Duluth Entertainment Convention Center

Wishing you all a magical holiday season! May your celebrations be warm & bright.

As we approach Thanksgiving, we’re feeling grateful for the incredible support from our community. Of course, being so close to Bentleyville, we’re reminded that the holiday season is officially here! And with it comes the return of the Duluth Winter Village. Join us on Saturday, December 7, and Sunday, December 8, for this magical event! Celebrate the season with local businesses, charming wooden shopping cabins, family-friendly activities, delicious hot food, beverages (yes, including beer and cocktails!), cozy bonfires, carolers, and even some friendly animals. The festivities take place both inside and outside the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, running from 10 AM to 4 PM on both days.

We're so pleased to be hosting the Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference. With participants from 26 states and three countries, it's a think tank for the prevention and management of invasive species. A highlight today was the zebra mussel-sniffing dog! This remarkable canine can identify contamination on a vessel in seconds, a task that typically takes an officer hours to accomplish. Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference

When it comes to hosting a conference, the City Side Convention Center at the DECC has the goods. From dedicated registration space, an executive board room, a ballroom that hosts thousands to 9 breakout rooms, and expo spaces large enough to host a fire truck! Let's discuss our sustainability efforts, walkable convention district, and, of course, the higher attendance at meetings in Duluth. For more information or a site tour contact our director of sales:  Sue Ellen Moore 218-623-1204 or email at smoore@decc.org.

Forbes Media secretly toured the Duluth Haunted Ship, which ranked our haunted attraction among the top seven scariest worldwide. This is a wonderfully creepy honor. There's one night left before the hatch door seals for another year – see you Halloween night from 6:30 to 10:00PM.

The DECC is proud to host important events like the Duluth Firefighter 2024 Pinning Ceremony. This year 26 DFD members were honored, receiving a pin from a loved one. This year’s event also celebrated members who completed probation or were promoted over the past two years. You can see the link to their full Facebook post in the comments.

Note from the President of the Board of Directors: October has come around on the calendar again. As the board president of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC), I am pleased to say that things are trending better for the DECC. You may recall in October 2023, the institution asked to open a line of credit* with the City of Duluth. I'm happy to say the DECC DID NOT USE any of the credit and are not seeking to extend it at this time. There is still much misunderstanding about how the DECC found itself in that precarious position. The short version is simple math: Our utility bills have gone up over $800,000 since 2019. Employee wages were up over $2 million with fewer hours worked, and the DECC experienced $600,000 of emergency maintenance that had been deferred for decades. The team has made considerable progress in "righting the ship," given the financial realities. Last year the DECC had 19% new revenues! This was done while hosting 602,385 guests and bringing the region $53,200,000 of economic impact. Given our complex campus of nine venues, there will surely be more interesting times ahead. However, we want to take a pause and celebrate. Big shoutout to our staff who have done more with less, while simultaneously hosting new business. The DECC also owes a debt of gratitude to my fellow board members for the directional leadership that has steered us well, and to the City of Duluth and its past and current leadership & councilors for providing the safety net. Lastly, thank you to everyone in our community for supporting the DECC during our challenging moments. If you’ve seen a show, bought a beer, eaten nachos or toured the Haunted Ship, you’ve been part of the DECC and our community's success. Sincerely, Peter Singler DECC Board President *Why didn’t the DECC just get a loan from a bank? As the DECC is a state authority, it is not allowed access to traditional business funding, like a bank. The City is its only legal financial agent. But given that the DECC operates like a business and most businesses have ongoing lines of credit available, obtaining a credit line from the city in a lean moment was a typical and prudent business move.

Note from the President of the Board of Directors: October has come around on the calendar again. As the board president of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC), I am pleased to say that things are trending better for the DECC. You may recall in October 2023, the institution asked to open a line of credit* with the City of Duluth. I'm happy to say the DECC DID NOT USE any of the credit and are not seeking to extend it at this time. There is still much misunderstanding about how the DECC found itself in that precarious position. The short version is simple math: Our utility bills have gone up over $800,000 since 2019. Employee wages were up over $2 million with fewer hours worked, and the DECC experienced $600,000 of emergency maintenance that had been deferred for decades. The team has made considerable progress in "righting the ship," given the financial realities. Last year the DECC had 19% new revenues! This was done while hosting 602,385 guests and bringing the region $53,200,000 of economic impact. Given our complex campus of nine venues, there will surely be more interesting times ahead. However, we want to take a pause and celebrate. Big shoutout to our staff who have done more with less, while simultaneously hosting new business. The DECC also owes a debt of gratitude to my fellow board members for the directional leadership that has steered us well, and to the City of Duluth and its past and current leadership & councilors for providing the safety net. Lastly, thank you to everyone in our community for supporting the DECC during our challenging moments. If you’ve seen a show, bought a beer, eaten nachos or toured the Haunted Ship, you’ve been part of the DECC and our community's success. Sincerely, Peter Singler DECC Board President *Why didn’t the DECC just get a loan from a bank? As the DECC is a state authority, it is not allowed access to traditional business funding, like a bank. The City is its only legal financial agent. But given that the DECC operates like a business and most businesses have ongoing lines of credit available, obtaining a credit line from the city in a lean moment was a typical and prudent business move.

We're hiring a full-time Human Resource Manager at the DECC! Details below: https://lnkd.in/gA-WxAzF

💥 HOT DEAL! HOT DEAL!! 🌲 Or should we say, cool deal. Imagine your event with one of the best views in Duluth. Add in a flexible space that meets your creativity and that’s a party to remember. Have fun with a casino-themed night with signature cocktails of your choosing. Or you could make it easy on yourself with a wonderful dinner and an excursion to Bentleyville. I mean... it is right there. Park once and be done. Maybe you load the room with evergreens, so folks feel like they’re in a holiday forest. The room is your canvas. What’s the deal already? If you book for 2024, you will get half off the room rental rate. We just ask that you have a group of 200+. Ready for the next step? - Contact DECC Event team - planning@decc.org or 218-722-5573 - to begin the process of making a great holiday party for the team.