BB&T Center (Sunrise, Florida)

BB&T Center

Former names	BankAtlantic Center (2005–2012) Office Depot Center (2002–2005) National Car Rental Center (1998–2002) Broward County Civic Arena (during construction)
Location	1 Panther Parkway, Sunrise, Florida 33323
Coordinates	26°9′30″N 80°19′32″W / 26.15833°N 80.32556°WCoordinates: 26°9′30″N 80°19′32″W / 26.15833°N 80.32556°W
Parking	7,045 total spaces
Owner	Broward County
Operator	Arena Operating Company, Ltd.
Capacity	Basketball: 20,737 Ice hockey: 19,250 Concerts: 20,763 End-Stage Concerts: 15,207 - 21,371 Center-Stage Concerts: 22,457[1]
Field size	872,000 square feet (81,000 m^2)
Construction
Broke ground	November 8, 1996
Opened	October 3, 1998
Construction cost	$185 million[1] ($269 million in 2016 dollars[2])
Architect	Ellerbe Becket
Project manager	Upton & Partners[3]
Structural engineer	Walter P. Moore & Associates
General contractor	Arena Development Company (A joint venture of Centex Rooney/Huber, Hunt & Nichols/Morse Diesel)[3]
Tenants
Florida Panthers (NHL) (1998–present) Florida Pit Bulls (ABA) (2005–2006) Florida Bobcats (AFL) (1999–2001) Florida ThunderCats (NPSL) (1998–1999) Miami Caliente (LFL) (2009–2010)

An overhead view of BB&T Center

The BB&T Center (previously known as Broward County Civic Arena, National Car Rental Center, Office Depot Center, and BankAtlantic Center) is an indoor arena located in Sunrise, Florida. It is home to the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. It was completed in 1998, at a cost of $185 million, almost entirely publicly financed, and features 70 suites and 2,623 club seats.^[1]

History

In 1992, Wayne Huizenga obtained a new NHL franchise that would eventually become the Florida Panthers.^[4] Until the team had an arena of their own, they initially played at the now-demolished Miami Arena, sharing the venue with the NBA's Miami Heat.^[5] Sunrise City Manager Pat Salerno made public a $167-million financing and construction plan for a civic center near the Sawgrass Expressway in December 1995,^[6] and Broward County approved construction in February 1996.^[7] In June 1996, the site was chosen by the Panthers, and in July, Alex Muxo gathered more than a dozen architects, engineers and contractors for the first major design brainstorming session. Architects Ellerbe Becket were given 26 months to build the arena, which had to be ready by August 30, 1998, to accommodate the 1998-99 NHL season. Despite never having designed a facility that had taken less than 31 months from start to finish, they accepted the job.^[4]

Seventy suites were completed with wet bars, closed circuit monitors and leather upholstery. Averaging over 650 square feet (60 m²), the suites are the largest in the country for this type of facility. All the activity was generated by over 50 subcontractors and 2.3 million man hours without a single injury.^[3] Known as Broward County Civic Center during construction, the naming rights were won in July 1998 by National Car Rental—a company purchased by Huizenga in January 1997—leading to the venue being named the National Car Rental Center.^[8] A certificate of occupancy was given on September 12, and the arena opened on October 3 with a Celine Dion concert. The next day, Elton John performed, and on October 9 the Panthers had their first home game at the new arena.^[9]

As NRC's new parent company ANC Rental went bankrupt in 2002, the Panthers sought a new sponsor for the arena.^[10] It later became the Office Depot Center in the summer of 2002, and the BankAtlantic Center on September 6, 2005. As BB&T purchased BankAtlantic in July 2012, two months later the arena was rebranded as BB&T Center.^[11]

BB&T Center is currently the largest arena in Florida and second-largest in the Southeastern United States, behind Greensboro Coliseum.

