The Veterans Memorial Coliseum at Madison’s Alliant Energy Center should be replaced by a more modern facility that could better serve touring musical acts and ice shows, according to a study prepared by a Wisconsin-based developer.
Hammes Co., which has worked on sports-destination projects built around Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers and the new Minnesota Vikings stadium, says the Alliant Energy Center grounds should be upgraded with new retail and entertainment options, as well as a new arena. The 48-year-old arena currently serves many masters: besides hosting touring shows, it’s also a centerpiece for World Dairy Expo and Midwest Horse Show activities. Those two shows are by far the biggest events held annually at Alliant Energy Center; the World Dairy Expo draws over 70,000 attendees and over 2,000 cattle for the yearly celebration of all things dairy, and the arena is crammed with exhibitors in the concourse and cattle judging in the arena bowl. The arena is also home to the Madison Capitols (USHL).
And while much of what happens with Alliant Energy Center is related to the World Dairy expo, the argument from Hammes is that so many more activities could be hosted at a more modern facility: Veterans Memorial Coliseum seats 10,231 for concerts and 8,800 or so for sports events, and that’s too large a capacity for the midrange touring acts that skip Madison currently in favor of smaller cities like Green Bay and La Crosse, which have much more modern facilities. The arena is a financial drag on Alliant Energy Center as a whole: The arena lost $758,000 in 2014.