The city of Roanoke formally announced Monday that it has hired Global Spectrum -- a Philadelphia-based company associated with cable giant Comcast-Spectacor -- to manage the Roanoke Civic Center. As part of a five-year deal, the city will pay the company $26,000 a month to start, with incentives for increased revenue.

Global Spectrum's Chris Connolly will be the civic center's first private sector-based general manager. In December he'll move to Roanoke from London in Ontario, Canada, where he served as assistant general manager at the John Labatt Centre.

One of Connolly's first challenges will be to reduce the civic center's operating subsidy, which ran at more than $1.6 million over fiscal year 2007-08. That's in addition to a $1.1 million subsidy to cover debt service on the recently built special events center.

Connolly talked about his new job Monday:

Q: Do you feel the weight of high expectations as far as decreasing this subsidy? What other challenges do you see with managing the civic center?

Connolly: I think expectations are high, but if we didn't feel confident in the numbers we can hit, we probably wouldn't have bid it ... I honestly don't see any major obstacles. I think it's a great complex and a good venue. With the flexibility, we can do shows with a capacity of anywhere from 10,000 to a catering event with 100 people. I think the opportunities are endless. ... I don't think this is a situation where Global Spectrum needs to do a major face-lift. We just need to evaluate how we do things and tweak just a little bit.

Q: Have you visited Roanoke yet? What are your impressions of the venue and the city?

Connolly: I just visited Roanoke last week. I was down from Monday to Saturday. I got a chance to visit the facility and meet the staff. Honestly I think it's a great city. I think there's a ton of potential.

As far as the venue goes, it's great. You have a couple of different arenas inside of one: the coliseum, special events center, performing arts theatre and exhibit hall. The more flexibility you have to bring in shows, the better chance you have to book them, so I see a ton of potential.

As a market, I don't know enough yet. It seems like a strong market there with a lot of potential.

Q: Once you go to work full time, how will you evaluate the market?

Connolly: First of all, we have events on the books, so the important thing is to see how those events are doing. Then meet with the staff and see what we can do better. Other than that, just get out in the community to get a vibe and just see what the interests are.

Q: Will current civic center employees be kept on with Global Spectrum?

Connolly: The process and the deal we made with the city, we are committed to making offers to all existing employees. They have the opportunity to stay on with Global Spectrum, or the city will place them in a job elsewhere in the city. We've given letters to all the employees, and they have until the end of the day this Wednesday to let us know if they'll be staying with Global Spectrum.

Q: How about sports teams? In the past the civic center has been home to pro hockey, basketball and arena football leagues. Do you see potential for bringing a pro team back to the civic center?

Connolly: I think there is an opportunity to have a sports team at the civic center. Right now it's too early to say whether it'd be hockey, basketball or what. When you have a sports team as a tenant in the building, you're able to sell it to families. Does hockey work in Roanoke? I don't know yet.

To have a successful sports franchise, you have to have a good team and good organization dedicated to winning. And they have to be in a good league that's competitive. The last thing is the prices have to be right and affordable for families.

I think there's a market for a sports team in Roanoke. What this is I don't know yet, but we'll evaluate it, and if it makes sense, we'll try to do it.

Q: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Connolly: One thing I do want to say is in being down there a week, me personally, I'm excited for this opportunity. In Roanoke, the city itself, I see a ton of potential. I feel pretty confident we can deliver to bring some more events, including some that haven't been done there before. I really feel we can make this thing work.