Denny Sanford Premier Center complex projects record revenue in 2022

The Denny Sanford Premier Center is expected to break financial records set in 2019.

Through November 2022, the entire complex had seen nearly 630,000 patrons and guests. For the year, the complex generated about $16 million in revenue, beating the record of $14.3 million in 2019.

Profitability is on track for a record, too, estimated at $2.1 million, compared with $1.5 million in 2019.

“The entertainment space was one of the hardest-hit industries during the pandemic,” Mike Krewson, general manager of the Denny Sanford Premier Center complex, said in a statement. “These record-breaking numbers show how important the entertainment industry is to the Sioux Falls community and the entire region. We know the economic impact reaches far beyond these numbers, positively affecting other business sectors in the city of Sioux Falls, including hotels, bars, restaurants and local retail shops.

The Premier Center hosted several large concerts in 2022, including Morgan Wallen, Eric Church, Snoop Dogg, Backstreet Boys, Pentatonix and Thomas Rhett.

Activities such as the Summit League basketball championships, PBR, and state wrestling and volleyball contributed to the record year.

Several big concerts have been announced already for this year, including Blake Shelton, Journey, Kenny Chesney, Alabama and Matchbox Twenty.

The Premier Center teased “several exciting concerts to announce” and said 2023 is shaping up to be another strong year.

“The community has invested in a fantastic facility that is capable of hosting these major concert and sporting events. The musical acts and sport teams love to come to Sioux Falls due to the high level of service and hospitality they receive from the management team and community,” Krewson said.  “We continually look for ways that we can separate ourselves from other facilities through excellent service to the entertainers, their crew and everyone attending our events.”

The venue’s performance isn’t the norm nationally. According to Pollstar, the industry experienced a 12 percent reduction in ticket sales last year compared with 2019. Average gross revenue was down 1 percent, while the Premier Center grew gross ticket revenue by 6 percent. It moved the center up six places, ranking No. 129 worldwide based on noncompetitive, or other than sporting, ticket sales. More than 30 percent of ticket buyers at the Premier Center were from surrounding states.

What’s new

The city of Sioux Falls continues to invest in the facilities. Planned investments this year include replacement of the large external video screen above the main entrance of the Premier Center and installation of a large video display leading from the main lobby to the upper concourse. Other improvements in food and beverage include more grab-and-go options to reduce wait times and online/tablet ordering capabilities for the suites and loges.

For a full list of events announced for 2023 so far at the Premier Center, visit dennysanfordpremiercenter.com.