After a year at Revolution Place GM Scott Clark now has clearer vision of the buildings future. At a recent update Clark addressed some of the challenges he’s been met with, some of the changes that he’s brought in and he even seemed to embrace the idea of potential upgrades or expansions in the future.
“It depends on the will of the city, it depends on the will of the politicians and the will of the senior management of the city. Where that’s going to fit within priorities of the city is hard to know. I just need to make sure that we’re in the forefront making sure that the opportunity and that the risks are well known. That they’re there and people have the information to make the decisions that they need to make. I can’t foretell the future but I plan on being here for four or five years and I would like to think that at some point in those four or five years we can have some real concrete plans on the future of entertainment in Grande Prairie.”
When talking about the challenges he sees facing Revolution Place Clark believes one of the biggest is now behind them. The low Canadian dollar over the last few years had a major impact on the concert industry, especially in western Canada. Concert and event bookings run nine to 12 months ahead, that recovery will become clearer as we head in to the holiday season and the early part of 2018 says Clark. He doesn’t seem that concerned with regional competition though.
“We wanted to make sure that [with] the folks that are right down the road that we had a relationship. We don’t need to be the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s. But when we compete and it’s competing over shows we will compete fiercely. We’ll put our best foot forward, they will too. And, hey, if we win a show they’re going to get it three years from now when they come through again.”
He also focused on creating a culture of fun with the staff including regular staff functions and games. Depending on the event load Clark says some of their staff can work 70 hour weeks, many of those hours being on the evenings or weekends. He says it’s important that they all enjoy what they are doing. Not all improvements are internal, there’s been some upgrades to the exterior as well.
“The one that’s most visible is fixing up that plaza area and there will be a lot more coming this fall with that and within the seasonal period as well. We’ve got some interesting plans around that plaza area itself and the Bowes Family Gardens is changing too.”
The Bowes Family Garden changes will mostly be focused on ensuring people know what the space offers and what it can be used for. Clark said that outside the city, but even within it, there seemed to be some confusion about the space.