Today we’d like to introduce you to Leo Kats.
Hi Leo, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
The Encore Event Center is a 30,000-square-foot event facility on 2 acres in central San Diego. It is additionally San Diego’s only TV/Movie studio as the former home to XETV 6 with affiliations with ABC, Fox & CW. The station stopped broadcasting in 2017, and we took the facility over in 2018, spending 1 year and over $1M to turn the facility into a modern event center.
Starting modestly in the Mira Mesa area as a single event hall designed to be an immersive enchanted forest in 2014, the space was in a commercial center and could accommodate groups up to 150. The hall was called Myst and catering to kids providing complete tea parties and candy parties in daytime and focusing on adults at night with weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, corporate events, and more. We quickly realized that a uniquely decorated hall is in great demand, and with the many inquiries for larger events, we decided to open a second location in the Pyramid Center, which would have its own unique look and be able to host up to 350 banquet-style.
The new space was dubbed Spark and featured loft-style features, marble floors, LED video wall, fabric and brick walls as well as open ceiling. Although both spaces were busy, it became obvious that running two halls in two locations was challenging in addition to competing for parking with retail tenants. We began the year-long search for a new space where we could have multiple halls in one facility and have more privacy.
We eventually found the XETV offices and studios, which ended up working well. Over the years, we renovated 30,000 square feet of spaces into 9 event areas, including replicas of the original Myst and Spark halls. The facility features a fully functioning filming space with control room and several standing sets. Our latest move was to add an outdoor festival area with a full stage, LED wall, and sound system which can host music events up to 3,000.
To date, the Encore Event Center seen thousands of events and hundreds of thousands of guests. Specializing in private social events, weddings, music and has a 500-person auditorium for presentations and conferences.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Besides the California lockdowns from 2020 lasting 18 months, where events were actually illegal, there have definitely been some challenges. California is not an easy place to start or run a business. I’ve been doing it for 30 years. General renovations and building commercial kitchens takes 3 times more money and time than it logically should.
When you are constantly expanding, your sales need to catch up with your bills, yet they never seem to. We’ve probably been a bit too ambitious with the expansion, but one issue with event centers is neighbors. By taking over both buildings on the property (a one-story and 3 story), we ensure no one to be annoyed by parking, noise, and loitering.
On the lockdowns… events were the first thing to shut down and the last thing to start up. There was no drive-through, curb-side, or social distancing option. Less than a year after we completed renovations, we went to zero in about 3 days. The only way to survive was to pivot, and we chose to focus on the kids who were themselves locked down. In 6 short weeks, we figured out what the staff and we had in terms of talent or experience, did some retrofitting by adding an athletic field, and started a summer camp. It was successful enough that we continue it now in its 4th year.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Encore Event Center?
What makes the Encore Event Center special is the unique nature of the facility. In addition to the 10 decorated indoor and outdoor spaces, it is also home to the Spark Studio Soundstage, which is the only rentable TV studio in San Diego County. For those interested in filming music videos, commercials, corporate streaming, and hybrid events, as well as TV shows and movies, the facility has an in-house production company to assist with all needs.
As for events, Encore offers a full-service, premium experience, but at a price most can’t match. In-house food and beverage, decor rentals, photo booths, entertainment, event management, and even wedding ceremony packages.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.encoreeventcenter.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/events_san_diego
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EncoreEventCenterSD
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@encoreeventcenter4641
