By Heather Graves
Correspondent
BROWN COUNTY – After a near-hour closed session, on May 15, the county board reconvened in open session to approve a management agreement with PMI Venue Management, LLC, to, when completed, manage the new expo center.
The county chose to enter into a management agreement with PMI for the expo center, as opposed to a lease agreement like it currently has with PMI with the Resch Center.
With the management agreement, the county will be responsible for any loss the expo center incurs.
With the lease agreement the county currently has with PMI for the Resch Center, PMI is responsible for any operating deficits at no expense to the county.
As part of the management agreement, PMI has also agreed to help the county sell the naming rights for the expo center.
This includes producing presentation materials, determining locations for naming/sponsor signage, determining pricing and negotiating contracts.
PMI will not only help the county name the overall venue, but also individual halls, plazas and meeting rooms.
The county will have final say on who is awarded the naming rights contracts.
The county and PMI will split the naming rights income.
The first $8 million will go directly to Brown County.
Any income above that will be split 80/20 – with 80 percent going to the county and 20 percent going to PMI.
Supervisors said the relationship the county has established and maintained with PMI through its work with the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena, Shopko Hall, Packers Hall of Fame and various parking lots, has them confident in their decision to partner with PMI for the expo center.
The demolition of the arena also gives the county the ability to renegotiate the current 2012 Resch Center lease agreement it has with PMI.
Some of the changes in the renegotiated lease include a semi-annual basis maintenance report from PMI to the county and further clarification on the enterprise fund – noting that any funds deposited into the fund shall be used exclusively for the Veterans Memorial Complex.
Demolition is underway and construction of the new expo center is set to begin in June.
If all goes as planned, the expo center is set to open in January 2021.