Hartford Business Journal

20 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | FEBRUARY 19, 2024 Ben Weiss, general manager at Oak View Group, which manages events at the XL Center and Pratt & Whitney Stadium, said event attendance is back to pre-pandemic levels. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER Pandemic Bonus Traveling attractions fuel comeback for Hartford's major event venues entertainment that gave them an opportunity to venture outside, while remaining socially distanced. Also, "Jurassic Quest" a success from a financial standpoint because it generated revenue from an event that otherwise would have been canceled. "You can call it like a bonus," Weiss said. The next year, as restrictions eased, "Jurassic Quest" moved several miles away to the Connecticut Conven- tion Center, where it continues to draw crowds. More content creators The show includes scientifically accurate animatronic dinosaurs, created in collaboration with paleon- tologists, along with live shows and demonstrations, such as fossil digs. "Jurassic Quest," owned by Texas- based Family Quest Entertainment, has three touring units that hit 130 cities across the United States and Canada each year. The company is also working to develop an interna- tional unit, said Jeff Munn, an enter- tainment executive who was recently appointed CEO of Family Quest. Each unit contains 15 semi-trailers, packed with dinosaurs and activities, and buses that carry 30 full-time employees who operate the events. In addition, the company hires 30 to 40 temporary workers locally for each event. "We'll do the show and then as soon as the show's over on Sunday night, they load everything back up into the wee hours of the morning," Munn said. "And then the trucks are off first thing Monday on to the next destination." Munn said there are more trav- eling attractions like "Jurassic Quest" entering the events space, in response to consumer demand. He said his company is getting ready to acquire a LEGO-themed attraction, called "Brick Fest Live," which he hopes to bring to Hartford. "After decades of being in this industry, I've never experienced so many options in the market," Munn said. "I'm finding that families are more discriminant than ever, they also demand more than ever, and so the value proposition we offer is critical." By Andrew Larson alarson@hartfordbusiness.com A fter the pandemic lull, Hart- ford's major event venues have returned to, or eclipsed, pre-pandemic levels of attendance and revenue, partly due to a boost from traveling shows and attrac- tions that helped fill a void during their downtime. The operators of the XL Center, Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rent- schler Field and the Connecticut Convention Center pivoted during the pandemic, and in its immediate aftermath, partnering with compa- nies that produce globetrotting attractions — events they might not normally consider. Now, these shows will continue to boost attendance and revenue, even as regular events return, said Ben Weiss, general manager at Oak View Group, which manages events at the XL Center and Pratt & Whitney Stadium. "The events that I deal with are back to pre-pandemic levels, or better, to be honest," Weiss said. "I mean, some of the frequency of live events is back to 100%-plus." XL Center events generated $17.2 million in revenue during the 2023 fiscal year, the same amount as in fiscal year 2019. The venue's revenue dropped below $12 million in fiscal year 2020, and in fiscal year 2021 it was under $1 million. Meanwhile, the Connecticut Convention Center had revenue of $3.3 million in fiscal year 2023 — about $1 million higher than in 2018 and 2019. Attendance last fiscal year (406,822) also eclipsed 2018 and 2019 levels, although the overall number of events (108) was lower. One of the touring attractions that helped propel Hartford area venues through the pandemic was "Jurassic Quest," an interactive dinosaur-themed experience, which returns to the Connecticut Conven- tion Center March 1 to March 3. During the pandemic,"Jurassic Quest" — originally planned to be held inside Pratt & Whitney Stadium — was moved to the stadium's parking lot as a drive-thru event. It was a soaring success, attracting about 15,000 vehicles full of people anxious about leaving their homes, but grateful for family-friendly Jeff Munn $20M $15M $10M $5M $0 500K 400K 300K 200K 100K 0 $3.5M $3M $2.5M $2M $1.5M $1M $0.5M $0 REVENUES REVENUES ATTENDANCE 2018 2018 2019 2019 2019 2020 2020 2020 2021 2021 2021 2022 2022 2022 2023 2023 2023 XL Center revenues CT Convention Center revenues CT Convention Center attendance Source: XL Center audited financial statements Source: CT Convention Center Source: CT Convention Center

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