Greensboro Coliseum Complex thread

[cityboi]

Greensboro tries to land another major sports event. The city is bidding for the 2012 U.S. olympics wrestling trials to be hosted at the coliseum.

http://www.news-record.com/content/2010/11/11/article/greensboro_bidding_for_olympic_wrestling_trials

Edited November 11, 2010 by cityboi

[cityboi]

The National U.S. Figure Skating Championship is just around the corner and will put Greensboro in the world sports spotlight. My how time flies. It will indeed be the largest event ever held at the coliseum. Im actually surprised Charlotte didn't win the bid being that they have a sparkling new uptown arena within walking distance to restaurants, bars, attractions, thousands of hotel rooms and better airline connections. The folks at the Greensboro Coliseum have done a fantastic job at luring this event and to put Greensboro at the top of the radar.

Edited January 16, 2011 by cityboi

[cityboi]

Just saw on the news that spectors from 47 states and several countries (as far away as Japan) will be attending the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Definately a first for Greensboro and North Carolina.

Edited January 21, 2011 by cityboi

[cityboi]

Progress on the Aquatic Center at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex is moving forward. Here is a link to the website and webcam

The facility will host the 2012 U.S. Masters Swimming Spring National Championships.

webcam

http://trafficcam19.greensboro-nc.gov/view/view.shtml?id=1468&imagepath=/mjpg/video.mjpg&size=1

Edited January 21, 2011 by cityboi

[Urbanity]

Just saw on the news that spectors from 47 states and several countries (as far away as Japan) will be attending the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Definately a first for Greensboro and North Carolina.

Great news for both Greensboro and NC, One correction though - I'm fairly confident in saying the national and international level of attendance for the event are certainly not a first for North Carolina, maybe Greensboro, but certainly not for the whole state.

Edited January 22, 2011 by Urbanity

[RALNATIVE]

Great news for both Greensboro and NC, One correction though - I'm fairly confident in saying the national and international level of attendance for the event are certainly not a first for North Carolina, maybe Greensboro, but certainly not for the whole state.

Let's see, we've had PGA championships take place in Pinehurst, major NASCAR events held in Charlotte, the NHL Stanley cup finals taking place in Raleigh, the NHL All-Star game taking place in Raleigh next weekend...

Why is it that Greensboro is always considered first in everything?

[HopHead]

^And don't forget the NCAA Final Four and NBA All Star game in Charlotte back in the 1990s. Yea, I think you have a point

[cityboi]

Most of those are not international events but they are definitely national events that have captured the national spot light. The U.S. Figure Skating Championship has a larger international audience because its more of an olympic type event. NASCAR, PGA tournaments and even Final Four tournaments aren't going to attract people from Japan, Canada, Mexico, ect. Of course Greensboro has had its share of national sports coverage.

events that were shown across the country.

PGA Wyndham Greensboro

1974 NCAA Final Four (Greensboro) yes Charlotte wasn't the only city in NC to host the NCAA Final Four championship.

1998 NCAA East Regionals mens Basketball (Greensboro)

NCAA first and second rounds Men's basketball (Greensboro)

NCAA East Regional Women's college basketball (Greensboro)

Men's and Women's ACC basketball Tournament.

ABA Carolina Cougars (North Carolina's first major league sports team was based in Greensboro even though home games were split between Greensboro, Charlotte and Raleigh. The ABA was considered major league until it merged with the NBA in the 1970s. Some ABA teams like the Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs survived. The Carolina Cougars folded like many other ABA teams)

also for a brief few years the NHL Carolina Hurricanes in Greensboro. I still have an NHL sony Playstation game which shows Greensboro Coliseum Complex on the ice

Edited January 22, 2011 by cityboi

[RALNATIVE]

most of those are not international events but they are definitely national events that has captured the national spot light. Of course Greensboro has had its share of national sports coverage.

events that were shown across the country.

PGA Wyndham Greensboro

1974 NCAA Final Four

1998 NCAA East Regionals mens Basketball

NCAA first and second rounds Men's basketball

NCAA East Regional Women's college basketball

also for a brief few years the NHL Carolina Hurricanes in Greensboro. I still have an NHL sony Playstation game which shows Greensboro Coliseum Complex on the ice

You don't call the NHL All Star games and PGA Chamionships international events?

Stop kidding yourself...

[RALNATIVE]

also for a brief few years the NHL Carolina Hurricanes in Greensboro. I still have an NHL sony Playstation game which shows Greensboro Coliseum Complex on the ice

The Carolina Huirricanes were always a Raleigh based team. They only played at the Greensboro Colliseum until the new arena in Raleigh was built. When they played in Greensboro, the attendance was so bad that they used to cover the upper rows with black sheets so that TV coverage would not focus on all of those empty rows.

The Canes and the NHL hockey league, still today, talk about how bad things were when they played in Greensboro and how ready they were to finish playing there and get into the new arena in Raleigh.

