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Frequently Asked Questions

We want our guests to be as comfortable as possible when they arrive at Southeast Event Centre. If you have questions about our facility, amenities, and services, you’ll likely find the answer among our Frequently Asked Questions.

How will the Southeast Event Centre be operated?

The City of Steinbach owns the Southeast Event Centre. The Southeast Events Group is a community, not-for-profit organization that runs the operations for the facility.

What makes up the Southeast Events Group and how are they run?

The Southeast Event Group is a volunteer group, non-profit organization whose sole focus is to enrich the lives of those in the southeast through community events, sports, recreation, social and cultural activities.

The Southeast Events Group is governed by a board of 9 directors that represent the membership. To become a member, you need to be a capital donor and pay a $100 membership fee. The responsibility of the membership is to guide operations of the Southeast Event Centre.

How many paid employees will the Southeast Event Centre have, and how many of them are full-time compared to part-time?

We’re looking to have over 120 employees, based upon our projected daily schedules and events.

We will have 20 full-time staff. That would consist of our Senior Management team and other key positions. That would leave approximately 100 part-time staff based on schedules and events.

Who employs the staff? Is it the City of Steinbach or Southeast Events Group?

The Southeast Events Group is responsible for the management of the building. That includes the day-to-day management of the staff.

How big is the Southeast Event Centre’s operating budget and where will that money be coming from?

The operating budget for the Southeast Event Centre is approximately $3.5 million annually, which includes all food services and projected events.

The operating grant from the City of Steinbach of .5 Mills represents about 20% ($700,000) of the total operating budget. The remaining revenue required to cover operations will come from the following:

Ticket Revenue – From our anchor tenant, The Steinbach Pistons, plus the key role they will play in driving revenue in many areas of the facility.
Short Term Rentals – Ice/Gym/Meeting Rooms
Food & Beverage – Concession/Restaurant/Banquets
Advertising & Sponsorship
Special Events – Concerts, Trade Shows etc.

The Southeast Event Centre is a not-for-profit with the goal to balance budgets and use profits towards future capital upgrades.

How does the Southeast Event Centre’s operating budget compare to the old Centennial Arena?

Gross operating costs of the formerly combined Centennial and TG Smith arenas operated by the city for the last full year of operations ending December 31, 2022, were $574,809.

How do these numbers compare to other City of Steinbach facilities such as the Steinbach Aquatic Centre?

For the last full year of operations ending December 31, 2023, the Steinbach Aquatic Center operating costs totaled $2,152,569.

Southeast Events Group is called a non-profit organization. What does that mean for Southeast Event Centre and City of Steinbach? Who covers losses?

This information will be confirmed upon the City and SEG Inc. formally entering into an operating agreement prior to facility opening.

In the Operations agreement between the City of Steinbach and Southeast Events Group a portion of all revenue will be allotted for a reserve fund to ensure that there are no losses based on operating costs.

Are taxes going up as a direct result of the new facility's operating expenses?

Council has not yet approved Steinbach’s municipal property tax rate for 2025, however, the draft budget proposes a tax rate of 14.4 mills, which is unchanged from 2024.

What features and facilities will all be included in the Southeast Event Centre?

Two Ice Surfaces
A Court/Gym/Hall for recreation, sport and social activities
Multiple Meeting rooms
Full Service Industrial Kitchen
A dining experience at our full-time restaurant “Forum & Bistro” with a seasonal Patio
Professional level amenities for fans to watch amateur hockey in the Southeast
State of the Art audio and visual
A multi-faceted spectator bowl that gives us the flexibility to host a wide variety of events
Walking Track
Indoor Play Structure
The ability to host several events at once

Are rental prices for the various spaces set yet, and if so, can you tell us how much it will cost?

Rental prices for the various spaces will be updated on our website very soon; rental prices are in line with current pricing and competitors in Manitoba.

Have bookings begun to take place? If so, what is the level of interest now?

Bookings have begun to take place, yes. The level of interest is VERY high especially from user groups for sports like basketball and volleyball and many are interested in the gym as a banquet hall as well as the meeting rooms for various conference needs.

How will the walking track work? Do people need to pay for using it?

The walking track will be regulated for a minimal annual fee, approximately $20 for 2025, to help us manage and take care of it. Then, the plan is to reevaluate the structure for 2026 and beyond.

What can we expect from the indoor play structure, and will that be something people will need to pay to use?

The indoor play structure will be free for the community to use.

Play Structure

A digital rendering of the play structure being installed in the Southeast Event Centre

What sort of canteen/concessions will be available, and where will funds from these facilities be going?

We have a corporate chef and a team that are working on menus that our community will enjoy. That will include everything from hot dogs, popcorn and fries to a more elevated eating experience for those who so choose. Proceeds from all food services will be used to cover Southeast Event Centre’s operating costs.

There will be a restaurant in the Southeast Event Centre, how will this be operated?

Yes. “Forum and Bistro” will be operated by Southeast Event Centre Staff and through the Vision of Chef JP Charpentier.

What type of restaurant will it be?

“Forum and Bistro” will be a casual French bistro. Chef JP Charpentier’s goal is that you can come eat, enjoy a good time and good food.

Will the SRSS graduation be hosted there instead of the convention center in Winnipeg?

We are in collaboration with the SRSS and are working on future plans to host their graduation events in the facility.

We have heard that the Southeast Event Centre will be able to accommodate up to 4,000 people at once, will 600 parking stalls be enough?

The Southeast Event Centre will have 500+ parking spaces on site, and we are in collaboration with other parking lots that are adjacent to our facility, providing over 1,000 parking spaces within a short walk. We do understand that for larger 4,000+ events, we will need to creatively communicate and create a plan to collaborate with other parking lots around the City of Steinbach. We will need to be creative on how to best accommodate parking for our larger events. One concept is creating shuttle services to and from larger parking lots throughout our community.

The event centre project was designed to accommodate the expected user capacity at the facility. The parking capacity complies with the City’s Zoning By-Law.

How does this parking stall to capacity ratio compare to the T.G. Smith Centre in its previous configuration?

The old centre had 50+ parking spots on site and now we were able to create 10 times more on site.