(This story has been updated to clarify the lease agreement.)
CANTON ‒ ASM Global will take over the management of Centennial Plaza, with the hopes of bringing more entertainment, more visitors and even ticketed events to the city-owned venue in the heart of downtown.
City Council on May 12 unanimously agreed to transfer management of the outdoor site from the Pro Football Hall of Fame to ASM Global, which also oversees the Canton Memorial Civic Center.
“We really want to take it to the next level,” Mayor William V. Sherer II said, adding that discussions about changing management began shortly after he was sworn in as mayor early in 2024.
The city and the Hall of Fame mutually agreed on the changes, which will take effect immediately, he said.
The mayor said he expects the Hall of Fame will still take part in events at Centennial Plaza, which opened in 2021 and features 80-foot stainless steel arches and a giant video screen. The venue hosts events such as the Pickle Fest, African American Arts & Cultural Festival, Summer Fun Fest, First Friday and the Summer Movie Series.
Sherer praised Blake Schilling, who runs the Civic Center, for significantly cutting the losses from the Civic Center from about $1 million a year to a couple hundred thousand dollars a year. The mayor said he doesn’t see any reason Centennial Plaza can’t have three or four ticketed events a year — like a multi-day blues music fest or even the Hall of Fame’s Ribs Burnoff.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame had leased space on the plaza for 10 years and then subleased space to the Jerzee’s restaurant, which will continue to operate at Centennial Plaza under a revised agreement.
“Centennial Plaza is a jewel in the center of the city, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame is proud of the role it served in helping bring this unique gathering space to fruition,” said Jim Porter, president and CEO of the Hall. “We look forward to celebrating with the community as Centennial Plaza continues to attract people to downtown Canton.”
The city’s public service director, John Highman, briefed members of council on the changes in a memo. Technically, the city administration will transfer its maintenance, operations, programming and marketing agreement from the Hall of Fame to ASM Global.
Highman wrote that the city will not pay ASM Global any additional management fee to manage the plaza. But the company would get 10% of all marketing revenue for Centennial Plaza.
The city also will spend an additional $162,702 a year to cover pay for ASM Global employees who operate the plaza. The company expects to add three employees to manage the plaza in addition to the Civic Center. The city also will spend another $100,000 a year to attract entertainment like bands to perform at the plaza. The city expects it will recoup much of this cost from revenue from ticketed events.
“If you want the good bands to come down, you have to pay them, right?” Sherer said.
Highman noted that ASM Global is the largest venue operator in the world and has experience recruiting entertainment talent. With ASM Global operating both the plaza and the Civic Center, the Civic Center more easily serves an indoor backup venue for events at the plaza if it rains.
Highman wrote that the Hall of Fame typically could assign only one to two of its staff to manage the plaza. But ASM Global employees who are already managing the Civic Center have the additional time to manage the plaza. The Pro Football Hall of Fame employees who managed the plaza will assist during a six-month transition period.
Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: ‘Take it to the next level.’ Canton looks to boost entertainment at Centennial Plaza
Reporting by Robert Wang, Canton Repository / The Repository
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