Iowa State University Memorial Union

What Iowa State University Memorial Union does

The Iowa State University Memorial Union is a student union facility located at 2229 Lincoln Way in Ames, Iowa, serving as the central campus gathering space — the "living room of campus" — for Iowa State University of Science and Technology, a public university governed by the Iowa Board of Regents. Opened in 1928 and expanded 11 times through 2008, the six-floor building houses event venues (Durham Great Hall seating 500, South Ballroom seating 270, Sun Room, Oak Room, Campanile Room), an attached parking ramp, food court and dining, the University Book Store, recreational facilities (CyBowl & Billiards, The Workspace arts studio, Maintenance Shop entertainment venue), MU Art Gallery, and the Gold Star Hall memorial honoring 595+ Iowa Staters lost in military service.

The facility generates revenue through four primary streams: event space rentals (with tiered pricing for student organizations, ISU departments, and public customers at rates effective July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027), parking services (daily fees $1.75-$20, annual permits $259-$721), advertising and marketing services (13 digital displays, marquee, Get Involved Booklet, flyer distribution), and A/V equipment and services packages ($0-$500 per event including hybrid meeting support for Zoom, Teams, Webex, Google Meet, and Panopto recording). ISU Catering holds an exclusive contract for all food and beverage service within the building.

Operations are managed by approximately 59 staff across Event Management, Student Engagement, Custodial Services, Marketing and Graphics, Technology, Maintenance Services, Arts and The Workspace, CyBowl & Billiards, and Administration functions. The go-to-market model is direct-to-consumer serving ISU students, faculty/staff, student organizations, and the public through walk-in services, advance reservations via a 24/7 online booking system, and marketing through social media (Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube), MU2You email newsletter, digital displays, and the annual Get Involved Booklet. The Memorial Union reports no standalone financial figures as it operates as a department within the public university structure.

Name

Iowa State University Memorial Union

Legal name

Iowa State University of Science and Technology

Website

https://mu.iastate.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1928

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Iowa State University Memorial Union is a 95+ year-old student union facility in Ames, Iowa, serving the ISU campus community through event venue rentals, parking services, recreational facilities, student engagement programs, advertising, and A/V services, operating as a department within the public university.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Union and Campus Event Services

NAICS

Bowling Centers (71395), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

University & Academic Conference Venues (THAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Student union services
• Event venue rentals
• Campus recreation facilities
• Student engagement programs
• Campus parking services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ames

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Event Space Rentals: Revenue generated from renting ballrooms, meeting rooms, and outdoor spaces to ISU departments, student organizations, and the public. Pricing varies by organization type (student org, department, public) and space size.
2. Parking Services: Daily parking fees and annual/semester parking permits for the MU parking ramp. Daily rates range from $1.75 to $20 depending on duration. Annual permits range from $259 to $721 depending on validity period.
3. Advertising and Marketing Services: Revenue from advertising space including digital displays, banners, table tents, marquee, flyer distribution, and the Get Involved Booklet. Prices vary by format and customer type (student org vs. business).
4. A/V Equipment and Services: Fees for audio-visual equipment rental including sound systems, displays, cameras, lighting packages, and staffing for events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Iowa State University Memorial Union is a campus student union facility that provides event space rentals, recreational amenities (CyBowl bowling and The Workspace), parking services, audio/visual production services, an art gallery, catering coordination, and student engagement programs. It serves Iowa State University students, university departments and registered student organizations, and the broader Ames/Iowa public for event bookings and recreational use.

