Southwest Florida Event Center

11515 Bonita Beach Rd SE #101, Bonita Springs, FL 34135, USA

Address:	11515 Bonita Beach Rd SE #101, Bonita Springs, FL 34135, USA
Phone:	+1 239-245-9910
Site:	swflpac.com
Rating:	3.5

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 5

Tim Scoff

8/11/2017 Update: This place is still sending me spam emails. Ive tried unsubscribing several times and they completely ignore the requests. If you want a terrible, second rate experience that costs more than the good entertainment options in Southwest Florida followed by the idiot who owns the place filling your inbox with spam emails even after you try to remove yourself from his spam list, attend an event here. On the other hand if you want a high quality, enjoyable, fairly priced entertainment experience you can go almost anyplace else. Trust me, youll be glad you went somewhere else instead of wasting your money here. I came here for their haunted house. It was one of the worst entertainment experiences Ive ever had and was a complete waste of money. We got here at 8:45 and at 10:30 we were still waiting in line. Then when we finally got inside the whole haunted house lasted only 10 minutes. After that terrible experience, we went to the bar that we had paid extra for in advance only to be told that we hadnt gotten the right arm band when we checked in so we had to go wait in line to get the right arm band. After waiting in line for the arm band we had to wait in line again to be allowed into the bar when we would have already been inside if the people who had checked us in 2 and a half hours earlier had checked us in the way they were supposed to. Once in the bar, we were given a glass of fruit juice that was more ice than juice and was the "free drink" that we got with our admission to the bar. It was a complete waste of money. I want a full refund. Dont waste your time coming here. While the owner of this place didnt have time to respond to the email that I sent him before the event, or the email I sent him complaining afterwards, he did have time to send me a spam email advertising another event that his business wants to overcharge for. Based on my experience the people who rated this place as 5 stars are all friends of the owner and none of them are real customers.

Ted Ebeling

Dinner was scheduled for 6 pm and the doors do not open a minute before, leaving everyone standing in a long line in the parking lot. Upon entering the building the only instructions given are by a man shouting "There is a cash bar on both sides of the room". The room is set up like a school cafeteria with tables pushed together, forming long lines perpendicular to the stage. The tables are so close that even skinny people found it almost impossible to get through. In many cases the backs of the chairs touch those of the table behind them. Guests are left to fend for themselves. Not only is there no instruction and no sighting of staff, but there is also no signage. The only thing on the tables is silverware rolled in a napkin --no tablecloths, no water and not even salt and pepper. If you want any water it is available after you stand in line at the bar and pay $3. House wine is $6 and the lady next to us paid $12 for a mixed drink. The food was less than sub-par. The buffet consisted of a bowl of lettuce and onion with nothing to put on it but dressing, peel and eat shrimp, vegetable medley, tasteless potato wedges that were barely warm, breaded chicken chunks, small over-fried fish fillets and sliced dry pork. The only seasoning I could detect was Rosemary, sprinkled on almost everything. For dessert they put out 2" x 2" dough-balls covered in syrup, best described as a doughnut. Thank goodness the band was awesome. We had seen them at other venues. We will never return to the Perfoming Arts Center. There are better places in the area to see tribute bands, such as The Stage in Bonita Springs and Cape Cabaret in Cape Coral.

Pat Rothman

Last nights Judy Collins concert was a display of marvelous musicianship. She was brilliant. The venue, however, was disorganized, disrespectful of its patrons, grossly understaffed and dangerously crowded. Although doors were advertised as opening at 5:00, they did not open until 5:30. Then, the ticket taker walked each couple/group to their seats. We didnt enter the building until almost 6:10. The server was either new or seriously undertrained. In answer to the question "can I buy a bottle of wine" he said he had no idea and would ask someone. He walked away and returned 20 minutes later having totally forgotten our question. We ordered 2 cokes which were delivered to us as we were paying the bill and waiting to leave after the show ended. There was a buffet but it wasnt possible to get the buffet without a ticket which had to be procured from the always-missing server. We got our ticket at 6:30 and arrived st the buffet at 7:05 after Ms. Collins had already taken the stage. By that time, the food was either cold, or the trays were empty and looking very unappetizing having been picked over. Our meal check was slightly over $67 for two meals we did not eat. The worst part was serious, dangerous, overcrowding. God forbid there had been an emergency because it was impossible to move in the hall. Tables were jammed against one another. We will NEVER return and warn anybody thinking about this venue to beware. They oversell tickets and underperform customer service.

Phil Allman

This venue continues to suffer from poor management. My first visit was this past weekend to see Gaelic Storm. Original show time was 8 PM, we received an email one day prior to show saying due to the bands travel schedule, the show will begin at 9 PM. We did not eat buffet so arrived at 8:00 PM. I paid a ridiculous $17 for a glass of beer and an irish coffee (ridiculous prices!!!). The doors to enter the theater finally opened at 9:20 PM; with chaos as they allowed lines to form but then announced VIP should go first. Poor management. And then during the show, Gaelic Storm told us the truth: they were in town by 1 PM, but the venue had double booked the place so we were delayed because of the other event. So the delay had nothing to do with their travel schedule.....the venue literally lied to us!!! I will never spend another penny at this place, I hope to see it out of business soon or perhaps a new owner with better management practices take over. I read poor reviews and see the reasoning for all of them. Regarding sound quality - it was good if you were in front of the speakers but still too much echo unless you are just in front. Sound crew - really - it took three or four songs into the set before the got the microphone and fiddle volume correct. Regarding the show - it was a great show for Gaelic Storm but they only played for 90 minutes.....I have to assume we received a shorter show because managements stupid mistake. I am happy to take my money elsewhere.

Lori Nelson

VIP Ticket buyers beware! Just because you buy VIP seats with assigned table and seats does not mean there will actually be seats for you. Kind of like the Seinfeld episode "you know how to take the reservation..." With VIP tickets we were assigned a table number and four seat numbers. When we arrived we were told someone would come and seat us. After an endless wait we figured it should be simple enough to find our table among the crammed rows of numbered tables. When our number didnt seem to be there we hunted down some assistance and were told "they dont reserve assigned tables, just find a seat anywhere." So if you think you can take your time getting there because your seat is reserved... it is not. Bar service is pretty much a joke (when a bartender doesnt know what club soda is you know youre in trouble) and WAY overpriced. Went to see a blast from the past, the Marshall Tucker Band, and the sound was so bad it was painful. Too loud and too muffled to understand when they were talking, let alone singing. I hope management reads these reviews and works on making changes. Cant comment on the food, and the server for our table did the best she could considering the complete chaos. Dont like to write bad reviews, but the VIP ticket thing is very misleading, and this is the second show weve seen there with awful sound. Too bad. We were really hoping for a nice venue with some good shows.