MOOSE JAW — The Events Centre sold nearly twice as much beer in 2024 as it did in 2023, largely due to the Moose Jaw Warriors’ historic — and triumphant — WHL playoff run.
Statistics about beverage sales last year were part of the annual report that general manager Shaunna Fritzler gave during city council’s recent regular meeting. .
2025 was a time of succession planning and strategic planning business-wise, while with events, it featured “an exciting playoff run,” the Canadian wheelchair curling championship, seven concerts, three graduations and several gala dinners, Fritzler said.
Continuing, she said the success was due to the efforts of the Events Centre’s dedicated and hard-working team. These “very talented and passionate” employees came together “to turn events into experiences.”
Fritzler singled out Lloyd Dobrescu, the former building supervisor, who was one of the first people hired when the venue opened and played an integral role in its success.
“His essence is very missed as he set the bar very high, and our team works hard to continue his legacy,” she added.
Finances
The venue had revenues of $5,382,717 and expenses of $6,182,163, and after including the city subsidy of $1,292,997 and excluding the management fee, management incentive and contribution to the city, it finished with a surplus of $239,374, the report said.
In comparison, in 2023, those numbers were, respectively, $3,698,948, $4,262,343, $912,940 and $26,627. Also, the subsidy required from the city last year was $96,982 more than budgeted.
Meanwhile, the curling centre had revenues of $124,908 and expenses of $477,454, leaving a deficit of $352,546. In comparison, in 2023, those numbers were, respectively, $137,731, $461,944 and $324,213.
“… coming out of COVID and every year, we’ve gotten stronger and stronger with the amount of events that we’ve been able to host and the success of those as well,” Fritzler said.
Food and beverages
In 2023, the Events Centre sold 10,855 bottles of water, equivalent to 17 bathtubs, while it sold 387,014 ounces of draft beer — 10.99 litres — or 197 kegs, the report said.
In 2024, the venue sold 17,110 bottles of water, equivalent to 28 bathtubs, while it sold 716,562 ounces of beer — 20.34 litres — or 362 kegs.
Moreover, the food and beverage services’ gross revenues grew to $2,153,920 compared to $1,737,381 the year before, while its sales expenses increased to $721,937 from $527,444 the year before, the report continued.
Fritzler pointed out that the department’s net revenues exceeded $750,000, largely due to an increase in annual events and the Warriors’ playoff run.
“It would appear that excited concertgoers and excited fans and playoff attendees equals (a) significant increase in draft beer sales,” she said.
Ticketing
Meanwhile, the ticketing platform SaskTix generated $6.6 million in gross sales last year, compared to $5.2 million the year before, while there were 63,166 accounts compared to 38,239 the year before, the report said. Also, the venue sold 335,814 tickets compared to 336,699 tickets the year before.
The Warriors
The WHL Warriors’ 2023-24 season was “a historic and triumphant campaign” that , said Fritzler.
The team posted a regular season record of 44-21-0-3 and had a playoff record of 16-5 — including 10 sold-out home playoff matches — while it had a paid attendance of 113,977 fans.
Also, the AAA Warriors racked up a regular season record of 22-19-3 and had paid attendance of 5,189 people. However, they were bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Regina Pat Canadians.
Donations
The Events Centre contributed $49,398 in community donations, with money going to the Touch-a-Truck event, the Legion’s Remembrance Day ceremony, the chamber’s MJBEX Awards banquet, the Heartland Hospice banquet, the Greek Night fundraiser, Skating with Santa and the Festival of Trees program, the report said.
“Having a positive impact and giving back is important to the Oak View Group (that manages the building) … ,” said Fritzler.
Capital upgrades
The Events Centre has been open for nearly 15 years and requires capital improvements, so last year, OVG360 upgraded eight areas, said Fritzler.
These upgrades — totalling $329,718 — focused on hardware and software, a Zamboni pit coil, WiFi access points, lighting upgrades, adding a video cart, audio system, and coating the interior beams with fireguard material.
Rentals
Rentals for meeting and banquet spaces last year totalled 2,300 hours — compared to 2,384.5 hours in 2023 — which demonstrated “the high demand and trust groups place” in the venue for hosting meetings and gatherings, the report said.
Meanwhile, users with rec hockey, figure skating, minor hockey and community skating book 2,176 hours of ice time, compared to 2,202 hours in 2023, with the decrease due to the WHL Warriors’ playoff run.
Curling centre
“The Moose Jaw Curling Centre was a hub of activity, seeing growth in our leagues and bonspiels and the participants,” Fritzler said.
Data showed that the venue hosted 10 bonspiels for 230 hours, had 271 practice hours and 573 league hours for the 15 leagues, and attracted more than 1,100 student curlers for 162 hours.
Major events included the wheelchair nationals and mixed doubles super series, while the venue raised the championship banners for Team Saskatchewan’s wheelchair players and the Legion’s provincial champions.
The year ahead
Five months into 2025, the , while the venue hosted the and will host the concerts in a few months, Fritzler added.
