Steelback brings Sault back on track.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: Steelback Centre, Sault Ste. Marie

Sault Ste. Marie is back on the convention and concert trail.

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Construction of the city's new $25-million arena, the Steelback Centre, is nearing completion for an early fall celebratory opening.

Under the project management of Bondfield Construction, the city is billing the multi-purpose spectator facility as Northern Ontario's premiere event venue in attracting conventions, trade shows and other events to the community.

"The building's on schedule and we're looking at an opening ceremony in the third week of September," says Trevor Zachary, marketing and events manager for the city-owned facility.

The Steelback Centre is expected to be substantially complete by late August with 4,400 seats installed and some interior finishing work still left to be done. Plywood barriers surrounding the Queen Street construction site were coming down in July.

Although the downtown facility will be used mainly for hockey, the main bowl and arena floor will seat more than 6,000 for concerts and is expected to fill a much-needed void in addressing the lack of a full-size trade show and convention centre.

Zachary says the city is looking to attract national and international events and have either booked or are awaiting confirmation on 12 "fairly major" shows scheduled between October 2006 and April 2007.

A figure skating exhibition is slated for December followed by a spring home show next April, a forestry trade expo in June and a Harley Davidson bike rally for August. Further ahead the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontari o Conference has booked for 2009 with the Finnish Grand Festival scheduled for 2010.

Zachary says an emphasis is being placed in marketing the building as a multi-use spectator facility.

"When you walk onto the event level, we want to people to get the impression this is an event centre rather than a hockey rink."

The main level contains 6,330 square feet with the potential of holding 1,400 patrons on the floor.

There are as many as 10 different meeting and gathering rooms located throughout the building, including their largest breakout room of 1,925 square feet with a capacity of almost 200 people.

A second 900-square-foot multi-purpose room can be sectioned off in half. VIP suites and an upstairs board room on the suite level can be utilized for various functions.

The building is also equipped with a full kitchen to feed up to 100 VIPs and suite holders.

Besides plenty of on-site...