Evansville, IN – July 29, 2025 – Vanderburgh County is thrilled to announce a new chapter for the Old National Events Plaza (ONEP). In collaboration with current operator ASM Global, the County has reached a mutual agreement to conclude ASM’s management contract early—clearing the way for a dynamic, locally rooted transition.

VenuWorks, the experienced team behind the Ford Center and Victory Theatre, will now expand its leadership to include ONEP, creating a powerful and unified management approach across all three of Evansville’s premier public venues. County Commissioners are proud to champion this positive step forward, ensuring a seamless transition for employees, clients, and guests, while paving the way for stronger collaboration, smarter investments, and an even greater economic impact for our community. “We are proud to welcome ONEP into our family of venues,” said Scott Schoenike, Executive Director of VenuWorks-Evansville. “With deep local roots and broad national experience, our team is excited to elevate the performance, service, and guest experience across all three facilities.” Steve Peters, founder and CEO of VenuWorks, shared his enthusiasm for this new chapter: “At VenuWorks, we are passionate about creating exceptional experiences for the communities we serve. With our decades of expertise and commitment to employee ownership, we are thrilled to bring a unified vision to

Evansville’s premier venues. This is an exciting opportunity to enhance the economic and cultural vitality of the region.” Since 2001, ASM (formerly SMG) has managed ONEP. Recent reviews identified opportunities for improvement in financial reporting and subsidy alignment. In response, a task force of local hoteliers, Explore Evansville, and elected officials was formed following changes to the County’s Innkeeper’s Tax legislation.After months of collaborative work, the recommendation was clear: aligning all three facilities under one trusted operator would provide economic synergy and community benefit.

This transition is about more than operations—it’s about unlocking the full potential of ONEP as a driver of tourism, quality of life, and economic growth. As a convention facility, ONEP fuels activity across hotels, restaurants, retail shops, gas stations, airports, and car rentals—generating vital tax revenue that lessens the burden on local taxpayers.

Currently, ONEP receives over 25% of Explore Evansville’s Innkeeper’s Tax investment. With VenuWorks at the helm, the County expects to maximize every dollar—mirroring the strong returns already seen at Deaconess Sports Park and Goebel Soccer Complex.

In short: this is a win for Evansville. A win for our venues. And a win for everyone who lives, works, and visits Vanderburgh County.

Steps You Can Take to Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones

INDIANA, July 29, 2025 — Dangerously high temperatures continue to impact much of the Midwest, including our region. The American Red Cross of the Indiana Region urges everyone to take three critical actions to stay safe:

1. Stay hydrated by drinking a cup of water every 20 minutes, even if you don’t feel thirsty. Avoid sugary, caffeinated and alcoholic drinks.
2. Stay cool by spending time in air-conditioned places. If your home is too hot, go to a mall, library or cooling center.
3. Stay connected by checking on others and asking for help if you need it. Make sure pets have access to fresh water and shade.

Knowing how to protect yourself and your loved ones from extreme heat can save lives. The Red Cross recommends checking on friends and neighbors, especially older adults, people with chronic health conditions, outdoor workers, and athletes. You could make all the difference by sending a text, making a call or knocking on their door.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO Remind everyone to drink water, even if they don’t feel thirsty. Aim for a cup of water every hour and encourage people to avoid sugary, caffeinated or alcoholic drinks. Babies should be breast-fed or bottle-fed often. Fewer wet diapers or darker urine can be signs of dehydration.

Encourage athletes and outdoor workers to take breaks in the shade. They should drink a cup of water — or a sports drink — every 20 minutes.

Help those without air conditioning find a safe place to go like a mall, library or cooling center. They can also take cool showers or baths to help cool off. Remind people to wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothes in light colors.

Never leave a child or pet alone inside a parked car, and make sure pets have access to fresh water and shade.

HEAT ILLNESS SIGNS Anyone can become ill during extreme heat if their body can’t cool down properly. It’s critical to act fast as some types of heat illness can be deadly.

Heat cramps are signaled by heavy sweating and muscle pain. Take action by stopping what you’re doing, resting in a cool place and drinking a cup of water — or a sports drink — every 20 minutes. If you feel sick to your stomach, pause drinking. Get medical help if cramps last more than two hours or you have heart problems.

Heat exhaustion is signaled by heavy sweating, weakness, cool and clammy skin, muscle cramps, dizziness, fainting, nausea or vomiting. Take action by stopping what you’re doing, resting in a cool place and drinking a cup of water — or a sports drink — every 20 minutes. Loosen your clothes and place a cool wet cloth on your body. Get medical help if you’re vomiting, don’t feel better in an hour, or if you have heart or kidney problems.

Heat stroke is a deadly condition signaled by high body temperature, rapid heartbeat, confusion, headache, dizziness, fainting, nausea or vomiting. Call 911. Move to a cooler place, remove extra clothing and use a wet cloth or a cool bath to cool down. If possible, sip a sports drink or water.

IF THE POWER GOES OUT When a heat wave and a power outage happen at the same time, it can be even more dangerous. Stay in air conditioning either at home or at a mall, library or cooling center. Keep an ice-filled cooler stocked with food, water and medicine, so that they don’t spoil. More information is available here.

Finally, download the free Red Cross First Aid app so you’ll know what to do if emergency help is delayed and thefree Emergency app for real-time weather alerts and heat safety information. Content is available in English and Spanish with an easy-to-find language selector. Find both apps in smartphone app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps.