Alerus Center
Encyclopedia
The Alerus Center is an indoor arena
and convention center located in Grand Forks, North Dakota
. The facility is owned and operated by the city of Grand Forks and opened on February 10, 2001. The arena's major tenant is the University of North Dakota
Fighting Sioux football team
. The arena also plays host to many large concerts, sporting events, and trade shows. It can seat more than 21,000 people at one time. The convention center section of the facility includes a 26000 square feet (2,415.5 m²) ballroom and 12 meeting rooms. The convention center is used for conferences, seminars, banquets, parties, and smaller concerts. Directly adjacent to the Alerus Center is a large hotel and waterpark complex called the Canad Inns
Destination Center.
The Alerus Center is named after a local financial institution, Alerus Financial
, which purchased the building's naming rights. Prior to opening, the facility had been referred to as the Aurora Events Center.
The Flood of 1997 delayed the project and lead to redesigned to make the facility less susceptible to future flooding.
Compass Management was hired to manage facility and in 2000 Aurora was renamed The Alerus Center after Alerus Financial
bought naming rights for a period of 20 years.
Alerus Center opened on February 10, 2001 with a final cost of $80 million. In 2006 construction started on Canad Inns
hotel tower and water park and was completed in 2007.
In 2007 the city ended its management contract with Compass Management but the same year rehired Compass Management, now renamed VenuWorks, with the provision they won't be paid if they lose taxpayer money. In 2009 Alerus Commission announced they lost $720,000 in the events fund due to Alerus operations. No accounting of that loss is made available to the public. VenuWorks notified the City of Grand Forks it intends to terminate its management contract with the events center effective December 31, 2011. The city will likely manage most of the facility with the option of bringing help to assist in specialty areas.
's Living Proof: The Farewell Tour
concert was the largest event ever held at the arena and, at that time, was the largest audience the entertainer had ever performed in front of.
Other non-music events have also been held at the Alerus Center including WWE Smackdown and the 2008 North Dakota Democratic-NPL Convention featuring presidential candidates Barack Obama
and Hillary Clinton speaking.
, both of which often bid to host the same events. To a lesser extent, the Chester Fritz Auditorium
in Grand Forks also sometimes competes for these same events as well. Regionally, the Fargodome
in nearby Fargo, North Dakota
and the MTS Centre
in Winnipeg, Manitoba
are seen as competitors to the Alerus Center.
Destination Center, completed in 2007. This $50 million complex is anchored by a 201-room, 13-story hotel tower which, at 126 feet (38.4 m), is the tallest building in Grand Forks and the tallest building constructed in North Dakota
since the mid 1980s. The Destination Center also includes the largest waterpark in the state, three restaurants, a "boutique" casino, and an arcade.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
and convention center located in Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
. The facility is owned and operated by the city of Grand Forks and opened on February 10, 2001. The arena's major tenant is the University of North Dakota
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
Fighting Sioux football team
North Dakota Fighting Sioux football
The North Dakota Fighting Sioux are a college football program that competes in the Great West Conference in the NCAA Division I's Football Championship Subdivision...
. The arena also plays host to many large concerts, sporting events, and trade shows. It can seat more than 21,000 people at one time. The convention center section of the facility includes a 26000 square feet (2,415.5 m²) ballroom and 12 meeting rooms. The convention center is used for conferences, seminars, banquets, parties, and smaller concerts. Directly adjacent to the Alerus Center is a large hotel and waterpark complex called the Canad Inns
Canad Inns
Canad Inns is a chain of hotels headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The company operates nine hotel properties in the province of Manitoba and one in the U.S. state of North Dakota. In 2000, Canad Inns was named one of "Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies". In 2010 Canad Inns was named one...
Destination Center.
The Alerus Center is named after a local financial institution, Alerus Financial
Alerus Financial
Alerus Financial, headquartered in Grand Forks, North Dakota, is a chain of financial institutions located throughout North Dakota, Minnesota and Arizona. Alerus offers personal banking, business banking, and agribusiness banking.-History:...
, which purchased the building's naming rights. Prior to opening, the facility had been referred to as the Aurora Events Center.
