Grossinger Motors Arena

What Grossinger Motors Arena does

Grossinger Motors Arena is an 8,000-seat, 180,000 sq ft multi-purpose municipal entertainment venue located in Bloomington, Illinois. Opened on April 1, 2006 after a $37 million construction program, the facility hosts concerts, sporting events, conferences, trade shows, and private events for the Bloomington-Normal metro and broader Central Illinois region. The City of Bloomington owns the asset, and since April 2016 venue management has been operated by VenuWorks of Bloomington under a municipal management agreement; the venue was renamed from U.S. Cellular Coliseum to Grossinger Motors Arena in June 2017 under a naming-rights deal with Grossinger Motors.

The arena generates revenue across five core streams: ticket sales for ticketed events, facility rentals for private and corporate bookings, catering and concessions (converted to a cashless model effective May 1, 2024), advertising and sponsorship (including named partners such as Gibson Area Hospital, Mid State Cruisers, and BGECards.com), and on-site parking. Its event calendar has historically included anchor tenants such as the Bloomington Edge, PrairieThunder, Bloomington Blaze, Bloomington Thunder, and Central Illinois Flying Aces, supplemented by touring concerts, MMA events (Armored MMA), collectibles conventions, and community programming such as the Good Vibrations Cruise-In. Cumulative attendance has exceeded 3,000,000 visitors since opening.

Operationally, the venue runs with a lean team (firmographic count of approximately six employees, with up to 14 staff listed across management, marketing, and event-coordination roles). Strategic activity since the VenuWorks transition has centered on operational modernization (cashless concessions), event-mix diversification (sports cards, Pokemon expos, MMA, automotive cruise-ins), and brand refresh via the Grossinger Motors naming partnership, rather than capacity expansion or capital projects. There are no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, data products, or digital platform offerings; the venue's value proposition is anchored in its physical asset, regional location, parking infrastructure, and two-decade event track record.

Name

Grossinger Motors Arena

Legal name

Grossinger Motors Arena

Website

https://grossingermotorsarena.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Grossinger Motors Arena is an 8,000-seat, 180,000 sq ft municipal multi-purpose venue in Bloomington, Illinois, hosting concerts, sporting events, conventions, and private events for the Central Illinois region. Owned by the City of Bloomington and operated by VenuWorks since 2016.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Entertainment Venue

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310)

akta.pro primary industry

Venue Operations, Management & Facility Services (MPAKAEAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arena & Stadium Operations (Large-Capacity Venues) (MPAGALAA), Sports & Arena Event Venues (Stadiums, Arenas) (THAHAAAF), Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL)

Keywords

• Live event venue
• Concert hosting
• Sports arena
• Venue rentals
• Conference facilities

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales & Event Revenue: Revenue from ticket sales for concerts, sporting events, family shows, and special events. Tickets sold through Ticketmaster and box office.
2. Venue & Space Rental: Rental income from luxury suites (annual lease or per-event), private meeting rooms, conference spaces, and main arena floor for corporate events, weddings, and receptions.
3. Conference & Meeting Room Rental: Hourly and daily rental of meeting rooms and conference spaces with amenities including Wi-Fi, catering, and audiovisual equipment.
4. Catering & Food & Beverage: In-house catering services for private events including corporate functions, weddings, and celebrations. Chef on staff provides full-service dining experiences.
5. Advertising & Sponsorship: Naming rights (Grossinger Motors), advertising space within venue, and sponsorship opportunities for events.
6. Parking Revenue: Connected parking deck and over 3,000 public parking spaces available for event attendees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Grossinger Motors Arena is a 180,000-square-foot, 8,000-seat multi-purpose entertainment venue in Bloomington, Illinois that hosts concerts, sporting events, family shows, and touring productions. The venue also rents its spaces—including luxury suites, conference rooms, and the full arena—for private corporate events, meetings, graduations, and banquets, complemented by in-house catering and cashless concessions. Operations are managed by VenuWorks under a contract with the City of Bloomington, which owns the facility.

