When the Convocation Center opened in August 2002, the $36 million, multipurpose facility raised as many questions as it did excitement.

Would entertainment acts be willing to venture to DeKalb when Rockford and Chicago are both less than 80 miles away? Could NIU convince students and alumni that the expenditure was worth it?

The answer to both questions now is apparent – yes.

What better way to prove 10,000 seats aren’t too many than by having acts like Brooks & Dunn or Dave Chappelle sell out the arena? How else could people like Convo Center Director John Gordon and marketing manager Kevin Selover convince the DeKalb population of the necessity for the venue than by booking a wide variety of acts – from Ludacris to performances of “Grease.”

What the Convo Center does well, and what the Northern Star applauds its staff for doing, is sticking with what works. Often times large arenas attempt to tell audiences what they should want to see – instead of providing acts audiences actually want to see. By ditching the “we know best” attitude of most larger venues, the Convo Center has become the state’s premiere mid-size arena west of Chicago.

When Bill Cosby was a success as the first comedian to grace the center’s stage, the staff stayed with a good thing – since booking Wayne Brady, Chappelle, Larry The Cable Guy and recently Ron White.

Also, by booking musical acts ranging from Incubus to O.A.R., Staind to Ja Rule, and Jars Of Clay to Styx, the Convo Center seems to take the wide DeKalb/NIU demographic into consideration.

Admittedly, the Star was once leery of the competition with the Campus Activity Board. And though CAB’s budget has been slashed in recent years, the Convo has made attempts to bridge the gap between the two organizations by co-sponsoring certain events.

There will always be politics interwoven in towns, schools and businesses, but the Convocation Center appears to have its head above water and facing the right direction – directly at the students.

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