TCU Place expansion
In 2004, there was a lot of discussion about expanding Centennial Auditorium. In fact, in the previous few years the citizens of Saskatoon had been wrestling with whether a casino should be built downtown. After a plebiscite stopped any downtown Casino plans, Centennial Auditorium went ahead with plans to expand its convention facilities.
The expansion created over 104,000 square feet of convention space with 21 rooms, plus the Sid Buckwold Theatre which seats 2,003. TCU Place can host up to 1,500 conference delegates. The 19-foot ceilings, natural light and state of the art sound system continue to attract organizations in the city for meetings and conference planners from all over the world.
Over the years TCU Place has attracted many national and international conventions – including The International One Health Congress – organized by the University of Saskatchewan and One Health Platform – to take place this June. The One Health Congress will attract graduate students and delegates from across the globe.
“It’s been a very, very successful addition, not only to the city of Saskatoon, but also the downtown core. It has certainly enhanced not only bringing a number of national and international conventions to Saskatoon, but also improved tourism,” says TCU Place CEO Bob Korol.
TCU Financial was approached about purchasing the naming rights. And there were several factors to consider for the financial services company. They had been a minor participant in purchasing the naming rights to what was then known as Credit Union Centre on the City’s north end, but the organization didn’t feel it had raised their profile at all.
As well, the year before, Teacher’s Credit Union had changed their name to TCU Financial Group, and purchasing the naming rights to the newly expanding Centennial Auditorium would raise the profile of their newly incorporated name.
Finally, purchasing the naming rights was an opportunity for TCU Financial Group to say thank you to Saskatoon. “It was a way to give back to the community that made us successful,” notes Morris Smysnuik, TCU Financial Group CEO at the time. Smysnuik is now chair of the TCU Place board of directors.
TCU Financial Group paid $1.1 million for the naming rights for 10 years. They signed on for another term in 2016.
“We continue to offer what we feel is a complete package in terms of our banqueting, catering and meeting room needs,” says Korol. He notes that they’re able to meet the technical needs of so many of their clients because of the tireless innovation by their technical manager Richard Heineke. “He’s very passionate and he’s been with us for a long, long, time.”
So what does the future hold for TCU Place as they celebrate 50 years of serving Saskatoon?
Korol notes Sid Buckwold Theatre is aging and there are challenges with the convention centre expansion. Although square footage is not an issue, the configuration is not always ideal to accommodate convention planners.
“It’s a shame because it’s 10 years of age, but in that world (of conference planning), that’s how rapidly it changes,” notes Korol.
Also, while the kitchen was built in the basement of the original construction, the 2006 convention centre addition is on the opposite side of the building two levels up. It makes the logistics of delivering food for an 800-person banquet, for example, rather challenging.
Smysnuik says now is the time to look back and celebrate the successes of TCU Place, not just economically, but culturally as well. He adds, “I think we also look at this as a stepping stone to the next 50 years. We need to be a visionary and look forward and see what that’s going to look like.”