Chops Owners Want to Sell/Move Franchise

[capitalcityguy]

Cap -

All that is like saying go to a game a Hilton, park over on Welch, and come from Des Moines via the Story City exit.

Not that everything you say can't be done. Question is why? For the sake of an old and under-utilized second arena?

I don't doubt about the entrances - but I still think something else could've been done to avoid the congestion on 3rd street from the one lot that we do have.

I think you misunderstand my point. I'm not pro-Vets auditorium. I think there are better uses for that space (hotel, parking, etc.).

You analogy about the story city exit is a bit of a stretch. I'm talkign 1/8's of a mile difference. You're talking several miles.

[JP4CY]

Like most things in life, it is easier to be critical. Goes along with my comment on the Pollard poll thread. 70% are OK with the extension, but the majority of the comments on the poll thread are the "no's". There is such thing as a silent majority.

DSM has three minor league sports team and concerts stopping through that did not happen prior to Wells Fargo. To call this anything but a success is very short sighted IMO. DSM would never had landed the women's NCAA tourney last year without the arena and it is very possible that they will land NCAA wrestling championship and maybe even a 1st round men's BB tourney (although a bit of a long shot) in the near future. Zero chance of any of these if the arena had been built smaller.

Absolutely ZERO chance to land a men's BBall tourney. The hotel/restaurant infrastructure can't accommodate people downtown.
Des Moines wasn't the only one who built a new arena and are fighting for events. Like I said before I would chose KC, Minn, Omaha if I were the NCAA over DM.
Could the airport even handle that many people? Are there enough taxis if people are staying on the west side? I just see it not happening.

[capitalcityguy]

My question is it worth it to build a massive arena, to have just a handful of successful events each year?

NCAA Women's Tourney was cool, but that was what? 1 long weekend in the entire history of the building?

NCAA Wrestling would be cool, but we couldn't get something exclusive. Again, is it worth it to have a large event for a weekend that reoccurs every handful of years?

In order to call an arena like that successful, the sports teams need to make money. You need to have that building booked more than when it's empty.

Wells Fargo has been in the black every year since it has been in existence, so I guess you've answered your own question.

[Broodwich]

No kidding. The goal is to make money. Last year, attendance was high but the tickets were underpriced/free, which is why they couldn't pay the Ducks at the end of the year. I don't doubt that for big games there were 10,000 people there, but a majority of those were getting in for less than they should've.

There is doubt now in my mind whether or not they ever intended to actually pay the Ducks.

These developments are not a statement on the viability of AHL caliber hockey in Iowa, or interest in the sport in general, or the sustainability of top-tier minor league sports in Des Moines.

It's a statement on the commitment, goals and competence of the ownership group.

[capitalcityguy]

Absolutely ZERO chance to land a men's BBall tourney. The hotel/restaurant infrastructure can't accommodate people downtown.
Des Moines wasn't the only one who built a new arena and are fighting for events. Like I said before I would chose KC, Minn, Omaha if I were the NCAA over DM.
Could the airport even handle that many people? Are there enough taxis if people are staying on the west side? I just see it not happening.

Ever been to Spokane? If they can host a first round tourney, DSM can too.

[AIT]

Like most things in life, it is easier to be critical. Goes along with my comment on the Pollard poll thread. 70% are OK with the extension, but the majority of the comments on the poll thread are the "no's". There is such thing as a silent majority.

DSM has three minor league sports team and concerts stopping through that did not happen prior to Wells Fargo. To call this anything but a success is very short sighted IMO. DSM would never had landed the women's NCAA tourney last year without the arena and it is very possible that they will land NCAA wrestling championship and maybe even a 1st round men's BB tourney (although a bit of a long shot) in the near future. Zero chance of any of these if the arena had been built smaller.

The Energy and the Barnstormers could've played at Vets. The Stars/Chops apparently won't exist after this year. The concerts are nice, but I'm not sure there's enough of them to justify WFA, and they certainly don't justify its size. I think Hilton could've hosted the women's tourney, which is close enough to DSM. The NCAA wrestling tourney would be good, and the men's basketball tourney would be better, but I'll believe those when I see them. I thought WFA was a good idea at the time, but I'm less impressed by it as time goes on.

[Tornado man]

It really stuns me that someone thought it was a good idea to build a 16,000 seat arena in the city the size of Des Moines. The Quad Cities is a relatively comparable-sized metro area to Des Moines (400k vs. about 600k?) and we get along fine with our 9,000 seat iWireless Center.

I WISH Wells Fargo only seated 9-10,000 - then Hilton would still have big-name concerts...

[HiltonMagic]

My question is it worth it to build a massive arena, to have just a handful of successful events each year?

NCAA Women's Tourney was cool, but that was what? 1 long weekend in the entire history of the building?

NCAA Wrestling would be cool, but we couldn't get something exclusive. Again, is it worth it to have a large event for a weekend that reoccurs every handful of years?

In order to call an arena like that successful, the sports teams need to make money. You need to have that building booked more than when it's empty.

Yes it is.

And no, the minor league sports are not where the money is made, it's the concerts. Which is why you build it bigger than what is needed for sports. A couple sell-out concerts is definitely worth it.

[DaddyMac]

I think you misunderstand my point. I'm not pro-Vets auditorium. I think there are better uses for that space (hotel, parking, etc.).

You analogy about the story city exit is a bit of a stretch. I'm talkign 1/8's of a mile difference. You're talking several miles.

Yeah - I just couldn't think of another exit.

As long as we're on the same page there.

I'm not one who doesn't think DSM "deserves" a 17K seat arena for a metro of half a million. I'd like to see the stats on how much cheaper it is to run a 17K arena as opposed to a ... say 12K one?

[jdoggivjc]

Ever been to Spokane? If they can host a first round tourney, DSM can too.

Let's rephrase this one.

Lots of ISU fans have been to Boise. If they can host a first round tourney, DSM can too.

[JP4CY]

Ever been to Spokane? If they can host a first round tourney, DSM can too.

It doesn't hurt to have Gonzaga there. The NCAA and ESPN are trying to promote the heck out of them, they have a ton of games/coverage on tv now. And would I want to go to Spokane in March? No. Would your UCLA, Florida, Texas teams want to come to Des Moines in March?

[DaddyMac]

I'm a little surprised that so many are ok'ing the relocation to Hilton events that will be mostly attended by Des Moines metro residents.

I, for one, am not in the least interested in that.

[capitalcityguy]

The Energy and the Barnstormers could've played at Vets. The Stars/Chops apparently won't exist after this year. The concerts are nice, but I'm not sure there's enough of them to justify WFA, and they certainly don't justify its size. I think Hilton could've hosted the women's tourney, which is close enough to DSM. The NCAA wrestling tourney would be good, and the men's basketball tourney would be better, but I'll believe those when I see them. I thought WFA was a good idea at the time, but I'm less impressed by it as time goes on.

Vet's is a dump. The concourse is too small/narrow. Not enough restroom or concessions. The acoustics are terrible for concerts.
Sorry….but that comment is just plan ignorant when you're looking at today's viable arena facilities for small-to-mid sized cities.

[jdoggivjc]

Vet's is a dump. The concourse is too small/narrow. Not enough restroom or concessions. The acoustics are terrible for concerts.
Sorry….but that comment is just plan ignorant when you're looking at today's viable arena facilities for small-to-mid sized cities.

iWireless Center (in Moline, IL) >>>>> Vets (in Des Moines)

[capitalcityguy]

I'm a little surprised that so many are ok'ing the relocation to Hilton events that will be mostly attended by Des Moines metro residents.

I, for one, am not in the least interested in that.

here, here.