The past six years have been a bit of a roller coaster ride for entertainment venues.
When COVID-19 hit, officials declared public health emergencies and banned mass gatherings, forcing venues that hosted concerts and sporting events to shutter.
And when the pandemic was in the rearview mirror, the demand for concerts and sporting events rebounded.
At least that was the experience at the Santander Arena and Performing Arts Center, Berks County Convention Center Authority member Michele Richards said during a county commissioners meeting Thursday.
But ticket sales may be starting to return to normal.
Richards said attendance continues to be strong but has slowed a bit from the years immediately following the pandemic.
She reported that in 2023 the two venues hosted 177 events that drew 363,000 attendees. That was down from the previous year when the venues hosted 386 events that drew 446,360 attendees, generating a record net income of more than $2 million.
“These venues continue to serve as a significant economic engine and major anchor for entertainment in the county,” Richards told the commissioners. “Coming off a year of record-breaking attendance and events — from what I think was a pent-up demand following the pandemic — 2025 continued to be strong.”
And while the authority still expects to turn a profit this season, she said it will certainly not reach the level that they saw in previous years or what they had budgeted.
The authority oversees operations of the arena and center as a joint entity of Berks County and Reading. It is primarily funded through a share of the county hotel tax and a portion of profits generated by the venues.
Richards said she attributes the drop in revenue to a decrease in the number of Latino acts booking shows at the venues and lower than expected ticket sales for Reading Royals games.
Despite those setbacks, she said the venues continue to generate revenue for the city and other partners.
In 2025, the city collected $873,000 in amusement tax from ticket sales and the Reading Parking Authority earned nearly $727,000 from event parking. The convention center authority purchased more than $4 million in goods and services from local businesses that year, she noted.
She said that while those numbers are down from previous years, it’s important to keep in mind how much the venues have grown over the last decade.
In 2015, the attendance hovered around 277,000. And when it came to revenue for the community the amusement tax was just $223,000 from ticket sales, the parking authority only collected $350,000 and local purchasing was about $1.5 million.
Michael Gombar, authority chairman, said that growth demonstrates the success these venues have had as they prepare to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
“This is a proud moment to be here knowing that the arena has been a success for the last 25 years and we look forward to another successful 25 years,” he told the commissioners.
Part of that success will depend on continued investments, authority member Michael Ehlerman said.
Ehlerman noted that the authority invested about $19 million in the two venues over the past five years. These improvements included new seating with cup holders, modern scanners to speed security lines, replacement of the digital marquee at the arena on Penn Street, and new carpeting and stage flooring at the performing arts center on North Sixth Street.
In the years to come, he said the performing arts center will need to undergo upgrades to its seating and the authority has discussed the possibility of adding a lounge in the lower level of the arena.