Southwest Florida Event Center reopens this March in Bonita Springs
Southwest Florida Event Center is reopening its doors in Bonita Springs, two years after closing during the first wave of the pandemic. And some big acts are coming, starting with a major concert on March 25.
The owners of the concert venue announced the news Wednesday with a news release posted on Facebook.
“We are very excited. I’m excited!” co-owner Jennifer Shanahan told The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. “We will be reopening with an even more intimate venue.
“We have gotten rid of 200 seats, but we will be bringing in the same talent — and even bigger — in that small setting.”
The 27,000-square-foot venue officially reopens for the March 25 concert, Shanahan said. They’ll announce the musical artist later.
Previously: Southwest Florida Event Center closes permanently in Bonita Springs over coronavirus, industry concerns
More major artists will follow, she said.
“I’m ready to open with some wonderful, amazing talent that is selectively chosen for the need in the area,” she said. “The big names, we will have.”
The Bonita Beach Road venue closed its doors in May 2020, citing concerns over the future of the music industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. It had been closed temporarily since mid-March due to social distancing and Florida's stay-at-home order.
“It’s sad,” Shanahan said in 2020. “I’m completely devastated because of the blood, sweat, and tears Richard and I have put into that thing. But we had an amazing run!”
The center first opened in June 2016 in a renovated Eckerd drug store at 11515 Bonita Beach Road SE in Bonita Springs. Current owners Richard and Jennifer Shanahan took over the business the following summer.
The venue attracted many well-known musical acts in its four years, including Mavis Staples, Melissa Etheridge, John Waite, George Clinton, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Kellie Pickler, Three Dog Night, Ted Nugent, Crystal Gayle, Amy Grant, Jefferson Starship, Maxi Priest, Steve Earle, The Wailers and Don McLean.
Now Shanahan said she’s looking forward to picking up where they left off — with a few changes. They’ve scaled down the number of seats to 438, for example. And they’ll likely have fewer musical artists packed into each month, at least in the beginning.
“So there won’t be 14 days straight!” she said and laughed. “We have done some restructuring and reevaluating. We are going to go back to shows on possibly a lesser frequency when we first open.
“That is partially to get a handle and a feeling of our customer base, and also to make sure we have talent that fits in the venue, too.”
They’re also feeling better about the future of the industry, she said. Musical acts are touring again, vaccines are readily available, and most venues have reopened to often-packed audiences.
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That’s a big change from May 2020, when the future seemed bleak for the music industry. “There was no end in sight,” Shanahan said. “That’s why, for the foreseeable future, we shut our doors.”
Now they feel much more confident now about the music industry.
“I believe that the artists are ready to get out there,” Shanahan said, “and I think that there is a need for our patrons to hear music again.”
Many of their customers were upset to see the place close in 2020, she said. “The responses when we shut down and the personal letters that were sent through snail mail were heartwrenching and beautiful and appreciative."
Now people are ready to get back to a normal life — or as normal as things can be during a pandemic. And music can help with that, Shanahan said.
“Music, I think, is one thing that’s going to bridge those gaps and bring us back together,” she said. “I’ve always said that about music, that it brings everyone together in some capacity. And I think this is something that we all need.”
Here’s the entirety of the center’s Wednesday news release:
Southwest Florida Event Center is re-opening. The exciting news comes on the heels of extensive restructuring and positive changes for the patrons and artists alike. Throughout the break in the music, the SW Florida Event Center has not wavered in its mission; to bring an intimate venue with extraordinary international talent to Southwest Florida.
When Covid-19 closed the venue in 2020, our primary goal was to look out for our ticket holders; this view has not changed. Upon re-opening, SWFL Event Center will accommodate 200 less patrons per show. The Event Center is focused on bringing even bigger talent with even more personal experience. In addition, the SWFL Event Center will be teaming with local culinary talent to provide the finest dining experience.
The last two years have been difficult to be away from the hustle of the concert and event business. Considerable time has been spent evaluating the challenges of the industry moving into 2022. Safety will be our number one priority for all.
We always believed in “chasing unicorns”; bigger talent possibly not fit for a venue our size. The time has come to start chasing unicorns again. We are ready to embrace our loyal patrons who have encouraged us to bring the music back to life in SW Florida. We have been fortunate to welcome Melissa Etheridge, Amy Grant, Mavis Staples, Robert Cray, America, Three Dog Night, Kenny Wayne Shepherd. We will work hard to welcome them back.
We hope to once again be a venue of choice for weddings, private events, business meetings, and fundraisers. Thank you, Southwest Florida, for welcoming us back.
Let’s rock n’ roll!
Sincerely,
Jennifer and Richard Shanahan
Learn more about Southwest Florida Event Center at facebook.com/swflec.
Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. Email him at crunnells@gannett.com or connect on Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), Twitter (@charlesrunnells) and Instagram (@crunnells1).
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Bonita Springs' Southwest Florida Event Center reopens this March
