By Scott Taylor,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – Professional marketing and management will cost the Colisee between $55,000 and $60,000 per year, but city officials say that’s a bargain.

“What this company does for us is tie us into a network,” said City Administrator Jim Bennett. “They know what is available, what groups are touring and who is going to be where. We’re part of that now.”

City officials introduced the new management company, Global Spectrum, to the Maine media Tuesday. The company, a subsidiary of sports and entertainment giant Comcast Spectacor, manages 45 arenas and convention centers throughout the county.

The company gets a flat fee to manage the Colisee, but has incentives to bring in more events and acts. Bennett said the Colisee has between 10 and 15 regularly scheduled events other than the Lewiston Maineiacs – including the Kora Shrine Circus and the annual Business to Business Trade Show.

But the Colisee needs as many as 36 events each year to break even. The city tried to bring new events in on its own, but had limited success.

If the company generates more revenue than budgeted by the Colisee’s Board of Directors – about $1.9 million – the company gets to keep between 10 and 25 percent of the excess profits.

Norm Rousseau, a Lewiston city councilor and a member of the Colisee’s Board of Directors, said the company’s positive attitude was another part of the deal. He and Bennett visited Global Spectrum headquarters in Philadelphia in March. That visit included stops at Global Spectrum-managed facilities, including Citizen’s Bank Park, home to Major League Baseball’s Philadelphia Phillies, and the Wachovia Complex, home to the 76ers NBA team.

Almost everywhere he went, he heard, “How you doin’?,” the company’s customer service catchphrase.

“What impressed me the most was how friendly everyone was, from the managers to the parking lot attendants,” Rousseau said. “It’s a perfect fit for the Lewiston Colisee.”

John Hathaway, the director of operations for Global Spectrum, will act as interim manager at the Colisee for the next two weeks. Hathaway said the company already has begun to look for someone to fill the job permanently.