YEAR IN REVIEW FY 2020Five Flags Center Mission Statement:Strive to enhance the quality of life for the citizens of the Tri-State area and contribute to the community’s economic vitality by providing access to a wide variety of entertainment, culture and other activities, while minimizing cost to Dubuque taxpayers.
Photography Contributed By: General Bob Felderman, Steven Schleuning
COVID-19 PANDEMIC IMPACT
Among all the industries that have been impacted by COVID-19, the effect has been especially devastating to the live entertainment business. Large gatherings
are still prohibited in many states. Some of the biggest event promoters have
made significant job cuts, including Creative Artists, William Morris, and Feld
Entertainment. The company behind Cirque du Soleil eliminated 1,300 jobs and
filed for bankruptcy protection.
FY2020 EVENTS IN REVIEWAlice Cooper
Wynonna & The Big Noise
Revive Me Dubuque
Disney on Ice
Quad Con
Cody Johnson
Charley Pride
The Four Italian Tenors
Rumble on the River
All Community Reads
Wags at the Flags
Little River Band
Louis C.K.
Paw Patrol Live
A Motown Christmas
Michael Carbonaro
PJ Masks Live
Retro Rewind
Winter Iowa Games
Jordan Davis
Main Street Iowa Annual Meeting
Dock Dogs World Championships
Mystery Science Theater 3000
A Magical Cirque Christmas
The Oak Ridge Boys
Flat Track Motorcycle Racing
Country Unplugged
Battle for the Bluff Rodeo
El Kahir Shrine Circus
Potted Potter
The Choir of Man
The Price is Right Live
NCAA Div. III Regional Wrestling
Trilogy: The Ultimate Tribute Show
Mississippi River RC Arena Nationals
Veterans National Recovery Center
Presidential Forum
Dubuque Symphony Orchestra
Rising Star Theater Company
Fly-By-Night Productions
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC
Yellow: First time at Five Flags
FY 2020 HIGHLIGHTS
• Highest Attendance Event: Disney on Ice – 7,139 Guests (7 performances)
• Highest Attendance Single-Day Event: Retro Rewind – 1,960
• Highest Beer Sales Event: Cody Johnson – 2,624 Beers Sold ($15,877)
• Busiest Week: February 20-27
• Country Unplugged, Battle for the Bluff Rodeo (two days), DSO Spring
Family Concert, DSO Classics 3 (two performances), Carden Brothers/El
Kahir Shrine Circus
• Total Attendance: 6,340
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC
FY 2020 HIGHLIGHTS• Highest Attendance Increase: Battle for the Bluff Rodeo – 81% Increase Over FY 2019
• Pre-Potter Party: More than 300 guests attended a special pre-show reception prior to the
Five Flags performance of “Potted Potter,” a nationally-touring Harry Potter parody• Highest Attended Theater Event: All Community Reads: Picking Cotton – 616
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC
UPGRADED WIFI SERVICEIn October, Five Flags Center partnered with ImOnCommunications to provide FREE wireless internet to Five Flags guests. Visitors to the venue can enjoy five hours of free WiFi to share photos with friends and family, check in on social media, and view upcoming events. ImOn’supgrades will also allow Five Flags to introduce future technologies to further improve the guest experience.
FY 2020 HIGHLIGHTS
COMMUNITY OUTREACHFY 2020 HIGHLIGHTS
Top: Harlem Globetrotter Flip White makes a “Smile
Patrol” visit to MercyOne Dubuque.
Right: Five Flags Center and Feld Entertainment staff
worked together to give Disney on Ice ticket and
meet-and-greet upgrades to area girls whose father
had recently died in a house explosion.
STAFFING CHANGES
Don Howes retired as the
Five Flags Center’s
Director of Finance at the
end of 2019 after 15 years
in the position.
FY 2020 HIGHLIGHTS
Corey Morehead began
her duties as the new
Director of Finance in
January 2020.
Brian Gephart joined the
Five Flags staff as Food
and Beverage Manager in
mid-2019.
248
355342 335
259
231
FY20 FY19 FY18 FY17 FY15 FY13
Event Days by Fiscal Year
EVENT ANALYSISQUALITY OF LIFE FOR THE CITIZENS OF THE TRI-STATE AREA
62,051
87,821
99,042
80,393
65,063 66,042
FY20 FY19 FY18 FY17 FY15 FY13
Attendance by Fiscal
Year
YEAR-END FINANCIALS
$621,907
$691,300
$1,008,419
$1,909,158$1,762,079
$1,214,405
$200,000
$400,000
$600,000
$800,000
$1,000,000
$1,200,000
$1,400,000
$1,600,000
$1,800,000
$2,000,000
FY13 FY15 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20
Gross Ticket Sales
ECONOMIC VITALITY
$146,568
$110,411
$223,620
$315,288
$450,746
$242,041
$0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
$250,000
$300,000
$350,000
$400,000
$450,000
$500,000
FY13 FY15 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20
Gross Food/Beverage Revenue
$0.00
$100,000.00
$200,000.00
$300,000.00
$400,000.00
$500,000.00
$600,000.00
$700,000.00
FY15 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20
INCOME
INCOME
$390,069
$236,747
YEAR-END FINANCIALS
$600,350
ECONOMIC VITALITY
$310,028
$530,008
Five Flags Center was on track to
outperform the city’s budgeted
subsidy of $919,551 until the
pandemic struck in mid-March,
forcing the postponement or
cancellation of the rest of the
fiscal year’s events. As a result,
the benchmark was missed by
$152,428.71.
