Maxwell’s expands regular events

Maxwell’s Concerts and Events, formerly Maxwell’s Music House, reopened in December after moving from its previous location on King Street North. The venue, known primarily for hosting live events, is now located in a larger building on University Avenue.

“I think it’s been fantastic. We’ve had thousands of people through the doors in the last month,” said Paul Maxwell, president and CEO of the venue. “I think things have exceeded our expectations in terms of the need for another event and concert space in the community.”

Maxwell’s closed earlier last year to move to the new location, but ran into some delays concerning renovations and updates. However, the venue reopened on Dec. 12, shortly after finishing renovations and has since hosted a New Year’s Eve party and several new series events.

“Our primary focus right now is running two weekly series events, and that includes our Thursday Boots and Beers live country night,” said Maxwell. “We tackled a little bit of country before in the old venue, but now we’ve really heard in the community that there’s a demand for somewhere in Waterloo specifically to see country music.”

Maxwell’s also had to adjust to the larger capacity of their new building, which enables them to host a considerably larger amount of customers than their previous location.

“We’ve taken everything in stride, so I don’t think there’s been anything major,” said Maxwell. “We’ve had to learn on the fly on how to adjust things for the business, for heavier volumes and learning how to prepare ourselves more in advance, so inventory management and functionality with the bar.”

Maxwell’s has also seen new attention from various groups looking to host events, ranging from campus clubs to community organizations.

“Having the opportunity to book new types of events, whether it’s a campus club that wants to run an event here or a community partner, there’s lot of events coming through that are new and fresh to us,” said Maxwell.

The venue has also introduced new drink specials, including mini-pitchers of domestic beer and shot specials of various mixes. The mini-pitchers have apparently been a popular addition for Maxwell’s customers.

“That’s been something that’s gone over very well, that you can get a domestic pitcher for $7.99 plus tax,” said Maxwell.

Maxwell’s will also focus on live music and entertainment, which it was well-known for before its location change. The venue is looking forward to weekly live music events that focus on indie acts, as well as taking advantage of their larger capacity by booking larger shows.

“This weekend we have five different indie acts that are playing indie rock music. We’re incorporating a lot of live music and live rock bands on the Saturday,” said Maxwell.

“The other thing is the big ticket shows we’re starting to book in. We just booked in Danko Jones for Saturday, April 25, and we’re really excited about that one. He’s a real entertainer and he has a big following.”

Overall, Maxwell said they are doing well in their new venue, and are quickly adjusting to the changes they have encountered since their grand re-opening.

“I think because we didn’t bite off more than we could chew at the very beginning, it’s allowed us to make adjustments and to learn and do the best under the new environment and circumstances,” he said.