TCU Place: The theatre's dandy, but what to do with the business-leaking convention area?
Current conference space isn't well laid-out or attractive, say critics
The consensus among consultants is clear: Saskatoon needs a new downtown area to replace SaskTel Centre.
What's less clear is what should be done with the city's combination theatre and convention space, TCU Place.
To be precise, the consultants hired by the corporations running both facilities are not suggesting that the storied half of TCU Place, the 50-year-old Sid Buckwold Theatre, buck an inch from its current location in downtown Saskatoon.
In fact, in all the redevelopment options floated — including a $300-million-plus arena-and-convention-centre downtown complex — "the Sid Buckwold Theatre was assumed to remain in its current location," according to the report.
The theatre's cozy distance to downtown hotels and restaurants make the status-quo a no-brainer.
'Needs to be laid our differently'
The challenge, rather, lies with the other half of TCU Place, its convention space.
Despite having been expanded as recently as 2006, "TCU Place falls behind current industry trends of flexible, adaptable spaces with high ceilings, excellent room acoustics and dedicated display space," reads the report.
Other logistical issues include the building's sole kitchen being stuck in the basement and a convention hall loading dock area that can make for some tight squeezes for loading vehicles, according to Bill McDermott, president of the local union of workers who operate both the theatre and convention area.
"The space needs to be laid out differently," said Brent Penner, the executive director of Downtown YXE business improvement district.
"Because of that, we're not getting various conventions that we might have been able to bid on in the past because they're saying the space isn't suitable."
$4.5M in lost business
"Capacity shortfalls" account for why TCU Place lost out on the opportunity to host recent meetings of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and Diabetes Canada, according to Tourism Saskatoon.
"This is a loss to our city of more than 4,600 delegates who would have spent in excess of $4.5 million in our local economy," the organization wrote in a recent press release.
Still, it's unclear if the final plan will call for a new convention space tucked within a larger complex or if the current space at TCU Place will get a facelift.
The latter option, however, "may exceed its replacement cost," according to the report.
Equally unclear is what should be done with the existing convention space — including the 52,000 square feet added in 2006 — if a new convention centre is built.
While the report talks about possibly transforming the current SaskTel Centre into a manufacturing or distribution centre, nothing is said about how the current TCU Place convention halls might be repurposed.
Penner said it's too early to voice a preference either way, but added of event organizers, "They're thinking about not only the event they're putting on but what are people going to do when the event's over.
"Having things proximate to one another is key and that's typically what you find in other major cities in our country."
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