One group to run them all: Erie Events manages your favorite Warner Theatre, Arena, UPMC Park and Bayfront Convention Center events

How It Works is a recurring feature from the Erie Times-News that explains how government, organizations, processes, ordinances and more work. Email your questions to newsdesk@timesnews.com.

To describe what the Erie County Convention Center Authority does, it chose "Erie Events."

"Erie Events is a branded name for the Erie County Convention Center Authority," said Casey Wells, executive director of Erie Events. "They are the same entity."

Here's how it works:

The authority, which meets monthly, has 11 members. Seven are appointed by Erie County Council. Erie's mayor and Pennsylvania's governor each get two board picks. Authority board members are unpaid and serve a four-year term with no limit on the number of terms.

"We directly manage four public assembly facility venues within our community," Wells said. They are the Warner Theatre, Erie Insurance Arena, Bayfront Convention Center and UPMC Park, all in Erie.

For subscribers:Warner renovations create better space for performers resulting in better shows for audiences

"We also own the Courtyard Erie Bayfront Hotel and the Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel but we have contracted a private management company to operate those for us," Wells said. The authority also owns two parking decks next to the Erie hotels.

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Erie Events has a little more than 50 full-time employees and nearly 800 part-time employees, not including hotel staff, Wells said.

The authority has an annual budget of about $35 million, including revenues from rent and from food and beverage sales.

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Erie Events wants to ensure that professional baseball and hockey, the Erie Philharmonic and Broadway in Erie enjoy success so the authority provides "friendly rental rates" for the use of UPMC Park, Erie Insurance Arena and the Warner, Wells said. He said it also rents space to several private restaurants in its parking decks.

"These facilities are meaningless without activities in them," he said.

The authority receives a portion of the hotel room tax collected in Erie County. Wells said the total varies by year but is usually around $2.5 million or more. Additionally, the entity applies for state grants.

"Erie (County) residents provide no local tax dollars to support Erie Events," he said.

Wells said the authority typically ends each year with excess funds that are put in its reserves to be spent on projects, such as $8 million put toward recent Warner Theatre renovations.

For subscribers:Take a closer look at the renovations of the iconic Warner Theatre

With those renovations and improvements made several years ago to Erie Insurance Arena, the facilities are able to accommodate national touring acts. But while Erie can host the big shows, it can't necessarily sell enough tickets to attract the big acts.

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"It isn't the facilities that are limiting our ability to bring big shows, it's the strength of our market," Wells said. "For us to get big shows, we need shows to sell."

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He said Erie Events plays a role in making the area an attractive place to live and work by adding to the quality of life here.

Dana Massing can be reached at dmassing@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @ETNmassing.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie Events manages theater, arena, ballpark, convention center