‘Booking popular bands, shows and concerts at GFL generates so much money,’ a reader writes
SooToday received the following letter about entertainment in Sault Ste. Marie.
I am writing this letter CONGRATULATING our city! It is nice to actually seem some good entertainment coming to SSM!
I hope this letter actually gets published and our city officials actually read it! The revenue that is brought to a city by hosting concerts, events and shows that have some notoriety and are popular in our the realm of live music is a steam of free money coming to our city.
Just in the past 6 months, acts like Foreigner, 3 Days Grace, Finger 11, the Goo Goo Dolls, Dashboard Confessional etc … have been booked … these acts will bring THOUSANDS of dollars to our downtown.
I wish someone from city council would actually go to our downtown bars and kitchens and ASK how much revenue was generated the night of the Foreigner concert. Everyone that I have spoken with said their establishment was crazytown and made thousands of dollars in sales that they normally wouldn’t have.
Just the revenue from food and beverage, let alone the attention our downtown gets! All of the specialty shops that actually stayed open had walk-in traffic like crazy!
Booking popular bands, shows and concerts at GFL generates so much money! The money people are spending at the event (merchandise, drinks, food etc…) let alone the money generated in hotel stays, people shopping, etc! How about all the people working that night, being busy, making money and enjoying how our downtown should be.
GFL is a great place to host music events, shows and concerts! Lots of space, good acoustics and people spending money in Sault Ste. marie to see good, relevant and popular bands is a money maker!
I challenge our city council to put their money where their mouth is! Stop spending money on water fountains and urban beaches and invest Sault Ste. Marie’s money back in Sault Ste. Marie!
What about someone from the Downtown Association getting their feet on the ground, actually, physically going to our downtown shops hotels/motels, kitchens and bars and taking a tally of just how much revenue was generated from the Foreigner Concert and PROVE that is a underutilized revenue stream! What about all the concert goers who went to the casino after the show? Went back to bars/restaurants after the show?
Did anyone happen to go around town and talk to any of the business owners . . . just in the Downtown . . . after the Our Lady Peace/Collective Soul show? Find out how much revenue that concert generated? Food, drinks, hotel/motel stays, people getting called in for extra shifts/work to handle all the busy and $$$ people spent? Probably not!
GFL Gardens sits idle and we have a great place to host events, shows and concerts! People will come in from all over to see popular and relevant entertainment! We are in the middle of Northern Ontario!
People from Sudbury, Wawa, Blind River, Prince Township, Gros Cap, Goulais, Bruce Mines . . . so many places for people to come from and SPEND MONEY in our city!
If you want to change this city then change . . . let’s get our shoes wet . . . put some boots to the asphalt and FIGURE IT OUT! Keep booking and booking! It is free money and promotion of Sault Ste. Marie!
Our city is not afraid to spend money on fountains, urban beaches and other vanity projects and keep our city in the RED…. do your JOB!
Get off your butts and get our there in the community and lobby for these kind of events and revenue streams! You have no problem getting out in the community when the election bell rings for your comfy seat on council or when the cameras are out so you get an article written or public recognition for “giving back” . . . lets get our hands dirty and FIX OUR CITY.
Chris Steeves
Sault Ste. Marie
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