Alliant Energy Center is seeking its third executive director since 2020, and Dane County has tapped a University of Illinois–Chicago (UIC) official for the job, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. Kevin Scheibler is currently the executive director of venues and events at the university, where he has worked since 2013.
The center has struggled to regain the attendance it saw before the pandemic — a trend that has coincided with the executive director position’s repeated turnover. Roughly 601,000 people attended 195 events at the venue in 2023 — well below the 726,000 attendees of 340 events in 2019. Events and attendees are expected to increase by 8% in 2024.
The County Board’s Public Works and Transportation Committee on Tuesday unanimously supported Scheibler’s nomination. Out of 55 applicants, he was among five candidates reviewed by interim County Executive Jamie Kuhn. The full board will consider his appointment on Sept. 19.
In the early 1990s, Scheibler worked as marketing manager for what was then called the Dane County Expo Center.
