Hartford Business Journal

22 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | March 6, 2023 Arts Biz By Robert Storace rstorace@hartfordbusiness.com I t's been a near four-year roller- coaster ride for Infinity Music Hall Hartford co-owners Dave Rosenfeld and Tyler Grill, who purchased the downtown venue from Dan Hincks in April 2019, with hopes of wooing top-named talent to the Capital City, while also helping to revitalize the Front Street entertainment district. Then COVID-19 hit and those plans were either put on hold or tossed, while both owners feared the worst: having to potentially close the downtown music venue permanently. "Things just got bad right away," Grill said in a recent interview. "We were closed for weeks and then months and, yes, we didn't know when we'd reopen and (closing permanently) came to our mind" as a possibility. Now, Rosenfeld and Grill, owners of Fairfield-based GoodWorks Entertainment Group, have a more optimistic outlook, despite business only slowly creeping back in recent months. As people continue to get over their fears of COVID-19, the co-owners said they plan to book more performances and recruit more corporate support in the year ahead, with hopes of returning to profitability in the next 12 to 24 months. Key upcoming acts include singer Quinn Sullivan, teenage prodigy piano player and singer Veronica Lewis, and The Machine Performs Pink Floyd, which includes a rendition of the famed English rock band's music. Ticket sales last year were about 20% below pre-pandemic levels, but started to pick up in the last few months of 2022, Grill said. "We had shows (last year) that did very well, but we had more shows that didn't do well," Grill said. "It's just been the last two to three months when things started to turn around and we started to see a light at the end of the tunnel. We are getting to where we want to be now, near pre-pandemic, as the number of shows we are booking per month is increasing and some of our regular ticket buyers are starting to buy tickets again." COVID's impact Infinity Music Hall Hartford temporarily closed — like most other entertainment and arts venues — amid the height of the pandemic, going dark from March 2020 to September 2021. It didn't offer virtual programming so the venue had no revenue streams during the closure. The staff was let go and corporate sponsors dropped off. The owners said they were able to avoid permanent closure thanks to $1.9 million in Shuttered Venue Operator Grant funding and $256,000 they received from the federal Paycheck Protection Program. "That (funding) saved us," Rosenfeld said. Meantime, GoodWorks still has an approximately $200,356 debt with the state. That's the remaining balance on more than $1 million in state aid the venue received to support its 2014 opening. GoodWorks — which employs 30 part- and full-time workers, down from 40 pre-pandemic — inherited the potentially forgivable debt when it acquired Infinity Music Hall, Grill said. The state Department of Economic and Community Development modified the loan in 2021, to give the venue more time — until 2025 — to hit job targets tied to loan forgiveness. Unique partnership Looking ahead, the co-owners said regaining at least a half-dozen corporate sponsors in 2023 is their No. 1 priority. They lost about a dozen sponsors — including Webster Bank, Hartford HealthCare, Xfinity, CTnow.com and the Connecticut Convention Center — during the pandemic, when companies were tightening their belts. The Marriott hotel is the only remaining sponsor. "We'd like to have like-minded organizations we can partner with," said Grill, who recently hired a sponsorship consultant. "It's all about creating unique partnerships where both parties can benefit." One bright spot over the past year was the Hartford Live free outdoor concert series, which brought six live music acts to the Old State House last summer. They were all well-attended, Grill and Rosenfeld said. The initiative was a multiyear partnership between the city of Hartford and GoodWorks Entertainment, funded by federal COVID-relief dollars. "Hartford Live was a significant development for our community engagement in Hartford," said Rosenfeld, adding the plan is to continue the program this summer with seven or eight concerts. Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said the Hartford Live series helped drive much-needed activity downtown. "We've partnered with key stakeholders on Front Street, like Infinity Hall, to support their recovery through things like the live concert series, which had great turnouts," Bronin said. "The recovery from the pandemic has been slower than people wanted, but from my conversations with the owners of Infinity Hall, they are seeing positive trends." More shows Rosenfeld said he expects ticket sales to Infinity Music Hall shows — including concerts and comedy, theater and dance acts — to approach pre-pandemic levels by the fall. The average ticket price is about $40. It will still take a year or two to reach the 160 annual performances Infinity Hall hosted pre-pandemic. The music venue, which has capacity for 490 guests, hosted 105 shows or productions in 2022, Rosenfeld said. GoodWorks — a for-profit company that owns and operates several Northeast venues, including the smaller Infinity Music Hall in Norfolk on Route 44 — makes money through sponsorships, ticket sales and memberships, which provide customers access to discounted tickets and other perks. It also earns money from show profits and rental fees for hosting events like weddings, birthday and other private parties, lectures and corporate gatherings. Despite challenges from the last few years, Grill said the music hall's future still looks bright. "Things are moving forward as tickets are selling and we have a lot of people renting the venue," he said. "We have also had a lot of great conversations with city and business people within the city and we've gotten a lot of support from the mayor's office. … We feel like we are a big part of this city and that we have a fun and enjoyable place to come to." Tune Up After contemplating closure during pandemic, Infinity Music Hall Hartford owners in search of a rebound Infinity Music Hall Hartford co-owners Tyler Grill (left) and Dave Rosenfeld. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER

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