FARGO -- The Fargodome attracted record-breaking attendance for its 2010 events.
More than 528,000 attendees packed the event center last year, up from about 486,000 in 2009, according to dome financial documents released this week.
"It was a very strong year," said Rob Sobolik, dome general manager.
Record attendance helped the dome make an almost $145,000 operating surplus, well over the budgeted $51,000 surplus.
The year's profits will go into the dome's surplus budget, which is used for capital improvements and building upgrades, Sobolik said.
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This is the 18th straight year the dome has run an operating surplus, he said.
Nationally touring events such as Walking with Dinosaurs, Bon Jovi and Carrie Underwood helped provide variety for concertgoers, but stable attendance for annual and tradeshow events also played a big role in a successful year, Sobolik said.
"Virtually every weekend we have something going on," he said. "It's not just about the major concerts."
In November, the first-ever Bison football playoff game at the dome was one of the year's highlight, Sobolik said.
"That was a fantastic event to be a part of," he said.
Nationwide, concert attendance was down last year, Sobolik said. There were fewer shows overall, but individual events tended to be fairly successful, he said.
Sobolik predicts 2011 might be a slower year for large touring acts, and hitting budget might be a little bit more of a challenge, he said.
"What's out there can potentially be pretty expensive," he said. "I'm not sure if it's the right fit for our market."
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The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead and the Herald are Forum Communications Co. newspapers
