HIGHLIGHTED EVENTS
| Date | Event Name | Place |
|---|---|---|
| FEB 23 | Junior Achievement Kentuckiana Business Hall of Fame Awards Banquet | KICC |
| FEB 24-25 | Professional Bull Riders Louisville Invitational | KEC |
| FEB 24-26 | 20th Annual Show of Shows Antique Military Show | KEC |
| FEB 24-26 | Central Liquidators Liquidation Sale | KICC |
| FEB 24-26 | Carl Casper Custom Auto Show & Louisville New Car Show | KEC |
| FEB 25 | University of Louisville Women's Basketball | YUM |
| FEB 25-26 | National Gun Day Great Eastern Gun Show and JAG Military Show | KEC |
| FEB 26 | University of Louisville Men's Basketball | YUM |
| FEB 26 | Louisville National College Fair | KICC |
| FEB 26 | Rose-Hulman Reception | KICC |
| FEB 29 | University of Louisville Men's Basketball | YUM |
UPDATE FROM THE CEO: on the future of freedom hall
It's no secret that a major goal in 2012 of the Kentucky State Fair Board is to revitalize Freedom Hall, one of the cornerstones of the Kentucky Exposition Center. The former home to University of Louisville basketball was once an economic powerhouse in the city of Louisville hosting all major concerts and sporting events booked into the city. Yet with the addition of our sister facility, the KFC Yum! Center, and other venues around the region, the future and economic viability of the iconic arena are continually being thoughtfully planned and discussed.
The Kentucky Exposition Center, home of Freedom Hall, is the fifth largest convention and meeting facility in the United States with several long-term conventions and trade shows using all or the majority of its 1.2 million square feet. In 2011 alone, the facility hosted 16 of the area’s 20 largest conventions using Freedom Hall as a selling point, resulting in more than $111 million in economic impact. Many of these large events require exhibit space under one roof and the seating capacity of Freedom Hall to host keynote speeches, concerts and preferred sponsor areas.
Though the University of Louisville was a major tenant of Freedom Hall, the vacancy allowed our sales staff to book Freedom Hall for other events normally held during basketball season. Certainly the first year without basketball had an effect on our revenue stream. Yet the future prospects of Freedom Hall are bright. In 2011, Freedom Hall was booked for 136 days. Already in 2012, our sales staff has booked 145 definite days of events, a seven percent increase in occupancy.
We have identified several needs and markets that we can now use to fill Freedom Hall during the basketball time period. Certainly it will be difficult to replace the consistency in dates provided by Louisville basketball; however it presents an opportunity to bring other shows and events to Freedom Hall.
HAROLD WORKMAN
President and CEO,
Kentucky State Fair Board
Social Media Links
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Kentucky Exposition Center: Facebook | Twitter
Kentucky State Fair: Facebook | Twitter
National Farm Machinery Show: Facebook | Twitter