Multi-functional events centre (Budget 2014)

D'Agger

Sounds Dreamy wrote: »

The GAA business plan mentions festivals. The expectation is that they be held on the site of the planned centre of excellence. Aiken and GAA have already worked together in the past and this relationship is expected to continue even after the Bruce Springsteen fiasco.

Issue now is will the Marquee threaten the viability of the planned City based events centre and if Live Nation gets wind of this will they run a mile. They're already on tender hooks.

Something like Longitude i.e. a daytime festival could be done there but even then that doesn't seem to have an effect on the 3 arena in Dublin, admittedly populations are different between the cities but their business models are different.

There's festivals throughout the country - if the event centre i.e. Livenation can get quality acts into an arena that can stage them, then there will be demand. I don't see the GAA posing prolonged competition to an events centre - any gigs will be summer gigs & even if the GAA secured large acts during the summer months, a convention centre will still pull in business - particularly from the technology side of things. A quick look at the 3 arena web page shows a variety of acts - from magic to comedy, mrs. Browns boys panto style stuff - I don't think the Pairc Ui Chaoimh poses enough of a threat to scupper this.

Rhys Essien

Simon Coveney said he hopes that this starts next month.

CHealy

Rhys Essien wrote: »

Simon Coveney said he hopes that this starts next month.

Making sure to make all the promises before the election.

clerk

Rhys Essien wrote: »

Simon Coveney said he hopes that this starts next month.

You'd swear there was an election coming up or something !!?

cgcsb

Given that an election is not likely before February/March, he'd be a bit pre-mature to say he hopes it'll start next month (October). If the election has anything to do with this.

clerk

cgcsb wrote: »

Given that an election is not likely before February/March, he'd be a bit pre-mature to say he hope's it'll start next month (October). If the election has anything to do with this.

Wouldn't agree with you there. They will spend more time in their local area for the next 5/6 Months and he needs to be telling people all the good things that are going to happen until he's re-elected.

We had the councilors down by us making promises last Year, before their election, about things they were going to do in the locality and it all sounded lovely. Election came and went and the promises were exactly that 'promises', nothing was done.

The older I get the more the old phrase "talk is cheap" means to me.

They're all the same.

We can come back to this issue next Month, October, and I'd bet there's no change. It's ground to a big fat stop.

KCAccidental

cgcsb wrote: »

Given that an election is not likely before February/March, he'd be a bit pre-mature to say he hopes it'll start next month (October). If the election has anything to do with this.

election will be earlier than that I'd say.

AugustusMinimus

Prediction: this will simply never happen. Expect a similar project to be built in a few years in Limerick which will be supported from all sides and will be a major success.

the beer revolu

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

Prediction: this will simply never happen. Expect a similar project to be built in a few years in Limerick which will be supported from all sides and will be a major success.

Maybe that's because Limerick people aren't filled with bitter negativity!

Cork optimism, boy!

CHealy

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/simon-coveney-warning-on-cork-events-centre-project-352375.html


Article on this in the paper. Not looking good at all no matter what Coveney says. I'm 90% sure this won't be happening now. Its a pity.

D'Agger

Because we haven’t seen a sod being turned on this site people are saying maybe it’s not going to happen. It is going to happen. I’ve been very involved in this project personally.

“We’ve worked hard to make sure the government is making a serious contribution to ensure that this happens. There have been a lot of false dawns in Cork in relation to new events centres over the last 20 years. This isn’t a false dawn. It is going to happen

This may well fall through, if it does then no doubt we'll see Coveney state that the Govt. was committed to the plan from start to finish but what he's said above is fairly strong talk. He's stating it's not a false dawn, it will get done & sounds like he's trying to put pressure on BAM & LiveNation to get things going.

CHealy

I wonder if this did fall through would O'Callaghan reapply for the Albert Quay site? Didn't he say he have operators on board and everything? Whatever happens its clear the South/ South-West needs a proper event centre to create the balance between Belfast - Dublin, it needs to be in Cork in my eyes but as someone said, don't be suprised to see it in Limerick in 6 years.

mire

If this doesn't happen (and I suspect it will happen, because the state subsidy is so generous), it is because it cannot stack up financially. If it doesn't stack up financially in Cork, it certainly will not stack up in Limerick.

flo8s967qjh0nd

I'm one of these people who in the words of one government minister is not 'well informed' on this issue but I have to say I'm getting a little nervous about it all. I don't doubt the government commitment to this - they need this to work more than anybody else but the mood music is not great.
Fingers crossed it will all work out, even if I was never happy with the location chosen.

KCAccidental

I have been hearing from council sources since January that this probably wont happen, which is a shame. I preferred this project because of the wider regeneration of South Main Street/Washington Street as the city's entertainment quarter.

cgcsb

I just hope nobody's made off with the money

Rhys Essien

Latest update.

http://www.eveningecho.ie/cork-news/good-news-on-events-centre-city-boss-confident-of-2015-start/710860/

AugustusMinimus

Rhys Essien wrote: »

Latest update.

http://www.eveningecho.ie/cork-news/good-news-on-events-centre-city-boss-confident-of-2015-start/710860/

I simply don't believe it.

It'll be good in a few years when we'll be able to see concerts in Limerick though.