During the 2011 offseason, the BB&T Center replaced the original green seats in the lower bowl with new red seats, as a part of the Panthers "We See Red" campaign.^[12]

In October 2012, Sunrise Sports and Entertainment completed installation of the Club Red seating sections encompassing the center ice seats during hockey games. It is an all-inclusive nightclub experience following the trend of other sports and entertainment venues in incorporating high-end seating sections and clubs.^[13]

The ADT Club located on the club level offers food and beverage. The Duffy’s Sky Club at the BB&T Center encompasses approximately 8,000 square feet and caters to approximately 500 guests. The Penalty Box offers fans another seating and dining option inside the BB&T Center. The Legends Lounge is a restaurant located on the Lexus Suite Level and offers sit down service.

The BB&T Center is also the home for private loge box seating.

On May 14, 2013, Broward County voted to fund a new scoreboard for the county-owned BB&T Center^[14] On October 11, 2013, the scoreboard made its debut for the Panthers 2013–14 home opener.^[15]

Regular events

Inside the BB&T Center during a Florida Panthers game.

In addition to the Panthers, the arena was formerly home to the Florida Pit Bulls of the American Basketball Association, the Miami Caliente of the Lingerie Football League, and the Florida Bobcats of the AFL, along with the only season of the Florida ThunderCats. This arena also serves as the host for the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic held every December in conjunction with the namesake college football game.

The arena has also hosted the 2003 NHL All-Star Game and the 2006 ABA All-Star game.

Concerts

U2 performed at the stadium on March 24 and 26, 2001, during their Elevation Tour, in front of a total sold out crowd of 37,969 people. They were the opening dates of the Elevation tour bringing fans from all over the world to South Florida.

Depeche Mode performed at the stadium two times: the first one was on September 5, 2009, during their Tour of the Universe, in front of a crowd of 12,665 people. The second one was on September 15, 2013, during their Delta Machine Tour, in front of a sold out crowd of 10,760 people. The 2009 show was recorded for the group's live albums project Recording the Universe.

Notable events

• Bash At The Beach 1999
• Celine Dion - Let's Talk About Love World Tour - October 3, 1998 (Arena's inaugural event)
• Marilyn Manson - March 30, 1999 (Homecoming concert during their 1999 Rock Is Dead Tour. The opening act was fellow Broward County natives Jack Off Jill.)
• WWF Armageddon - December 12, 1999
• The Bee Gees - December 31, 1999 (It was to be their last full arena concert as a group.)
• The Florida Panthers hosted the 2001 NHL Entry Draft & 2015 NHL Entry Draft at the arena.
• U2 opened their 2001 Elevation Tour in the arena.
• The Dave Matthews Band - 2001 (There was a power interruption during the performance; they have not returned to the venue since.^[16])
• WWE Armageddon - December 15, 2002
• The arena served as the site for the 2003 NHL All-Star Game on February 2, 2003. The Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference, 6-5, in a shootout victory. It marked the first "official" shootout in the NHL.
• The Who - November 20, 2006 (recorded a live CD as part of the Encore Series)
• Bon Jovi - A concert held on April 26, 2008, was delayed several hours when someone called in a bomb threat, which turned out to be a hoax.^[17]
• On May 23, 2008, Senator Barack Obama held a rally as part of his presidential campaign.
• On October 29, 2008, Senator Barack Obama held a rally as part of his presidential campaign, and addressed the nation live on several television networks.
• Kylie Minogue performed as part of her Aphrodite World Tour at the arena on May 7, 2011.
• Lady Gaga kicked-off "ArtRave: The Artpop Ball", her fourth world tour on May 4, 2014. She performed for a sold out crowd. Gaga was also going to perform on March 15, 2013, for her Born This Way Ball, but the show was cancelled due to her hip injury.
• Cher performed for a sold out crowd in her Dressed to Kill Tour (Cher) on May 17, 2014.
• Katy Perry performed in front of a sold out crowd on her Prismatic World Tour on July 2, 2014.
• The Florida Panthers hosted the 2015 NHL Entry Draft on June 26–27, 2015.
• Iron Maiden opened their The Book of Souls World Tour on February 24, 2016.
• Pearl Jam opened their Pearl Jam 2016 North America Tour on April 8, 2016.
• Pentatonix opened the U.S. leg of the Pentatonix World Tour 2016 on April 13, 2016
• Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas will open the U.S. leg of the Future Now Tour on June 24, 2016

