Rogers Expo Open for Events

Rogers Expo Center
Owner: Ben Israel
Address: 2223 W. Walnut St., Rogers 72756
Phone/Fax: (479) 251-0002 / (479) 878-1397
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Startup date: November 2004
Web site: Coming soon

As a blank canvas ready to be painted, the Rogers Expo Center is the newest venue for people scheduling events in Northwest Arkansas. The 54,000-SF facility is managed by Dixie Development in Fayetteville.

Kim Polite, executive director of event facilities, said that the expo center is really meant for the larger trade shows, such as home and garden shows, boat shows, sporting events and concerts. The good thing about the facility, though, is that it can expand or shrink to fit the consumers needs.

You can build a waterfall, drive a forklift over the floor We can expand existing shows without swallowing them up, Polite said of the potential for the Expo Center.

The facility, which cost $2 million to purchase and renovate, has seven full-time employees. All event staff are outsourced.

Polite has a masters degree in athletic administration with an emphasis in event management. She said her current job is a combination of all her previous experience put together into one career.