Scott Fadness has told me many times ribbon-cutting ceremonies are not his favorite…he is normally working on 2-3 more projects ahead by the time the ribbon is cut.  Friday morning was the exception.  Mayor Fadness was clearly smiling ear-to-ear as he cut the ribbon opening the new Fishers Event Center.

The mayor told the story of how there were 3 efforts going back to 2011 trying to put together a package that brought this to fruition in 2024.  The city was able to finance this project, along with a new City Hall and a community center now under construction, with no increase in the city’s share of the property tax rate.  The City Council did approve a food & beverage tax to finish the funding for the Event Center.

“To be able to share this with the Fishers Community and really all of central Indiana is a super-exciting day,” Fadness said.  “The building exceeded our expectation – on time, on budget and exceeding our vision for what it could be….so, today’s a great day.”

The Event Center itself is a roughly $200 million investment by the city, but Fadness foresees the private sector development linked to the Center exceeding a total of $1 billion for all the development, including the cost of the Event Center.

Event Center General Manager Mitch List says he is impressed by the sight lines in the seating design, saying there is not a bad seat in the house.

“I’ve been living and breathing this for the last year and a half, so really excited to see the reaction of the attendees as they walk through the door,” said List.

The Fishers Events Center has been in works for more than 10 years.  It is a beautiful facility.  It was worth the wait.

Fishers Event Center, as the venue prepares for its first event, a Turnpike Troubadours concert