A sneak peek inside the Southeast Event Centre

The President of the Southeast Events Group is optimistic that within seven months construction of Steinbach's new Southeast Event Centre will be complete. Grant Lazaruk made that comment this week after his board had the opportunity to tour the facility. 

In January of 2023, crews officially broke ground on the project. The two-level facility will cover a footprint of 94,000 square feet. 

Lazaruk says construction is progressing well.

"Our winter was really good," he says. "We got a little behind before winter, but winter was better than what we expected."

Lazaruk notes originally, they were hoping for the project to be completed in September of this year. He says they now realize they were "super aggressive" with that goal. Because they want everything to be completed when they move in, Lazaruk says they are now targeting December.

"We're projecting December 6th as the date to move in, and hopefully start functioning January 1st," he says.

The site these days is a beehive of activity with crews working in every corner of the facility. For those who have not driven by the site recently, Lazaruk says the steel structure is up and the bowl area is complete. Lazaruk adds the tin on the roof has been constructed and crews right now are working on some of the soundproofing details.

One of the more noticeable projects taking place right now is the construction of the atrium. 

"You are going to start to see some beautiful timbers for that atrium area," says Lazaruk. "When you walk into this facility you are going to see a special area for the community to gather."

He notes it is from the atrium that visitors will be able to pick up their tickets or be directed to the multi-purpose area or upstairs to the bowl. The atrium is also where you can pick up food, either from concessions or the restaurant opening there. Lazaruk notes from the atrium you can also take a hallway to either the curling club or theatre. 

According to Lazaruk, the Southeast Event Centre will have the capacity for nearly 2,600 fans for hockey games, including their wheelchair-accessible and standing areas. He notes with future expansion they will have the capability to grow that to 3,000 fans.

As for show seating, Lazaruk says a concert with an end-stage will be able to hold a little over 3,000 people, while a concert with a centre-stage will be able to accommodate just over 4,000 people.