Statistics provided by the City of Rio Rancho show more people are going to events at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho.

From April to September, 122,511 people passed through the turnstiles to attend 50 events. For that same six-month period in 2008, 79,989 people attended 35 events held at the Star Center.

Santa Ana Star Center General Manager Gunnar Fox attributes the 53 percent increase to focusing on the arena’s strengths. “We’re taking a look at what’s worked and what hasn’t worked here in the past and are focusing on what has worked,” he said. “The first two shows that sold out were WWE and Tool. We have improved customer service based on those two and it kept patrons wanting to come back.”

The World Wrestling Enter-tainment’s house show on May 23 generated $42,281.38 in ticket surcharge revenue for the city and rock band Tool’s concert generated $33,565.77.

Tickets to events at the Star Center carry a seven-percent surcharge that is given to the city to pay down the debt on the arena. Before June, the surcharge was 12 percent. The decreased surcharge became effective in June and was lowered to increase ticket sales.

The city is paying Global Spectrum $12,000 a month to manage the center. The contract runs through June 30, 2014.

Fox’s company Global Spectrum started managing the center in April. The city ran the Star Center in February and March after terminating its contract with Global Entertainment. The city terminated that contract in February after the city deemed that the company continually failed to meet its contractual obligation to generate enough revenue to fully pay annual debt service payments on the center. The city has had to spend more than $2.5 million in general fund revenues for debt service payments. Presently the city is setting aside $200,000 a month. Global Entertainment ran the center from its inception in 2004.

Mayor Tom Swisstack is pleased with the job Global Spectrum is doing.

“I think the decision to elevate the management, meaning Global Spectrum, is beginning to have a payoff for the city and its residents,” he said. “I’ve seen the quality of service improve, the maintenance of the facility, the quality of the food and the commitment to developing a good experience for the people attending the Santa Ana Star Center.”

While the Star Center has made improvements, there’s still a long way to go before profits are realized.

“This is a journey and if we continue to move in the right direction, I predict that in three-or-three-and-a-half years that we’ll see less general funds directed to the Santa Ana Star Center,” Swisstack said. “We’re hoping to see profits in the fourth or fifth year. What we’re doing is having to change the image and we’ve started that process already.”

Fox said Global Spectrum is focusing on the customer.

“Our company is based on marketing and customer service,” he said. “We have a ‘How You Doin?’ program, that allows the staff to being a lot more engaged in the facility and more engaged with the patrons. We want the people to feel welcomed and wanted at the facility. That’s what we’ve been driving for and we’ve been successful so far. We just need to keep that up. We can always improve and get better everyday.”

The increased attendance resulted in $153,721 in ticket surcharge revenue for the city.

To spread the word about events and to better promote the Star Center, Global Spectrum created an in-house marketing agency in May.

“That’s going great. We want to reach out to the people of Rio Rancho as well as Albuquerque and Santa Fe,” Fox said. “We want to make sure the people of Rio Rancho specifically feel wanted. This is their building and the community’s building.”

Another action Global Spectrum has taken that has been welcomed by Star Center patrons is eliminating the $5 parking fee.

“The first interaction with (patrons) shouldn’t be them opening up their wallets to pay to get into a parking lot,” Fox said. “Doing away with the parking fee was one of the No. 1 things we did in improving customer service.”

There are some challenges ahead for Global Spectrum. One of the Star Center’s main tenants, the New Mexico Scorpions hockey team, won’t be back this year.

“It’s going to keep us focused on shows that have worked in the past,” Fox said. “It’s not a great thing for the building, but it has its advantages. We’ll have more open dates to do other things that we wouldn’t be able to do with a tenant in the building.”

The Santa Ana Star Center has three more events scheduled for October. The Lobo Howl comes to town Oct. 16, Rumble in Rio VI will be Oct. 24 and TNA Wrestling comes to the Star Center on Oct. 30.

For more information on events, visit santaanastarcenter.com.