Product overview

Grossinger Motors Arena is a multi-purpose entertainment venue in Bloomington, Illinois, offering a unified event hosting platform. The core offering is event hosting services for concerts, sports events, family shows, ice shows, and trade shows with capacity for 8,000 attendees. Additional products include luxury suite rentals, full-service in-house catering with chef services, private event booking across 180,000 square feet of flexible space, conference and meeting room rentals, group ticket packages, and cashless concessions. The venue opened April 1, 2006 and is managed by VenuWorks of Bloomington.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Event Hosting Services Ticketed live entertainment programming including concerts, sporting events, family shows, and touring productions open to the general public via box office and Ticketmaster.
• Corporate Sales & Venue Rentals Rental of the arena and its event spaces to corporate clients, meeting planners, and organizations for private functions, team-building events, conferences, and banquets.
• Luxury Suite Leases Leased luxury suites providing premium seating, in-seat service, and a private hospitality area for groups and corporate entertaining during events.
• Conference & Meeting Room Rentals Rental of on-site conference and meeting rooms with flexible configurations available for meetings, breakout sessions, and small group functions.
• In-House Catering Services Catering and banquet services provided in-house by the venue's chef and culinary team for private events, banquets, and corporate functions.
• Cashless Concessions Food and beverage concessions sold to event attendees through cashless point-of-sale systems during events.
• Group Ticket Sales Bulk ticket purchasing and group hospitality packages for organizations, schools, and companies attending arena events together.
• Trade Shows & Consumer Conventions Floor-based trade shows and consumer conventions (e.g., sports card shows, Pokémon Expo) rented to promoters and open to the general public.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,000,000 total attendees since opening in 2006

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VenuWorks of BloomingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2017VenuWorks of Bloomington was selected by the City of Bloomington as the management company for the facility on April 1, 2016. They manage day-to-day operations of the arena.
• Gibson Area HospitalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsorship of Men At Work & Toad the Wet Sprocket concert event, supporting live music in the community.
• Mid State CruisersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresented Good Vibrations Cruise-In event on Front Street outside the arena, celebrating the venue's 20th anniversary and Beach Boys concert.
• BGECards.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVendor table registration partner for Bloomington Sports Card Convention and Pokémon Card Expo events.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Alliant Energy PowerHouse: Cedar Rapids, Iowa multi-purpose arena (~10,000 capacity) hosting concerts, hockey (Iowa Heartlanders), and events - similar Midwestern mid-market arena profile.
• Broadmoor World Arena: Colorado Springs arena (~8,000 capacity) hosting similar concert, hockey, and event mix in a comparable mid-size market with municipal ownership characteristics.
• State Farm Center (Champaign): University of Illinois arena (~15,000 capacity) in Champaign that competes with Grossinger for the same central Illinois touring acts and corporate event bookings.
• Enmarket Arena: Savannah, Georgia's ~9,500-capacity multi-purpose arena hosting concerts, hockey (Savannah Ghost Pirates), and events - directly comparable mid-size arena operations.
• Tucson Arena: Municipal multi-purpose arena (~8,500 capacity) in Tucson operated similarly to Grossinger - public-owned, mixed concert/sports/conference programming.
• Denny Sanford Premier Center: Sioux Falls, South Dakota multi-purpose arena (~12,000 capacity) hosting concerts, hockey (Stampede), and events - similar Midwestern mid-market arena profile.
• Vibrant Arena at The MARK: Quad Cities multi-purpose arena (~12,000 capacity) hosting concerts, hockey, and events - directly comparable mid-size Midwest arena competing for similar touring content.
• Peoria Civic Center: Mid-size Illinois arena (~11,000 capacity) hosting concerts, sports, and conventions in Peoria - the closest geographic and capacity peer to Grossinger Motors Arena.

Regional players

• Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum venue / Owensboro Sportscenter: Regional arena/event facility in Kentucky serving a small market comparable to Bloomington's profile for concerts and community events.

Others

• VenuWorks (parent management company): Management company that operates Grossinger and other municipal/publicly-owned arenas across the U.S. - relevant as the operating entity parent and direct comparable operator of similar facilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grossinger-motors-arena

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grossinger Motors Arena