Sudbury no longer selling ad space at James Jerome field
Only ‘modest’ returns on fence advertising since 2015, staff says
Sudbury city hall will no longer sell ad space at the James Jerome Sports Complex.
On Monday night, council directed staff to end the program at Lily Creek that saw city rent out panels along the facility's fence.
The program was introduced in 2015, but the amount of revenue the space generated was "moderate," according to city staff.
It brought in $4,000 in 2015, $6,700 in 2016 and $9,300 so far in 2017.
The city said it also couldn't direct resources to soliciting, negotiating and booking ads.
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Little 'uptake' from private sector
It came as a surprise that the program didn't live up to expectations, said Ward 7 councillor Mike Jakubo.
"Initially, it was thought by all of council that there would be serious uptake in wanting some prime real estate in terms of advertising," he said.
"We haven't seen that happen in the last couple of years."
Jakubo also said the panels along the fence were obstructing the view of the turf , and didn't provide enough visibility for potential advertisers.
"From an aesthetic point of view it was definitely blocking the view of the field," Jakubo said. "It's also a bit obstructed in terms of the advertising with the cattails, so whether the full value is being had from the advertising is questionable."
Staff recommended that BK Marketing, the group that manages ad space on city busses, take over the operation.