[Urbanity]

Actually in keeping with the TRIAD theme, High Point probably deserves more credit than Greensboro for international visitors with the High Point Market event. It's long been bringing people (and media coverage) from around the world.

I didn't mean btw to set off a city vs. city battle. I just know that a disservice was done to North Carolina and all of its great cities by claiming that the figure skating event was the first in the state to bring a high level of international visitors and attention (heck - the Charlotte UltraSwim event with Phelps did that just last year) .

Fact is that this is a great state with a lot of great cities and each has some unique values. I really like the idea being tossed around in this and other threads of Greensboro being a great tournament and sporting exhibition city. It makes sense and is worth exploiting. I just don't think that needs to be done by claiming false rhetoric.

[cityboi]

NHL All-Stars and PGA don't attract droves of international spectators. Thats not to say there are no international spectators at those events. Those events are national events. The NHL doesn't appeal to other countries and it really doesn't have the fan base here in NC like in the Northeast and midwest.

The reason attendance was so low at NHL games in Greensboro was because the locals knew it wasn't their team and it was only going to be there for a few years. A lot of fans were pissed off that Greensboro traded its permanent AHL team for a temporary NHL team headed for Raleigh so they refused to support a lame duck team. It wasn't that Greensboro couldnt support the team if it played here permantly. The city and region had the population. In the 1990s, The Triad was bigger than the Triangle in population and Raleigh really wasn't that much bigger than Greensboro at the time. Until Raleigh landed the NHL, Greensboro had the highest level of hockey in the state so hockey was popular in Greensboro. The AHL is the highest level of minor league hockey, one notch under the NHL. But there were some NHL games in Greensboro where attendance was high and thats when Wayne Gretzky played in Greensboro.

In terms of international events in North Carolina, High Point is at the top of the list because of the International Home Furnishings market which attracts over 100,000 people from around the country and world each event. But in terms of sports events, I really can't think of any other event that has drawn so many spectators from other countries. The only really big sports events played in the state were PGA Championship, NHL All-Stars, NCAA Final Four (twice) and some big NASCAR events. The PGA Championship is probably more international than the others but not on par with an event like the U.S. figure skating championship which attract more international contestants and spectators. The U.S. Figure Skating Championship is the most prestigious figure skating event in the country. A big reason Greensboro was picked over Charlotte and Raleigh is because the Greensboro Coliseum Complex has a lot of additional auxiliary space. That was important so the practice rink, championship event and fan fest could be all under one roof. The Greensboro Coliseum actually has a mini-arena (seats 5,000) so you can have multiple big events going on at the coliseum at the same time. Thats the big advantage the Greensboro Coliseum has over Time Warner Cable arena in Charlotte and the RBC Center in Raleigh which consist of just arena space. I'm actually surprise city leaders in Raleigh havent been pushing to add such additional space to the RBC Center to stay competitive with the Greensboro Coliseum. There is plenty of land around the RBC Center unlike Time Warner Cable Arena. Another big advantage the Greensboro Coliseum has is that its the biggest arena in the state. It seats 23,500 and long range expansion plans include adding another 2,000 seats pushing the seating capacity to 25,500. The irony is that the Greensboro Coliseum was built in the 1950s (went through two major expansions/renovations) and the arenas in Charlotte and Raleigh are practically brand new. I'm not saying all this to make this city vs city but I was just pointing out why Greensboro landed this event because some in the community have questioned why Charlotte or even Raliegh didnt land the event being that the RBC Center is already home to a big league ice sport.

comparison....

Greensboro Coliseum Complex

The Greensboro Coliseum Complex consists of 23,500-seat Greensboro Coliseum, 2,400-seat War Memorial Auditorium, 300-seat Odeon Theatre, the 167,000-square foot Special Events Center that includes three exhibition halls, a 5,000-seat mini-arena and eight meeting rooms, and the 30,000- square-foot Pavilion, located adjacent to the Special Events Center. Currently under construction is the Greensboro Aquatic Center, ACC Hall of Champions, amphitheater and ACC VIP lounge.

RBC Center in Raleigh

single arena complex, seating capacity - 20,000

Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte

single arena complex, seating capacity - 20,200

Greensboro Coliseum over the years.

The original War Memorial Complex in Greensboro after completion in 1959

The interior of the Greensboro Coliseum as it looked after it was first built in 1959, before the expansion that added an upper deck in 1972.

Greensboro Coliseum in 1972 after expansion. The coliseum would later expand to 23,500 seats with a new re-designed exterior in the early 1990s

present day.

Edited January 25, 2011 by cityboi

[Rufus]

I would like to point out its the U.S. Figure Skating Championships...not the World Championships. Hence, the only competitors will be Americans. Therefore, it is not so much an international event, as it is a national event. There is a big difference. Does it have global appeal? Yes. But it is certainly not the most international event in terms of sports or even conventions...I think most national championships have little appeal outside of our borders.

But this is a significant event for Greensboro, NC, and all other cities in NC...not knocking its importance.

