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Explore Evansville Outlines Conservative 2026 Plan; VenueWorks Transition and Sponsorships Seen as Key to Reducing Subsidy
Summary
Explore Evansville reported a conservative 2026 operating plan and a modest positive revenue target while urging aggressive sales to increase convention-center utilization. Staff said VenueWorks/ASM Global are preparing to assume management and that sponsorship and naming-rights revenue are important to reduce county subsidies.
Explore Evansville staff briefed the council on a conservative 2026 operating plan for the convention and events portfolio and outlined near-term priorities to reduce ongoing subsidies.
Leadership said local revenue goals were set conservatively and that early management conversations with VenueWorks/ASM Global indicate a push to increase meeting-and-convention bookings and better align events with the community's hotel and facility capacities. The county's convention center has recurring subsidy needs; staff described sponsorships and naming-rights opportunities as important to shrink that gap and said VenueWorks has been asked to help drive sales and sponsorship revenue.
Explore Evansville: "Through Kathy's management and myself, we've been able to manage that back down...I feel pretty confident that we're gonna hit that goal easily." (Explore staff, 00:41:00)
The meeting included an update that VenueWorks/ASM Global negotiations were moving toward an operational transition; staff said a potential change in management could occur as early as September pending final agreement discussions. Council and Explore staff emphasized the need for an inventory and facilities review so any incoming operator signs on with clear records of equipment and condition. Councilors also discussed pursuing higher-value naming-rights deals and making direct approaches to anchor sponsors.
The presentation framed 2026 as a year to rebuild a sales pipeline for meetings and conventions, to pursue sponsorships and naming-rights revenue, and to position the venue for more consistent seven-day-a-week operations that would drive hotel stays and downtown economic activity.
