Though the Convocation Center occasionally finds itself in the red over certain events, it is ultimately able to recover its losses.

Kevin Selover, assistant director of marketing for the Convocation Center, said NIU overall makes a profit from bringing entertainers to the Convo.

The majority of the events are a co-promotion, where an outside promoter comes in and a deal is made with the university. NIU and the promoter split the risk and the cost of the event, Selover said.

“Ticket sales is the number one way to make money.” he said.

In some cases, the university is lucky to break even, and there are some shows where the university actually loses money, Selover said.

However, the loss is covered from events that are guaranteed money, such as trade shows or religious events, he said.

The Convo designates a $.50 to $3 fee on top of the ticket price to keep the building updated. Concessions and parking are also major sources of revenue, Selover said.

The amount of money generated differs depending on the event.

“Every show is different,” Selover said. “John Mayer to Sesame Street Live, it depends on the risk and event.”

NIU has come a long way in what acts it attracts to the Convo, Selover said.
“When we first started, we really had to go out and get shows,” he said. “A lot of shows now come from bands coming to us.”

Not many shows have been publicly announced for the Convo recently, Selover said.

“Right now we are having a slow semester,” he said. “We hope that bands take our offers so we can continue to have success.”

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