London, Ont., city council’s corporate services committee will be reviewing a proposal Tuesday on expanding and renovating Budweiser Gardens.
The proposal outlines upgrades such as expanding several areas including the Club Lounge and multipurpose event space, renovating the London Knights locker room and upgrading private suites and food and beverage concessions.
Brian Ohl, the general manager of Budweiser Gardens, said a change is needed.
“It’s time the building gets some renovations, and we’re also proposing an expansion for the back of the building (to give more space) for the artists and players,” he said.
Ohl said talks have been ongoing with the City for some time now, and “we’re happy that city staff is finally bringing it to committee and hopefully it’ll go to council.”
“We’ve heard time and time again the building’s great, the community’s great, but we need more space,” Ohl said. “It’s kind of funny. Twenty years ago, what a show would travel with has grown by probably 20, 30 per cent.”
Cheryl Finn, the general manager of Tourism London, said the upgrades and renovations will benefit London’s local economy, especially post-COVID.
“The dollars that are invested … it’s an incredible return on the investment,” she said. “(Upgrades) really allows us to garner and host large events such as the (Tim Hortons) Brier. It keeps us in that competitive space.”
She said with other venues in nearby cities getting renovated, it’s especially important for Budweiser Gardens to receive the same treatment.
“It was competitive pre-pandemic, multiply that by a hundred post-pandemic,” she said. “To be able to stay competitive, (renovations) are significant.”
In addition, Finn said upgrades will lead to more jobs, experiences for tourists, and will drive more traffic to the core and to the service industry.
The corporate services committee will meet Tuesday at 12 p.m.
Budweiser Gardens turns 21 years old this October.
— with files from 980 CFPL’s Devon Peacock and Mike Stubbs