketmaster) and whose events constitute a respectable portion of Copps bookings, would be an early favourite. According to the audit, Live Nation did have a rocky 2010 – "In the past year, the industry failed economic headwinds, with all event categories feeling the impact. [Live Nation] theater ticket [sales] were down 12%, concerts down 10%, sports down 1% and family flat, resulting in an overall global decline in the 8% range" – but I believe they're still the largest entertainment promoter on the continent, so if we can interest them in our facilities it would probably be to the venues' benefit. But of course a lot depends on the fine print.
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  #206  
Old Posted Jun 28, 2011, 2:57 PM
markbarbera markbarbera is offline
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I say split up the assets. The city should hold onto Hamilton Place and the Convention Centre, and source a private firm to manage those facilities. Sell Copps to MLSE - there is redevelopment potential there akin to Toronto's Maple Leaf Square and it gives MLSE control of a facility that can host a second GTA hockey team, thereby resolving MLSE's territorial issues by giving them a piece of the action.
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  #207  
Old Posted Jun 28, 2011, 3:43 PM
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Whoever (if ever) buys it, lets hope a major overhaul of the Convention Ctr is in the books. If there's any 'public' bldg that kills streetlife Downtown more than any other, it's gotta be the Convention Ctr!
Open it up to King St! Get rid of the skywalk!! Add COLOUR!!!

Palais de Congrès, Montréal:


Source: http://www.anticipationsf.ca/English/Facilities
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  #208  
Old Posted Jun 29, 2011, 6:02 AM
bigguy1231 bigguy1231 is offline
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The city shouldn't even think of selling off any of these facilities. They are paid for assets.

With proper management they could be put to good use and there is no reason they can't make money. What they really need is someone who knows what they are doing running them. The only dud of the three facilities is the convention centre which is too small to accomodate the larger trade shows and conventions. The lack of hotel rooms doesn't help either. Turning the convention centre into a full service casino might be an option they could look into.
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  #209  
Old Posted Jun 29, 2011, 11:34 AM
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^ ^ And lose each and every convention to Niagara and Toronto (and London, ON)?? Nah, not such a good idea! If there is to be a casino, I think down at the bay would be a better option (Ha! Imagine the NENimby's on THAT!)

I say redo the whole Conv. Ctr., bring it up to date, open it to the street, brighten it up and sell of HECFI!
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  #210  
Old Posted Jun 29, 2011, 12:51 PM
thistleclub thistleclub is offline
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Dark cloud looms over HECFI brass [Andrew Dreschel, Hamilton Spectator June 29, 2011]

When asked about the future of senior management under a council-controlled HECFI, Mayor Bob Bratina didn't exactly pour oil on troubled waters. “I don't know,” Bratina said. “We'll see what happens.” Bratina said the future of senior management wasn't discussed during Monday's closed-door meeting, which resulted in a council committee voting to take control of the city's troubled entertainment agency.

Council commissions new HECFI report [Teri Pecoskie, Hamilton Spectator June 29, 2011]

Just a day after the city took the reins of the troubled entertainment agency, several councillors say immediate steps will be taken to gather information on Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Inc. and investigate options for the purchase, lease or management of Copps Coliseum, Hamilton Place and the Convention Centre. They also agree those actions couldn’t be effectively undertaken if the existing board — made up of three members of council and six citizens — remained in place.
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  #211  
Old Posted Jun 30, 2011, 12:06 PM
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Council begins HECFI makeover, ratifies CUPE pact [Matthew Van Dongen, Hamilton Spectator, June 29 2011]

Councillors voted almost unanimously to ratify a committee decision earlier this week to dissolve HECFI’s board of directors, leaving Mayor Bob Bratina and four councillors in the driver’s seat. There was no debate or comments related to the ratification vote, but councillors Rob Pasuta and Lloyd Ferguson, who is a former HECFI board member, opposed part of the motion related to the dissolution of the board.

