| Tucson Convention Center | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Tucson, Arizona |
| Built | 1971 |
| Opened | 1971 |
| Renovated | 2014 |
| Owner | City of Tucson |
| Operator | SMG |
| Tenants | University of Arizona Wildcats club hockey, Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) |
| Capacity | |
The Tucson Convention Center (previously named the Tucson Community Center) is a large multi-purpose convention center located in downtown Tucson, Arizona. Built in 1971, the location includes a 9,275-seat indoor arena, two performing arts Theater venues, and 205,000 sq. ft of meeting space. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
Performance venues[]
- Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, with 2,289 seats, is used for concert performances, including opera.
- Leo Rich Theatre, with 511 seats, is used for small scale and more intimate performances.
- Tucson Arena, with 4,988 permanent seats, 2,724 bleacher seats, and floor capacity for 888.
Major arena events[]
Tucson Roadrunners[]
Beginning from the fall of 2016, Tucson Arena has been home to the Tucson Roadrunners in the American Hockey League.[1][2][3][4]
Arizona Wildcats ice hockey[]
The University of Arizona Wildcats club hockey team currently plays at Tucson Arena and is the primary tenant at this time. Although associated with the college, the team receives no funding directly from the school. The hockey team is a Division 1 member of the American Collegiate Hockey Association. Leo Golembiewski had been the head coach for the last 27 years, leading the team to 21 straight national tournaments with eight semi-final appearances and one national championship. The current coach is Chad Berman,[5] in his first year with the team.
Other events[]
The Tucson Convention Center has been host to many other events including the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, concerts, monster truck shows as well as many live WWE television broadcasts featuring WWE Raw, & WWE SmackDown.
Past minor league teams[]
- Tucson Mavericks, Central Hockey League (1975–76)
- Tucson Icemen, Southwest Hockey League (1976–77)
- Tucson Rustlers, Professional Hockey League (1978–79)
- Tucson Gunners, Western Basketball Association (1978–79)
- Tucson Gila Monsters, West Coast Hockey League (1997–99)
Renovation[]
Throughout 2014, the Tucson Convention Center was renovated at a cost of $22 million,[6] via funding by the Rio Nuevo downtown redevelopment and revitalization district and the City of Tucson, including new bathrooms, lighting, seats, a revamped sound system, a new kitchen and a video scoreboard.[7] Mike Love's Beach Boys headlined a January 4, 2015 concert at the venue, debuting the remodeled arena.[8]
Management of the convention center is now handled by ASM Global.
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Coyotes Sign Agreement to Purchase Springfield Falcons AHL Franchise. Arizona Coyotes (April 19, 2016).
- ↑ BOG conditionally approves Coyotes' purchase. TheAHL.com. American Hockey League (May 10, 2016).
- ↑ Pallack, Becky (May 17, 2016). City Council approves deal with Coyotes for AHL hockey in Tucson. AZCentral.com. Arizona Daily Star.
- ↑ McLellan, Sarah (May 17, 2016). Tucson City Council approves lease agreement for Arizona Coyotes' AHL team. AZCentral.
- ↑ Arizona Hockey staff page. Retrieved on 2015-01-05.
- ↑ http://tucson.com/entertainment/blogs/caliente-tuned-in/tucson-arena-renovations-aimed-at-enhancing-audience-experience/article_60f7c84d-375a-570f-81b5-a956f052151c.html
- ↑ http://www.kvoa.com/news/tcc-arena-remodel-finished/
- ↑ http://tucson.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/rio-nuevo-seeks-good-vibrations-as-arena-renovations-near-end/article_596d592e-d158-5373-8f80-6152e8bc764c.html