Design concept prepared by CID Enterprises LLC for the Olmsted County RFP — not an official Olmsted County website.

Graham ParkExhibition Center

Event Planner Resources

Everything a planner needs, in one place

For show managers, association staff and anyone running an event bigger than a birthday party: the specs, the timeline, the paperwork and the people. If you are comparing venues for a 2027 or 2028 date, this page has most of what you would otherwise have to ask for on a call.

Planning timeline

  1. 12+ months out

    Site visit & courtesy hold

    Walk the grounds with an events coordinator, look at capacity and flow, and put a no-obligation courtesy hold on the date while you decide.

  2. 10 – 11 months out

    Agreement & booking deposit

    We issue the rental agreement and invoice the 25% booking deposit that converts the hold into a confirmed date. Insurance requirements go out with it.

  3. 6 – 9 months out

    Floor plan & utilities

    Submit your floor plan or site layout for fire-marshal review, and confirm electrical, water and internet needs. Second walk-through with operations.

  4. 3 – 5 months out

    Permits & licenses

    Apply for temporary food and beverage licensing, alcohol service approval and any City of Rochester permits your event needs. Line up your caterer.

  5. 30 days out

    Balance & final details

    Rental balance is due. Lock the load-in schedule, security staffing level and emergency contacts. We send the event packet and gate credentials.

  6. 1 week out

    Pre-event meeting

    On-site walk-through with your coordinator to confirm load-in timing, waste handling, staffing call times and the weather contingency plan.

  7. 2 weeks after

    Walk-through & deposit return

    Post-event walk-through is completed and the refundable damage deposit is returned within 14 business days, less any repair or excess cleaning cost.

Technical specifications

The numbers a show manager needs before the first phone call. Dimensioned floor plans for every building are available on request.

Loading docks
Four Seasons Building: one dock-height bay with leveler. Graham Arena Complex: two ground-level bays.
Drive-in doors
Four Seasons: 14' W × 12' H, two sides. Exhibition Building: 12' W × 10' H. Both open directly to the floor.
Floor loading
Four Seasons 250 lb/sq ft · Exhibition Building 200 lb/sq ft · Arena floors 150 lb/sq ft
Electrical service
Four Seasons 800A 120/208V three-phase · Graham Arena 400A per arena · Exhibition Building 200A · outdoor pedestals 100A
Water & drains
Potable water and floor drains in all indoor spaces; hose bibs and sanitary dump points throughout the Open Grounds.
Internet
Dedicated fiber to the Four Seasons Building and Graham Arena Complex; guest Wi-Fi across all buildings. Bandwidth blocks available.
Rigging
Four Seasons: overhead grid on 10-foot centers rated 1,000 lb per point at 24 ft. Ground-supported truss required elsewhere.
Ceiling clear heights
Four Seasons 24 ft · Graham Arena 32 ft to the rigging point · Exhibition Building 18 ft · Floral Hall 16 ft open truss
Floor plans & CAD
Dimensioned PDF and DWG floor plans for every building and the full grounds, sent on request to any confirmed or prospective renter.
Freight staging
A 30 ft × 30 ft staging pad at the Four Seasons dock; arena floors can hold two tractor-trailers inside when arranged in advance.

Event services

Audio-visual & staging

An in-house package covers microphones, speakers and a projection screen for $175 a day. Larger productions bring their own vendor; send the tech rider 60 days out so we can confirm power and rigging.

Security & crowd management

Licensed officers are required whenever alcohol is served or attendance passes 300, at $35 an hour per officer with a two-officer minimum. We coordinate with local law enforcement for large-scale events.

Custodial & waste

Standard building custodial service before and after your rental is included. Mid-event janitorial, extra dumpsters, recycling and food-waste collection are available as add-ons at cost.

Catering & concessions

Bring your own licensed, insured caterer, or use the commercial kitchen at the Four Seasons Building, Exhibition Building or Floral Hall for $150 a day. Fixed concession stands can be opened with notice.

Parking & traffic

About 3,500 on-site spaces across five lots, free on non-event days. We can arrange paid event parking, traffic control, accessible parking expansion and shuttle loops for large gates.

Box office & ticketing

Gate and will-call staffing for ticketed events, plus an optional online box office that sells directly from the venue's own site rather than through a third-party platform.

Planner documents

  • Facilities guide

    Specs, photos and dimensioned plans for all twelve buildings and the open grounds.

  • Rate sheet

    Current and next-year pricing for every space, add-on service and piece of equipment.

  • Grounds map

    Buildings, gates, parking lots, RV hookups, accessible routes and load-in paths.

  • Sample rental agreement

    Standard terms, deposit schedule and cancellation language to review before you commit.

  • Insurance requirements sheet

    Coverage minimums and the exact additional-insured wording to hand your broker.

  • Food & beverage licensing packet

    Temporary food permit and alcohol service applications with filing deadlines.

  • Exhibitor service kit template

    A ready-to-brand kit for collecting booth contacts, load-in slots, power needs and certificates.

On the live site each document would download as a PDF. Request any of them from the events office in the meantime.

Lead time & holds

We do not accept new rental requests inside 30 days of the event date — there is not enough runway to do it properly. Courtesy holds go on the calendar up to 24 months out and convert to a confirmed booking with the 25% deposit. If a second organization wants a held date, the original holder gets five business days to convert or release it.

Weather & contingency planning

Minnesota weather is a planning input, not a surprise. Every outdoor event is asked to name an indoor fallback in advance; the Four Seasons Building (24,000 sq ft) and the Exhibition Building (12,000 sq ft) are the primary severe-weather shelters and are opened by staff when a warning is issued. Outdoor programming suspends whenever lightning is detected within eight miles and resumes 30 minutes after the last strike inside that radius. The county reserves the right to cancel an event outright for public health or safety, with a full refund of the rental fee if it does.

Technical specifications, service pricing and lead times shown here are illustrative planning figures for this design-concept site and are subject to confirmation with the Graham Park events office.

Comparing venues for a 2027 or 2028 date? Send the specs to your team, then start a reservation request to put a courtesy hold on the calendar.