Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center Celebrates 1st Anniversary
The facility will have hosted 228 events with almost 23,000 attendees in its first year.
San Diego State’s Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center threw open its doors to a throng of more than 500 visitors at its Oct. 17 grand opening last year. The crowds have never stopped coming.
By the time the center celebrates its first anniversary this month, the $11-million, 30,000-square-foot facility will have hosted 228 events with almost 23,000 attendees.
Pre-opening projections had called for the center to host two events per week initially, growing to five events per week by the middle of this year. The facility began booking at least five events per week within just a few months.
Exceeding expectations
“In its first year, the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center has exceeded our most optimistic hopes for its success,” said SDSU President Stephen L. Weber.
“We always believed if we built it, our alumni would come, but few of us imagined it would be in such large numbers for such a broad range of events.”
Wide variety of events
The events the center has hosted in the past year include:
- Seminars
- Lifetime member celebrations
- Pre-game basketball gatherings
- NCAA Tournament watch parties
- Retirement parties
- Memorial services
- Reunions
- Receptions
- Speaking engagements
- Student enrichment programs
- Board meetings
- Banquets
- Academic assemblies
- Quinceaneras
- Commencement events
- Corporate industry conventions
- Government agency gatherings
In July the center hosted its first wedding.
“It’s perfect for so many different kinds of events,” said Mike Sweet, facilities manager for the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center. “If you contact us to explore opportunities, we will do everything we can to accommodate your event.”
SDSU Alumni Association lifetime members receive priority status, including special rates, when reserving the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center for events. Sweet advises to plan well in advance if you’re considering booking the center for an event.
In just one year, the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center has performed beyond "our wildest dreams,” he said. “In October 2011, it wouldn’t surprise me if we’re looking back on an even more successful year."