Product overview

Iowa State University Memorial Union is a comprehensive student union facility offering a unified portfolio of campus services centered around event venue rental, student engagement, and recreational activities. The core offering is Event Space Rental, encompassing customizable ballrooms (Durham Great Hall, South Ballroom, Sun Room), meeting rooms, and outdoor spaces equipped with A/V capabilities. Supporting services include Student Engagement Programs, recreational facilities (CyBowl & Billiards, The Workspace arts studio, Maintenance Shop entertainment venue), the MU Art Gallery, and Gold Star Hall memorial. Additional offerings encompass Parking Services, Wedding Planning Services, Marketing and Graphics Services, and food services via ISU Catering partnership. The Memorial Union serves as the 'living room of campus' providing both facilities and programming for the university community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Event Space Rentals Reservation and rental of indoor event spaces within the Memorial Union for meetings, conferences, banquets, weddings, and student organization events, with tiered pricing for student orgs, ISU departments, and the public.
• Parking Services Hourly and daily parking in Memorial Union-operated campus parking facilities, available to students, university visitors, and the general public.
• Audio/Visual Production Services Professional A/V equipment and technical support for events hosted in Memorial Union spaces, including sound, lighting, and projection services.
• CyBowl and Bowling Recreation Bowling and recreational entertainment outlet located within the Memorial Union, serving students and the public.
• The Workspace Student-oriented workspace and engagement area within the Memorial Union supporting study, collaboration, and student programming.
• Art Gallery On-campus art gallery space within the Memorial Union displaying rotating exhibitions for the university community and visitors.
• Catering Coordination Coordination of food and beverage services for events hosted in Memorial Union spaces, connecting event hosts with approved caterers.
• Student Engagement Programs Programs and services that support student life, leadership development, and co-curricular engagement at Iowa State University through the Memorial Union.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of first and second year students who attended 1 or more events at the MU were retained to the next year

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ISU CateringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISU Catering has an exclusive contract to provide all catering services within the Memorial Union for public and departmentally sponsored events. This exclusive arrangement ensures quality control and revenue sharing for food service operations. Student organizations may use approved outside food vendors for internal recurring meetings only under specific conditions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves19 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• University of Iowa Iowa Memorial Union: The University of Iowa's student union in Iowa City, also named a Memorial Union, operates ballrooms, meeting rooms, dining, retail, and student programs as the campus hub, making it the closest analog to Iowa State's MU in both mission and scope.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison Memorial Union: Wisconsin's Memorial Union combines event venues, dining, retail, a theater, and student organizations in a historic lakeside building, closely mirroring Iowa State's MU on programming, scale, and heritage positioning.
• Kansas State University Student Union: K-State Student Union is a Big 12 peer that provides event spaces, dining, bookstore, bowling/recreation, and student organization support, making it a near-direct comparable in conference footprint and customer mix.
• Purdue University Memorial Union: Purdue's Memorial Union is a Big Ten peer with similar memorial/heritage branding, ballrooms, hotel-style rooms, dining, and student engagement programs, providing a directly comparable operating model.
• University of Michigan Michigan Union: Michigan Union is a large public-university student union with ballrooms, meeting rooms, dining, and student services; it serves a similar function for a flagship public university and operates at a comparable venue scale.
• University of Minnesota Coffman Memorial Union: Coffman Memorial Union at the University of Minnesota is a large Big Ten student union with comparable ballroom, meeting, dining, and student engagement offerings and a similar memorial-building heritage.
• ISU Catering: ISU Catering holds the exclusive in-building catering contract for the Memorial Union and shares revenue and customer outcomes with the MU on virtually every department- and public-hosted event.

Emerging players

• Bowlero: Bowlero is a national bowling and entertainment center operator; while commercial rather than campus-based, its bowling, billiards, and event programming overlap with the MU's CyBowl & Billiards offering.

Broad incumbents

• ISU Dining: Iowa State's campus dining program operates food service within and around the Memorial Union and complements the MU's event-hosting role, making it an adjacent operating peer within the same parent institution.

Others

• Greater Des Moines Convention & Visitors Bureau: Iowa's regional convention and visitors bureau promotes central Iowa venues for conferences and events, providing a comparable marketing/distribution channel for event-hosting demand that competes for the same external bookers as the MU.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/my_isu_mu
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCu0BgKYoVnuevd2jKJaiebA
• Facebookfacebook.com/My.ISU.MU
• Instagraminstagram.com/my_isu_mu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iowa-state-university-memorial-union

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Iowa State University Memorial Union