D'Agger

I can understand pessimism to a certain extent, given the size of this project, it's magnitude to Cork City & its people. I desperately want to see this come to fruition, like everybody else on this thread. However, we're hearing from the Government & the Cork city council that things are still moving in the right direction & they hope to start by year end - how can you take that and derive that this won't be going ahead & Limerick will have gigs in a few years?

Don't get me wrong, I have reservations about this going ahead, and they would be fed & growing were I hearing that this mightn't start until 'late 2016' or if I was hearing of stalemates in negotiations. Yet publically, we're being told this is still looking positive and we're simply refusing to believe it.

Have reservervations by all means lads, but can this shít of 'Nah, nah won't happen, Limerick will get it' is a bit over the top for me on a Friday morning. Unless there's clear indications that this project is in trouble, can we simply assume it's going ahead in the interim?

CHealy

I agree with your point D'Agger but I think alot of it is preparing myself for the inevitable disaster. It would be absolutely huge for the city to have a place where major acts and events can be played, it will no longer be "see such and such in Belfast and Dublin", they'd be able to add Cork into that mix, but its going on so long now at this stage I won't believe its done until I'm physically standing in there with a pint of flat Heiniken in a plastic glass in my hand.

D'Agger

CHealy wrote: »

I agree with your point D'Agger but I think alot of it is preparing myself for the inevitable disaster. It would be absolutely huge for the city to have a place where major acts and events can be played, it will no longer be "see such and such in Belfast and Dublin", they'd be able to add Cork into that mix, but its going on so long now at this stage I won't believe its done until I'm physically standing in there with a pint of flat Heiniken in a plastic glass in my hand.

Same, until I see a spade being put in the ground, I have reservations that it will fall apart at the seams, and if that happens I'll be furious & miserable - no point getting to that stage early though, I think there's still plenty to be positive about with this project. Fingers and toes crossed it gets going soon

the beer revolu

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

I simply don't believe it.

It'll be good in a few years when we'll be able to see concerts in Limerick though.

Oh please just shut up.
Please.

Mod: Cop on. You're long enough on this forum to understand how it works.

Meursault

I would take anything the Evening Echo says with a pinch of salt, to be honest. Hopefully it will proceed, after so many false dawns. I will be so p*ssed off if it doesnt

There is a lot at stake here. The arena has the potential to drive tourism, especially indigenous tourism. It will also have a great knock on affect on restaurants, pubs, hotels etc. It really cannot be underestimated

As far as I am concerned, both the events centre and the status of cork airport are the two biggest issues that should be on the minds of our elected politicians and I will definitely be questioning the likes of Coveney and Martin on what they are doing to ensure both are supported across the political divide. There is no question in the world that if this was down in Kerry for example, you'd have the likes of the Healy-Raes fighting tooth and nail for both. we should expect no less from both our city and county representatives in Dail Eireann

flo8s967qjh0nd

Meursault wrote: »

As far as I am concerned, both the events centre and the status of cork airport are the two biggest issues that should be on the minds of our elected politicians and I will definitely be questioning the likes of Coveney and Martin on what they are doing to ensure both are supported across the political divide. There is no question in the world that if this was down in Kerry for example, you'd have the likes of the Healy-Raes fighting tooth and nail for both. we should expect no less from both our city and county representatives in Dail Eireann

As I said earlier, I don't think there is any lack of political will to make this happen. The likes of Coveney will be praying this happens in advance of an election. Besides, we did well to get €20 million set aside from central and local government.
I really think it's now down to a business decision which could go either way. Heineken, for example, will have a lot of egg on face if it all goes pear-shaped.

Anyway, I 'm inclined to agree with an earlier post. Maybe we all need to be more optimistic (me included!).

kub

My fear is, once they break ground in there, the archaeologists will be all over the place, that site has huge chunks of the original city wall under the surface.

Now these guys are not known to work fast, it will therefore be costly and time consuming.

If it gets beyond that then happy days, I just have a horrible feeling they will use the old city wall as an excuse not to build the place.

KCAccidental

Rhys Essien wrote: »

Latest update.

http://www.eveningecho.ie/cork-news/good-news-on-events-centre-city-boss-confident-of-2015-start/710860/

She said a “very productive” meeting took place last week between the developers Bam Construction and the concert venue operators Live Nation.

“Our ambition is that we would break ground on the project before the end of the year and I am confident that will happen,” Ms Doherty told the Evening Echo.

this quote from the Echo article should raise a massive red flag. Nothing concrete has been agreed and Live Nation don't seem to be too enthused by the project!

opus

Mentioned in the IT today saying the same thing as the Echo.

Work on new Cork Events Centre to begin before end of year

€50m project on brewery site is expected to provide 400 jobs over five years

Sounds Dreamy

At 6000 capacity is it big enough to attract larger acts. Considering both Belfast and Dublin arenas have a capacity above 10,000, U2 playing both those arenas in November.

cgcsb

I don't think U2 could fill a 10,000 capacity venue, unless they send free tickets to everyone through iTunes.

killydocs

cgcsb wrote: »

I don't think U2 could fill a 10,000 capacity venue, unless they send free tickets to everyone through iTunes.

According to the Irish Times today...
Tickets for U2’s recently-announced shows in Dublin and Belfast in November have sold out.
Tickets to the band’s six final shows of their iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour went on sale at 9am on Monday.