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AXOM <br />Iowa Events Center, Feasibility and Economic /Fiscal Impacts <br />Analyses - Des Moines, Iowa <br />More than ten years ago, AECOM conducted an extensive evaluation of public assembly <br />venues in Des Moines to determine if existing facilities were adequately serving the <br />market for events such as sporting events, conventions, and meetings <br />AECOM determined that new public assembly venues were needed to effectively serve <br />current and future markets. We forecasted the events, attendance, operating costs and <br />revenues for the proposed facilities over a 20 -year period. An economic impact <br />assessment considered the impact of the project to Des Moines and the State. The project <br />concept included public and private financing strategies for a $200- million development <br />program. <br />AECOM was later engaged multiple times, to review three revised arena and convention <br />center options. AECOM updated market information to arrive at demand implications and <br />economic impact estimates for each revised development option. Based in part on this <br />document, local officials decided to build new arena and exhibition hall components, and <br />renovate Veterans Memorial Ball, with state support for a portion of the development cost. <br />The resulting Iowa Events Center includes the 17,000 -seat Wells Fargo Arena, the <br />200,000- square foot Hy -Vee Hall, and the renovated Veterans Memorial Auditorium (with <br />approximately 100,000 square feet and 7,200 seats). More recently, we have assisted in <br />recommending future expansion plans related to adding more event space at the IEC (as <br />our original development recommendations were not fully built). <br />