Boxing, mixed martial arts

The arena has held boxing and mixed martial arts events such as EliteXC: Heat featuring the main event of Seth Petruzelli and Kimbo Slice took place on October 4, 2008. On February 15, 2009, a lightweight bout between Nate Campbell and Ali Funeka took place in the arena.

Strikeforce MMA made their debut at the arena on January 30, 2010, with the Strikeforce: Miami event on Showtime.

UFC on FX 3 took place at the arena on June 8, 2012. It was the first UFC event ever held at the arena.

Rodeo

The Professional Bull Riders brought their Built Ford Tough Series tour to the BB&T Center in September 2005 for a bull riding event, which was won by Kody Lostroh (who ultimately became the Rookie of the Year that same year).

Arena information

Seating

• Basketball: 20,737
• Hockey: 19,250
• End-Stage Concerts: 15,207 - 23,000
• Center-Stage Concerts: 25,000
• 17,000 square feet (1,600 m²) of arena floor space for trade shows and other events such as circuses and ice shows.^[1]

Parking and loading docks

• Total: 7,045 Spaces (Does not include production or bus/oversized vehicle parking)
• General Parking: 4,787 Spaces
• Suite/Club Seat Parking: 1,430 Spaces
• Garage: 226 Spaces
• Disabled Parking: 90 Spaces
• Event Staff: 512 Spaces
• Truck Doors: 5
• Waste Removal Docks: 2^[1]

Food and novelty concessions

• Plaza Level: 3 Food Courts and Pantherland Retail
• Mezzanine Level: 3 Food Courts and two Points of Purchase Kiosks^[1]

References

1. "Facts and Figures". BB&T Center. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2007.
2. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
3. "History". BB&T Center. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
4. "Panthers History: Arenas". National Hockey League. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
5. Lapointe, Joe (December 11, 1992). "N.H.L. Is Going to Disneyland, and South Florida, Too". The New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
6. "Sunrise Gets Serious About Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale). December 16, 1995. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
7. "Prospects Good For Broward Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale). February 1, 1996. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
8. Snell, Alan; Fleshler, David (July 11, 1998). "Huizenga's National Car Rental To Be Name Gracing Hockey Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale). Retrieved February 19, 2015.
9. Nolin, Robert (September 12, 1998). "Sunrise Arena Ok'd For Occupancy". South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale). Retrieved February 19, 2015.
10. Talalay, Sarah (August 16, 2002). "Panthers Want Car Rental Name Taken Off Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale). Retrieved February 19, 2015.
11. Richards, George (September 11, 2012). "Florida Panthers’ Arena Now BB&T Center". The Miami Herald. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
12. "Panthers See Red In BankAtlantic Center Lower Bowl". National Hockey League. July 25, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
13. Valverde, Miriam (January 29, 2013). "Club Red elevates experiences at BB&T Center". South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale). Retrieved February 19, 2015.
14. Nolin, Robert (May 14, 2013). "County to Fund New Scoreboard for Panthers Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale). Retrieved February 19, 2015.
15. Davis, Craig (October 11, 2013). "Huizenga Joins Viola to Christen New Panthers Era Before 6-3 Win". South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale). Retrieved February 19, 2015.
16. "Tour: 2001 summer". DMB Almanac. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
17. Haas, Brian; Gollan, Jennifer (April 27, 2008). "Cell Phone Bomb Threat Delays Bon Jovi Concert". South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale). Retrieved September 10, 2012.

External links

• BB&T Center
• BB&T Center aerial video