Entertaining Topeka | Stormont Vail Events Center
Drone Photos By Braden Dimick
“The big, exciting moment of live entertainment for some folks might be a big-named country artist. For some folks, it might be the demolition derby. And for others, it might be a Cirque du Soleil show,” said Kellen Seitz, general manager of the Stormont Vail Events Center. “We’re really trying to make sure we create experiences for everybody.”
RENOVATIONS & ENHANCEMENTS
The Stormont Vail Events Center, 1500 SW 10th Ave., formerly known as the Kansas Expocentre was opened in 1987. With the completion of the $48 million renovation project in July 2021, the facility has a new look and feel.
“We want to do everything we can to make the best experience possible. A lot of our renovation and expansion is designed around enhancing that patron or customer experience,” Seitz said, who has been in his role for just over five years.
Seitz said the upgraded facility is more comfortable with a lot of enhancements surrounding patron peace of mind with walk-through metal detection systems for almost every public event.
“We’ve bolstered up our security and safety staff to make sure folks can come without worry,” he said.
MORE LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
One of the most significant shifts for the events center is providing more live entertainment and focusing on concerts, family shows, and spectacle content.
“We’re bringing a little of everything for everyone,” Seitz said. “And we try and focus on making sure every represented portion of our community is seen by bringing in content that really signifies our society and our community. That’s important to us.”
Seitz said they are bringing in more concert activity so patrons can see the same artists that you would normally have to travel out of town to see.
“We are really trying to land some big-name artists that you would likely see in Kansas City or Denver and giving Topekans and Shawnee Countians the opportunity to see them in their own backyard,” Seitz said.
For 2023, one of the biggest shows will be when rock band Foreigner makes a stop to perform on Tuesday, May 2.
“We’re currently working on seven different concert artists that we have offers in on,” Seitz said, adding they’re working on several events including Disney-related acts and Cirque du Soleil.
SURPASSING EXPECTATIONS
The demolition derby is one of the largest gatherings at the event center every year with five performances over four days, Seitz said. It brings in about 25,000 people from all over the country and internationally. The event has prize money of upwards of $100,000 and is featured on pay-per-view TV. Seitz said it takes a week to set up before the event and a week to tear down after.
“We’ve kind of self-dubbed it the ‘Super Bowl of Demolition Derbies,’” Seitz said. “The economic impact of that event is significant not only for Topeka but for Shawnee County as a whole.”
The Stormont Vail Events Center is home to the Topeka Tropics indoor football team. Seitz said they secured a three-year contract with the team in September. The ownership group is three local business owners in the community.
Seitz said one of the events in 2022 that they were most proud of was the “Nightmare on the Boulevard” event in Exhibition Hall. It ran for three weekends in October and did “fantastically well” and more than surpassed expectations said Seitz. The haunted house experience took guests about 20 minutes to get through and is scheduled to be a four weekend event for the next five years.
“We’ll also be expanding the footprint more,” said Seitz. “It was around 6,000 square feet in 2022 and will be close to 8,000 square feet in 2023.”
ELEVATED EXPERIENCE
With the new updates, the production level at Stormont Vail Event Center is more expanded and the size offers the ability to have up to 10,000 fans together in one spot—bringing a feeling that is elevated and unmatched.
“The energy of those events can’t be replicated and it’s exciting to be a part } of it. That‘s what makes us love what we do,” Seitz said.
