Blue Cross Arena in Rochester has selected new management

Rochester, New York – The next management firm to run the Blue Cross Arena has been selected by the City of Rochester.

The arena will be taken over by Iowa facility management business VenuWorks following the conclusion of the 2024–25 hockey season, the city said on Tuesday. The recommendation will be discussed and approved by the Rochester City Council in October.

In April, the city began its hunt for a new management team following Rochester Arena, LLC’s decision to terminate a contract. Since October 2019, Rochester Arena, LLC has been in charge of running the venue.

VenuWorks intends to spend more than $1.2 million on capital upgrades to the arena, according to the city.

“As part of our ROC the Riverway initiative, we have big plans for the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial, with more than $7 million in upgrades planned that will keep its prominence as the primary sports and entertainment destination of the Finger Lakes,” Mayor Malik Evans of Rochester stated in a statement on Tuesday. “We are thrilled to have VenuWorks join us in Rochester.”

VenuWorks will sign a five-year contract with the city, with two more five-year extensions possible, if the recommendation is approved by the Rochester City Council.