The Waitaki Event Centre Trust received a $175,000 donation from the licensing trust, on behalf of the Lion Foundation.
The donation was the biggest single donation the licensing trust had given in the past 25 years, licensing trust grants committee chairman Ali Brosnan said.
The event centre in Centennial Park would be "a big plus for Oamaru" and would benefit the entire town, he said.
"We’ve got two big accommodation facilities in town, the North Star and the Brydone Hotel, who between them have 66 rooms available for the incoming people, plus all our hospitality, our food, our catering.
"We’re looking forward to it [the centre opening].
"It’s quite satisfying to be able to help people out."
The donation funded movable, retractable seating in the centre.
The retractable seats can fit just under 300 people.
Waitaki Event Centre Trust chairman Kevin Malcolm said the donation was a continuation of the great work dome by the the licensing trust and Lion Foundation.
"We’re just absolutely delighted, really.
"They’ve really jumped on board and supported us."
While wet weather last week caused "a bit of a holdup" with the landscaping outside the event centre, the trust was still on track to be handed the keys by the end of this month, he said.
"For all intents and purposes, the completion date is still on.
"We might have a couple of wee things to tweak if the weather goes against us but Apollo [Projects] and all the local tradies are doing a tremendous job and pushing like mad to make sure we get to that timeframe."
The event centre would be operational in time for winter sports, he said.