History
After attempts going back to 1984 to fund expansion of the downtown civic center or construction of a new convention center (1992), in 1995 a vote to increase the local sales tax to build a new events center (dubbed The Aurora Events Center, costing $43 to $49 million) passed with 60% approval. Cost overruns required another vote in 1996 on an events center to cost $57 million which passed with 51% approval.The Flood of 1997 delayed the project and lead to redesigned to make the facility less susceptible to future flooding.
Compass Management was hired to manage facility and in 2000 Aurora was renamed The Alerus Center after Alerus Financial
Alerus Financial
Alerus Financial, headquartered in Grand Forks, North Dakota, is a chain of financial institutions located throughout North Dakota, Minnesota and Arizona. Alerus offers personal banking, business banking, and agribusiness banking.-History:...
bought naming rights for a period of 20 years.
Alerus Center opened on February 10, 2001 with a final cost of $80 million. In 2006 construction started on Canad Inns
Canad Inns
Canad Inns is a chain of hotels headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The company operates nine hotel properties in the province of Manitoba and one in the U.S. state of North Dakota. In 2000, Canad Inns was named one of "Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies". In 2010 Canad Inns was named one...
hotel tower and water park and was completed in 2007.
In 2007 the city ended its management contract with Compass Management but the same year rehired Compass Management, now renamed VenuWorks, with the provision they won't be paid if they lose taxpayer money. In 2009 Alerus Commission announced they lost $720,000 in the events fund due to Alerus operations. No accounting of that loss is made available to the public. VenuWorks notified the City of Grand Forks it intends to terminate its management contract with the events center effective December 31, 2011. The city will likely manage most of the facility with the option of bringing help to assist in specialty areas.
Notable events
CherCher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
's Living Proof: The Farewell Tour
Living Proof: The Farewell Tour
Living Proof: The Farewell Tour is the seventh concert tour by American singer, Cher. The tour supported her twenty-fourth studio album, Living Proof and eleventh compilation album, The Very Best of Cher...
concert was the largest event ever held at the arena and, at that time, was the largest audience the entertainer had ever performed in front of.
Other non-music events have also been held at the Alerus Center including WWE Smackdown and the 2008 North Dakota Democratic-NPL Convention featuring presidential candidates Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and Hillary Clinton speaking.
Competition
Grand Forks is unique because it is a relatively small market with two major event centers, the Alerus Center and the Ralph Engelstad ArenaRalph Engelstad Arena
For the arena with the same name in Thief River Falls, Minnesota see Ralph Engelstad Arena .For the pre-2001 arena in Grand Forks, North Dakota see Ralph Engelstad Arena ....
, both of which often bid to host the same events. To a lesser extent, the Chester Fritz Auditorium
Chester Fritz Auditorium
The Chester Fritz Auditorium is a performance facility on the campus of the University of North Dakota located in the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota. "The Fritz", as it is commonly known, is used for many events including concerts, dance groups, and popular Broadway musicals...
in Grand Forks also sometimes competes for these same events as well. Regionally, the Fargodome
Fargodome
The Fargodome is an indoor stadium, located in Fargo, North Dakota. It opened in 1992 and holds over 19,000 people for football games and over 25,000, for full arena concerts....
in nearby Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
and the MTS Centre
MTS Centre
The MTS Centre is an indoor sports arena and entertainment venue in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and home of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League. It is located on the former Eaton's site and is owned and operated by True North Sports & Entertainment. The 440,000 square feet ...
in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
are seen as competitors to the Alerus Center.
Canad Inns Destination Center
Located directly north of the Alerus Center sits the Canad InnsCanad Inns
Canad Inns is a chain of hotels headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The company operates nine hotel properties in the province of Manitoba and one in the U.S. state of North Dakota. In 2000, Canad Inns was named one of "Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies". In 2010 Canad Inns was named one...
Destination Center, completed in 2007. This $50 million complex is anchored by a 201-room, 13-story hotel tower which, at 126 feet (38.4 m), is the tallest building in Grand Forks and the tallest building constructed in North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
since the mid 1980s. The Destination Center also includes the largest waterpark in the state, three restaurants, a "boutique" casino, and an arcade.