SOEC expects to meet budget

It has been a source of controversy in Penticton ever since it opened two years ago, but the company that runs the South Okanagan Events Centre is now reporting some positive numbers from this year’s budget.

Managing company Global Spectrum says after a few missteps in its first few years, it is guaranteeing the city will meet its $1.77 million operating budget this year.

Manager Dean Clarke says the company’s Penticton facilities, which include the trade and convention centres, have contributed more than $35 million to the city’s economy.

There have been more than 100 events at the centre this year, including Wednesday’s concert for country superstar Carrie Underwood and a Canucks training camp.

Clarke says the centre’s niche appears to be in sports tourism and country music, and officials hope to bring in more of those kinds of events.