The first order of business for the new, council-run board is to meet with senior HECFI staff, said councillor and new board member Sam Merulla. “That’s going to happen almost immediately — within days,” he said after Wednesday’s meeting. “We want to move quickly to make some dramatic changes that will send a signal, not only to the corporation, but to the community.” City staff have been told to ask the private sector to submit proposals for new ways to run Hamilton Place, Copps Coliseum and the Convention Centre. “We want to hear their vision,” Merulla said. “We’re putting the call out.”

Consultant KPMG will also be asked to do a followup review on the agency that could include information about prospective buyers or operators for HECFI assets.
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  #212  
Old Posted Jul 1, 2011, 10:32 PM
bigguy1231 bigguy1231 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DC1983 View Post
^ ^ And lose each and every convention to Niagara and Toronto (and London, ON)?? Nah, not such a good idea! If there is to be a casino, I think down at the bay would be a better option (Ha! Imagine the NENimby's on THAT!)

I say redo the whole Conv. Ctr., bring it up to date, open it to the street, brighten it up and sell of HECFI!
We don't get conventions of any signifigance here now because the place is too small. I know someone who was very involved in the planning of the convention centre and he told them when they were planning it, that it was to small. It's basically a banquet hall now. Couple that with the lack of hotel rooms and it would be a waste of money to spend a dime on it.

I'll agree to selling it if the city sells off all money losing ventures. That means the art gallery, libraries, rec centres etc. If the city didn't build these facilities we would have absolutely nothing in this city as far as entertainment is concerned. Like the other facilities mentioned they are there to help make this city more livable, not to make a profit. Why should they be held to a higher standard than any of the other facilities.
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  #213  
Old Posted Jul 2, 2011, 12:01 AM
thistleclub thistleclub is offline
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From a 2007 AGH funding brief:

“The AGH’s level of annual funding received from City sources has remained steady at $1 million dollars since 2002. The Art Gallery did not ask the City for extra funding when it made its annual presentation to City Council on February 27th. Rather, the AGH simply requested that the same level of funding (i.e. $1 million annually) continue not only this year but through until 2016. The only change suggested was in the method of funding.”

From the AGH FAQs:

What is the annual budget of the Art Gallery of Hamilton?
The AGH’s annual budget is approximately $4.5 million.

What is the ratio of public/private monies in that annual budget?
About $1.5 million comes from federal, provincial and city monies. The rest the Gallery raises itself.

Who are the AGH outside partners, and why did they decide to contribute?
We have thousands of "outside partners", including 2,400+ AGH Members, major corporations, all levels of government, foundations, small businesses, and individuals. In the end, the decision to give is a highly personal one. Some give for the love of art or, in the case of sponsoring an exhibition, for the love of one artist’s work, for example; others like the fact that their contribution allows the Gallery to offer low-cost or free activities for families; others believe that their show of support helps revitalize downtown Hamilton

What is the number of annual visits to the gallery?
We currently welcome about 150,000 visitors to the Gallery – and downtown Hamilton – each year.


For sake of comparison, the KPMG audit shows that the AGH's neighbour Hamilton Place drew 199,591 attendees in 2010 (115,387 of whom bought tickets), and required a subsidy of around $985,000.

Copps drew 417,231 attendees in 2010 (323,907 of whom paid); I can't find a subsidy figure – I believe the venue was profitable.

No surprise here: It's the Convention Centre that's the lemon. But then when people talk about "getting conventions" they often mean "getting trade shows" (companies being smaller, conventions less common and more subject to the whims of electronic technologies than in the last century, and hotels more likely to have banquet rooms large enough to accommodate small-to-medium bookings), and that consideration is about market demographics as much as it is square footage. The Careport Centre is considerably larger than the Convention Centre, but the shows it books are generally sad, rinky-dink affairs; Mississauga, London and Niagara seem to fare much better on this count. It would be an extraordinarily expensive handicap to remedy, and any fixes are far from guaranteed to recoup the investment.
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Last edited by thistleclub; Jul 2, 2011 at 12:22 AM.
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  #214  
Old Posted Jul 8, 2011, 6:06 PM
markbarbera markbarbera is offline
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As reported on thespec.com earlier today:

Quote:
HECFI boss shown the door

The CEO of the city’s troubled entertainment and convention agency is no longer the boss.

