By KEN CARPENTER
Great Bend Post
The Great Bend Chamber of Commerce rolled out the red ribbon Thursday morning to celebrate the remodeling of the Great Bend Events Center on west 10th Street. Christina Hayes, community coordinator and Director of Great Bend's Convention and Visitors Bureau, cut the ribbon during the Chamber's weekly coffee hour.
She told the crowd that had gathered for the occasion why the Events Center is important to Great Bend.
"We want to be the premier location for weddings and conventions and options in Great Bend," Hayes said. "We're not trying to compete with the other places in town. We always encourage it and will promote other events that happen in other buildings. We just, as a city, wanted to have a nice space where people could meet and have events indoors."
Hayes pointed out that the Events Center is funded by the city's transient guest tax as well as by revenue from events held in the building.
Much of the renovation took place in the office space in the rear portion of the building. One of those rooms is currently used twice a month for Great Bend City Council meetings. That area also houses Hayes' office and offices for Great Bend Econonomic Development, Inc. Rooms can also be used as meeting rooms for conventions held in the building.