The Skokie Village Board recently approved a five-year agreement for facilities management and programming at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie (Center) with VenuWorks, an Ames, Iowa-based firm that provides facilities management services to nearly 40 theaters, sporting arenas and other venues across the country, including the Rialto Square Theater in Joliet, Illinois. The Center is located at 9501 Skokie Boulevard, and the VenuWorks agreement is effective on July 1, 2022, pending final Village Board approval at the June 6, 2022 meeting.
“The North Shore Center for the Performing Arts is an important community amenity,” said Mayor George Van Dusen. “For nearly 30 years, the Center has brought the community together to celebrate the Arts, and its contributions to both the quality of life in the Skokie and the local economy are immeasurable. I am pleased to begin this new chapter with VenuWorks overseeing operations and programming at the Center, adding their vision, energy and expertise to this successful and beloved venue.”
The annual base fee the Village will pay VenuWorks is significantly less than the amount currently paid to Professional Facilities Management, a Providence, Rhode Island-based firm that has managed the Center since 1996 and overseen programming since 2010. In addition, VenuWorks will earn an incentive by reducing the Center’s reliance on an annual Village financial subsidy. All current Center staff are in the process of onboarding to the VenuWorks team.
VenuWorks also has committed to an initial $150,000 capital investment to fund improvements to the Center’s concessions capabilities. The investment will be paid back over the course of the agreement, and VenuWorks will receive a commission on concession sales over an established annual base revenue amount.
In addition to facility operations, VenuWorks will assume responsibility for programming in both the Center and North Theaters and will work with rental clients as well as the Center’s resident companies, Music Theater Works and Northlight Theater.
Click here for more information about the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie and watch for exciting 2022/2023 season programming announcements soon!