SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield lost $200,296 hosting five University of Illinois basketball games this season while its usual arena, the State Farm Center in Champaign, underwent renovations.
Convention center general manager Brian Oaks tells the State Journal-Register that because of lower-than-expected ticket sales, the university agreed to knock $200,000 off the amount the Springfield facility paid to host the games.
Oaks says the center took in nearly $1.33 million in ticket sales, concessions, sponsorships and other items but had expenses of nearly $1.53 million.
The PCCC originally agreed to pay the university $325,000 per game, or $1.625 million. But after ticket sales came in about 2,500 short of expectations per game, the university cut the price to $1.425 million, or $285,000 a game.