Duncan Gillespie, who has run the Hamilton Entertainment Convention Facilities Inc. (HECFI) since late 2004, left the agency Thursday.

It’s not known if Gillespie resigned or was removed, but he was not present at the inaugural meeting — held mostly in private — of the new, councillor-led HECFI board.

City manager Chris Murray has been appointed HECFI’s interim CEO, in addition to his regular duties.

...
http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...shown-the-door
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  #215  
Old Posted Jul 9, 2011, 6:32 PM
Hamiltowner Hamiltowner is offline
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According to an article by Andrew Dreschel on thespec.com on June 27, 2011, Mayor Bratina was on the HECFI Board for a period going back to 2006:

http://www.thespec.com/opinion/colum...ake-over-hecfi

This puts Mayor Bratina in an apparent conflict of interest by sitting on the new HECFI interim management panel.

Although the provincial legislation that created HECFI mandates that the mayor sit on the HECFI board, why can’t an “acting mayor” be appointed to the new HECFI interim management panel in his place to remove the appearance of any conflict of interest? An acting mayor can chair city council meetings in the place of the mayor therefore it would make sense to have an acting mayor chair the new HECFI interim management panel.

Last edited by Hamiltowner; Jul 9, 2011 at 6:50 PM.
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  #216  
Old Posted Jul 9, 2011, 7:19 PM
markbarbera markbarbera is offline
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How are you seeing the Mayor sitting on HECFI's interim Board as an apparent conflict of interest? Are you basing it solely on the fact that he was a member of the dissolved Board? If so, please explain how this becomes a conflict of interest. I don't see how an individual's membership in a former board precludes membership in current or future boards, interim or otherwise.
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  #217  
Old Posted Jul 9, 2011, 9:02 PM
Hamiltowner Hamiltowner is offline
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Hello Mark-

My earlier post did not suggest that there is an actual conflict of interest in Mayor Bratina acting on the HECFI interim management panel at this time. However, the recent vote by Hamilton city council to remove every member of the previous HECFI board seemed to be an attempt both to streamline the decision-making process and to remove the appearance of any potential post-audit conflicts of interest moving forward.

Given that Mayor Bratina is the only member of the new HECFI interim management panel who was also a member of the previous HECFI board, it could put him into a conflict of interest situation if and when the new HECFI interim management panel has to make difficult decisions relating to the previous HECFI Board. Of course, he could declare a conflict of interest should such a situation arise at a meeting. My suggestion of having an acting mayor sit as the chair of the new HECFI interim management panel was to remove any outward appearance of conflict of interest.
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  #218  
Old Posted Jul 13, 2011, 1:02 PM
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Why is Bratina heading HECFI board?
Andrew Dreschel

http://www.thespec.com/opinion/colum...ng-hecfi-board
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  #219  
Old Posted Aug 4, 2011, 12:51 PM
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Love Will Never Do (Without You).

That last number was supposed to be the “personal” part of the show. For some strange reason, it was the song she decided to dedicate to Hamilton. Janet even showed us the complete 1989 video to make us feel special. No other city on the tour had this song dedicated to them.

Video Link
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  #220  
Old Posted Aug 8, 2011, 11:20 PM
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Copps gets new video screens courtesy of Dogs owner Andlauer

http://www.thespec.com/sports/bulldo...owner-andlauer

There wasn’t one specific moment that sold him on the idea. Not one disputed goal or controversial penalty or spectacular save he had to squint to try to see. There was just a constant inability to really make out what was being shown on the TV above centre ice that convinced him he needed to update the video screens at Copps Coliseum.

“I want to be able to at least see the puck,” he says.

Which is why Hamilton Bulldogs owner Michael Andlauer wrote a cheque for $300,000 of his own dough Monday to buy new video screens for the arena’s scoreboard
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