'It was logical for us to buy it, it was a tremendous opportunity,' says Barry Bellchambers, looking back on when he bought the former Lions swimming pool in September 2004.

Also the owner of the adjacent High Country Inn, Bellchambers then filled in the pool and converted the facility into a large venue and meeting space.

'The conversion was relatively easy and the usage is growing,' he said. 'Over time, strategically it was an excellent move.'

About $2 million has been invested in the facility, he said. Thus far, the dominant uses have been entertainment booked by Bellchambers, conferences and banquets.

'Now we've got a major facility downtown,' he said. 'It broadens the potential to market Whitehorse Outside.'

With a capacity of about 700 for licensed events and 800 for non-licensed, the convention centre is Whitehorse's largest indoor facility for these kinds of events.

The most notable events held in the centre have been several Canadian classic rock bands, all on their first visit to Whitehorse.

'Highway 101 was our first event and that was a sellout,' said Bellchambers.

Since then, the centre has hosted April Wine, Nazareth, Dr. Hook and Chilliwack, to name a few. The biggest name thus far, Randy Bachman, will be performing there tonight and is expected to sell out.

'The old time nostalgic early rock seems to appeal the most,' said Bellchambers. 'Some of the entertainment ventures have been very successful.'

Despite the huge draw these bands have had, prior to this venture, this type of entertainment has been totally under-served in the community, he stressed.

'The (Yukon) arts centre doesn't cater to this kind of entertainment,' he said, noting the arts centre doesn't go for popular entertainment and provides no opportunity to drink, dance or party.

Didier Delahaye, the arts centre's marketing director, said the two venues complement each other very well.

'Our mandate is to present and develop arts in the Yukon,' he said. 'It's a blurry line between what is art and entertainment.

'Randy Bachman is one of the best guitar players in Canada and at this show he'll be playing all his great hits. If he were to come back and do a show of his new music, the arts centre would be the proper venue for that.'

Last fall, the two venues collaborated to present the Latin Music Festival.

'Overall, if (Bellchambers) is able to pull it off and make it viable, then it's a win-win situation for everyone,' said Delahaye.

The entertainment has not come cheap for Yukoners, however. Tickets for 54-40 were about the average at $47.50 apiece. To see Bachman will cost $55.

Bellchambers cited high artist fees, as well as taxes and transaction fees, as the primary reasons for the ticket prices being as high as they are.

'The artists command an extremely high fee,' he said, adding that the profit margin is really very slim.

Last week's 54-40 was among the venue's lower-priced artists, who charged $15,000 for their performance. Tonight's Bachman show cost $25,000 to bring in the artist.

A few acts which Bellchambers said are too expensive include Blue Rodeo and The Tragically Hip, with price tags of $75,000 and $250,000 respectively.

'We need about 500 people to break even for any given show,' he said. For the more popular shows, he probably could have charged a lot more and still sold out, but didn't want to gouge the public, he said.

Additionally, the convention centre optionally provides upscale, full-course dinners with the shows. Also, seeing a performance here can be a more intimate experience than those seen Outside.

'With our show, you're within 10 feet of the artist,' he said. 'It's a much more personal experience.'

Not all of the shows have been a success, however.

'The country music shows have been a complete financial failure, despite giving us some great performances,' he said, noting acts such as Aaron Pritchett. 'It's a risky business.'

There are also plans to join forces with other groups to help offset costs.

'We're looking at partnering with non-profit organizations to minimize the exposure and jointly make things work,' he said. 'Non-profits can apply for grants and I can put up the marketing.'

One such partnership he mentioned is with the Frostbite Music Festival, which is traditionally held at Yukon College and the arts centre. This past winter, he partnered with the Nakai Theatre comedy festival.

'The fact that the facility is now there, it's enabled some other things, like annual dinners, to grow and prosper substantially since they've had access to a larger facility.'

Wanda Leaf, who operates Leaf Solutions, a local conference co-ordination firm, said having the new facility has opened doors.

'Having it allows us to offer conferences in larger sizes,' she said. 'Now what we need is to increase the hotel capacity.'

For much of the summer, the convention centre will be taking a break, as most people flock to regional music festivals. For the fall, a strong season is in the planning.

'For the fall, we're looking at Loverboy, Trooper and the Stampeders,' said Bellchambers. 'There will also be some tribute bands, like Neilly Kneel and the Solitary band, a tribute to Neil Diamond.'

He noted there is also a strong inclination to bring back some of the more popular acts, such as April Wine and Nazareth.

Currently under consideration for mid-August is venerable Canadian rock star Kim Mitchell.