CenturyLink Center Omaha

The CenturyLink Center Omaha is an arena and convention center in the North Downtown neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska. The 1,100,000 square foot facility has an 18,975-seat arena, a 194,000 square foot exhibition hall and 62,000 square feet of meeting space.

The complex opened in 2003 as Qwest Center Omaha. It adopted its current name on July 15, 2011, as part of a $22 billion buyout of Qwest by CenturyLink (formerly CenturyTel). All signage, inside and outside, was changed to conform to the new arena name; lighting was also switched (from blue to green). The transition was expected to be completed by August 1, 2011; the outside name changes were finally completed on December 20, 2011.

The arena hosts various basketball games, hockey games, professional wrestling events and concerts. Another notable event held there is the annual shareholders' meeting of Omaha-based conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, usually held on the first Saturday of May.

The arena's primary tenant is the Creighton University men's basketball team. Through the 2014–15 NCAA ice hockey season, the Omaha Mavericks men's team, representing the University of Nebraska Omaha, was also a primary tenant, but the Mavericks moved to the new Baxter Arena for the 2015–16 season.

History
In 2000, Omaha voters approved a $216 million bond issue to build a new convention center and arena; the remainder of the $291 million project was provided by private organizations and individuals. The facility design was led by architectural firm DLR Group. Naming rights to the arena were purchased by Qwest.

Qwest Center Omaha opened in September 2003 with an initial seating capacity of 17,000 for concerts, 15,500 for basketball, and 14,700 for hockey. In 2006, a $5.7-million expansion of the arena increased capacity by approximately 1,500 seats.

The Qwest Center displaced the 1954 Omaha Civic Auditorium as the premier indoor arena in the city. The venerable Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum was closed in 2002 and was demolished in 2005.

Notable events
The arena hosted games in the first and second rounds of the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Wrestling Championships, and the 2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. It was also home to the WWE Judgment Day 2008 pay-per-view, as well as other events from WWE.

Summer Olympics Swimming Trials
The center hosted the nationally televised USA Swimming Summer Olympics trials in 2008, 2012 and 2016.The center does not have permanent swimming facilities and they were installed in two weeks by a team of 200 workers with input by Myrtha Pools (which specializes in the construction and dismantling of large scale temporary pools). 2 million gallons of water was pumped in from the Omaha Fire Department from fire hydrants around the center.

The 2008 event averaged more than 12,000 spectators each night.

A portion of the roof, "The Hat", was damaged by a storm on June 27, 2008. There was no structural damage, but the damage caused water to pour into parts of the Qwest Center, flowed down two sets of arena steps and onto the deck of the competition pool for the USA Swimming Summer Olympic Trials. The schedule for the trials went on as planned.

The pools which were dismantled after the event were moved to other cities for permanent installation with the 2008 pool going to the Poseidon Swimming facilty in Richmond, Virginia, the 2012 pool going to Charles River Aquatics in Boston, Massachusetts and the 2016 pool going to the Hulbert Aquatic Facility in West Fargo, North Dakota (West Fargo bought the pool via a local group of swim enthusiasts called UP Aquatics for $900,000).

Construction
In 2001, construction began on the new convention center and arena, known as the "Omaha Arena and Convention Center". Architectural firm DLR Group spearheaded the design, while The Thornton-Tomasetti Group served as structural engineer. M–E Engineers, Inc was the services engineer and a local company, Kiewit Corporation, led general construction. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on March 1, 2001. The venue was completed in August 2003, with an official opening on September 24, 2003.

In 2006, the arena had an expansion to increase seating. The project, funded by the MECA, added an additional 1,472 seats to the upper bowl. The plan also included adding restroom facilities and concession stands, as well as updating aesthetics, mechanical systems, and emergency exits. The cost of the project was $6 million. Construction began in May and was completed September 8, 2006.

In 2009, the center saw another renovation, this time to the entire building. The $6 million project included new carpet, wallpaper, reupholstered arena seating, and a new scoreboard.

Facilities
The convention center has placed Omaha on the convention map since opening in 2003. The center features three exhibit halls, four ballrooms and over 15 meeting rooms. The arena is the busiest venue of the complex. Built in 2001, the arena was meant to replace the aging Omaha Civic Auditorium and demolished Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum. It is the largest arena in the state, seating over 18,000. It contains 32 luxury suites and over a thousand club seats. The arena hosts shows of all genres, including: concerts, family shows, sports, rodeos and circuses. The arena opened September 12, 2003 with a private concert by Grand Funk Railroad. The first official event was the "River City Roundup Fair and Festival", held at both facilities. This AAA four-diamond hotel is connected to the convention center via skywalk. The hotel features 600 rooms personalized for the commercial traveler. The hotel also features a 15 meeting rooms and two ballrooms with room for both small and large events. The on-site restaurant, "The Liberty Tavern", offers Michelin star eats made with home-cooked techniques. This $71 million hotel opened April 2004.
 * CenturyLink Omaha Convention Center
 * Exhibit Hall: The main exhibition room. It can be broken down into three separate rooms (Halls A-C) depending on configuration. The full venue can house over 1,000 or a conference seating more than 16,000 guests.
 * Peter Kiewit Grand Ballroom: Named after the founder of the Kiewit Corporation, this is the biggest ballroom in the facility. Based on configuration, it can be converted into 3 small ballrooms (Ballroom A-C) or 2 large rooms (North and South). The room is primarily used for graduation ceremonies, charity galas and business conferences.
 * Junior Ballroom: This intimate space was designed for private events. It typically hosts weddings, receptions, banquets and cocktail parties. Depending on setup, the room can house nearly 1,000 guests.
 * CenturyLink Center Arena
 * Hilton Omaha
 * Grand Central Ballroom: The main ballroom can house 1,100 guest. Used for business conferences, presentations, proms, charity events and receptions.
 * Blackstone Ballroom: Can house up to 750 guests. Used for cocktail receptions, banquets and meetings.

Naming

 * Qwest Center Omaha (September 20, 2003-July 14, 2011)
 * CenturyLink Center Omaha (July 15, 2011-present)

Records and milestones
Top 10 Largest Home Crowds at CenturyLink Center Omaha, Creighton History

On the evening of March 8, 2014, the largest crowd to attend a Creighton University basketball game occurred when 18,868 fans witnessed the Creighton men's team defeat Providence on Doug McDermott's career-high senior night performance of 45 points.

On January 13, 2012, the largest crowd to ever watch a hockey game in Nebraska occurred when 16,138 fans attended the game between the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Minnesota-Duluth.

The CenturyLink Center holds several NCAA attendance records, particularly in college volleyball. Centurylink Center owns the top three NCAA tournament attendance records. The highest attendance to ever watch a volleyball match in the United States occurred on December 19, 2015 when 17,561 fans watched the 2015 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship game of Texas vs Nebraska. The 2nd highest attendance occurred on December 17, 2015 when 17,551 witnessed the 2015 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball semifinal game between Kansas and Nebraska. The 3rd highest attendance in NCAA tournament history occurred when 17,340 fans watched the 2008 NCAA National Semifinal match between Penn State and Nebraska.