Imagined Corruption Taints Event Success

My mom treated the kids and me to The Greatest Show on Earth at the Chevy Centre today. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey packed 'em in for five shows this weekend, and it's the kind of show that brings in the whole area. So, you'd think this was a real win, no downside, just a great opportunity to bring the region to downtown Youngstown for family entertainment and send them away satisfied.

We were certainly satisfied; the circus put on a great show, and we were walking back to the free parking garage (what other city offers that?) across from the post office when I overheard a woman near me:

"They say they're losing millions on the Chevy Centre. Bullshit, did you see all the people?"

So, there it is: The Chevy Centre under new management and working to bring in a profitable roster of acts--and by all appearances successfully. But in the minds of this ignoramus, that success puts into doubt the reality of the facility's past struggles. They just assume, well it's Youngstown so they're probably lying and funneling the money somewhere.

What it really means is that the general public has no inkling of the financial realities of running a convention center or, certainly, a circus. What I'd like to do is get in contact with the current Chevy Centre management and, to the extent they're willing and able, publish on my Vindy.com blog the numbers on this weekend to show how expensive it is to bring in an act like that. Let me know if you can offer any help with contact info.