IMPACTED EVENTSMarch 13: Baby Shark Live
March 14: In My Life – A Musical Theater Tribute to The Beatles
March 14: Midwest Spring Jam
March 20: Harlem Globetrotters
March 21: Community Wellness Expo
March 26: Cole Swindell
March 27: Air Supply
March 28-29: Dubuque Symphony Orchestra – Classics 4
April 3-5: Dueling Dogs World Championships
April 8: Peppa Pig Live
April 11: An Evening with C.S. Lewis
April 18: Catfish Cooley’s Nitro Comedy Tour
April 24: Home Free
April 30: Insane Clown Posse
May 2-3: Dubuque Symphony Orchestra – Classics 5
May 7: Lee Brice
May 15: NICC Graduation Ceremony
May 30: Senior, Hempstead High School Graduation Ceremonies
Entire Fly-By-Night Productions Season
Entire Rising Star Theater Company Season
COVID-19 IMPACTS
WHAT WAS LOSTCOVID-19 IMPACTS
March/April Events – Ticket, Food & Beverage Revenue Estimates
Baby Shark Live Midwest Spring Jam In My Life Harlem Globetrotters
Tickets: $39,134 Tickets: $43,132 Tickets: $11,706 Tickets: $29,976
F&B: $3,388 F&B: $11,405 F&B: $771 F&B: $2,373
Cole Swindell Air Supply Peppa Pig Insane Clown Posse
Tickets: $98,010 Tickets: $58,329 Tickets: $11,027 Tickets: $14,385
F&B: $38,070 F&B: $8,698 F&B: $837 F&B: $3,467
TOTAL LOST REVENUE: $374,708
Based on Ticket Sales as of 3/12/2020
Tickets Total: $305,699Food & Beverage Total: $69,009
CONTROLLING WHAT CAN BE CONTROLLEDCOVID-19 IMPACTS
Five Flags Center has been uniquely positioned to weather the pandemic,
with flexibility for postponing – rather than cancelling – impacted events.
Dueling Dogs World Championships: Moved to July 31-August 2
Catfish Cooley’s Nitro Comedy Tour: Moved to September 12
Cole Swindell: Moved to October 8
Air Supply: Moved to October 9
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Twista, & Do or Die: Moved to October 10
Lee Brice: Moved to March 13, 2021
Styx: Moved to March 14, 2021
Home Free: Moved to March 17, 2021
Insane Clown Posse: Moved to May 6, 2021
CONTROLLING WHAT CAN BE CONTROLLEDCOVID-19 IMPACTS
Five Flags Center staff has also been working to bring in new
events, including some that had to cancel in other venues
due to a lack of available rescheduling dates.
Events added since the pandemic began include:
Lee BriceMarch 13
Flo RidaNovember 21
The Texas TenorsDecember 12
Russian Ballet TheaterOctober 24
VENUE SHIELDCONTROLLING WHAT CAN BE CONTROLLED
VenueShield is ASM Global’s new cleaning and sanitization protocol, instituted as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The VenueShield protocol incorporates best practices to
provide the highest levels of cleanliness while
accommodating evolving guest expectations.
Aspects of VenueShield include, but are not limited to:- Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Contactless Transactions
- Physical Distancing- Increased Cleaning and Sanitization
NEWS COVERAGECONTROLLING WHAT CAN BE CONTROLLED
Both prior to, and since the pandemic, Five Flags Center has
worked aggressively to promote the venue and events
through local and regional news media.
SOCIAL MEDIACONTROLLING WHAT CAN BE CONTROLLED
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Five Flags Center continues to maintain
one of the strongest social media followings in the Dubuque area.
Facebook15,493 Likes
Up 17% from FY19
Twitter1,511 Followers
Instagram1,395 FollowersUp 26% from FY19
Total FY20 Post Reach: 2,647,901 People
Best Performing Tweet:Michael Carbonaro Announcement
297 Engagements (23% Engagement Rate)
Total Facebook/Instagram Check-Ins (July 1- March 11): 1,604 – Approx. 6.3 per Day
SOLIDARITYA citizen-created, privately funded mural
highlighting Dubuque’s diversity was
painted by a wide range of community
volunteers on the Main Street side of Five
Flags Center in late June/early July.
A photo of the finished mural has the most
Likes (907) and Shares (1,100+) of any
post on the Five Flags Facebook page,
and has reached more than 173,000
people.