[HopHead]

Well, I think an even bigger factor in why Greensboro landed this event over other NC cities is because it's not tied up the way that Time Warner Cable Arena is with the NBA and AHL or the RBC Center is with the NHL and NC State basketball. That's why these events are favorable for Greensboro. They don't have to fight these other events for availability because they don't have a primary tenant.

[cityboi]

I would like to point out its the U.S. Figure Skating Championships...not the World Championships. Hence, the only competitors will be Americans. Therefore, it is not so much an international event, as it is a national event. There is a big difference. Does it have global appeal? Yes. But it is certainly not the most international event in terms of sports or even conventions...I think most national championships have little appeal outside of our borders.

But this is a significant event for Greensboro, NC, and all other cities in NC...not knocking its importance.

Agreed it is indeed a national competition. But this event draws international specators, mainly because its an olympic type event and figure skating is popular world-wide. Thats why I said its more of an international event. Officials have already reported spectators from several countries, from as far a way as Japan. nevertheless its not just an important event for Greensboro, this is a big deal for North Carolina and millions of people around the country will be tuned into NBC to watch this event. The U.S. Figure Skating Championships television broadcasts reaches neary 500 million homes world-wide (more than 125 countries based on previous U.S. Figure Skating championships) This makes it an international event. Last year's championships in Washington State attracted more than 100,000 people to the venue there over the course of 8 days. City officials project nearly the same for Greensboro.

Edited January 24, 2011 by cityboi

[RALNATIVE]

I just don't think that needs to be done by claiming false rhetoric.

Amen!

Honestly, if you ask anyone outside of Greensboro, who is not associated with this event, about the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, they'd be like......what???

With all seriousness, I'd much rather have a big ticket event that draws many important movers and shakers to the area who have lot's of influence and dollars to spend, such as a PGA championship or NHL All Star game. Raleigh has spent over a decade wooing the NHL for this event. As part of the criteria for landing the event, they committed to upgrading the airport, building the new convention center, adding more 4 and 5 star hotel rooms, as well as providing other amenities for visitors. The game is so exclusive, local tickets are not even available to the general public, only to season ticket holders.

This event draws the type of people that would not ordinarily choose to visit any city in NC unless there was a big event such as this. Raleigh is rolling out the red carpet, and the impact is expected to not only be short-term financial rewards, but long-term promotion of Raleigh as a major city that is capable of pulling off big-ticket events.

Edited January 24, 2011 by RALNATIVE

[cityboi]

Amen!

Honestly, if you ask anyone outside of Greensboro, who is not associated with this event, about the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, they'd be like......what???

With all seriousness, I'd much rather have a big ticket event that draws many important movers and shakers to the area who have lot's of influence and dollars to spend, such as a PGA championship or NHL All Star game. Raleigh has spent over a decade wooing the NHL for this event. As part of the criteria for landing the event, they committed to upgrading the airport, building the new convention center, adding more 4 and 5 star hotel rooms, as well as providing other amenities for visitors. The game is so exclusive, local tickets are not even available to the general public, only to season ticket holders.

This event draws the type of people that would not ordinarily choose to visit any city in NC unless there was a big event such as this. Raleigh is rolling out the red carpet, and the impact is expected to not only be short-term financial rewards, but long-term promotion of Raleigh as a major city that is capable of pulling off big-ticket events.

I just realized that The NHL All-Stars in Raleigh and the U.S. Figure Skating Championship finals in Greensboro take place on the same day (January 30, 2011) North Carolina will be at the center of the ice sports universe on that day so a lot of people will be coming to North Carolina. Because both events attract an entirely different audience, they won't be competing against each other.

Greensboro has also rolled out the red carpet for its premier event. Things actually kicked off in November when an outdoor ice skating rink was built downtown which will now become an annual tradition. The great thing about the U.S. FIgure Skating Championship is that it will lead to more big events coming to Greensboro, not just the same event over and over like the ACC Tournament or events like the PGA, NHL All-Stars. Now believe me, events such as those are extremely important to the state because they do keep North Carolina and its cities in the national spot light and have great economic impact. But having many different kinds of sports events invites different audiences. That puts a city in an even larger spot light on the national stage. Not everyone is interested in the NHL and not everyone is interested in figure skating. This figure skating championship has already started a chain reaction. Next year Greensboro will host the 2012 U.S. Masters Swimming Spring National Championships at the coliseum in the new aquatic center. Just another big event that serves an entirely different audience. Greensboro's "Tournament Town" promotion seems to be working.

LOL if the NCAA can get away from the big dome arenas, which I doubt, I'd love to see the Final Four championship return to Greensboro again. But times have changed since 1974. The NCAA has grown up. The NCAA seems to pick cities that only have huge arenas like the Alamo Dome or big stadiums that serve as arena and these cities need to have good airline connections, adequate number of hotel rooms along with many tourist destinations. But then again you just never know. If Greensboro can keep building on the tournament town reputation attracting more and more major national sports events to the point where Greensboro is nationally known as tournament town, the city may beat the odds one day. Since Greensboro cant get a major league sports team now we can find other ways to host big sports events. There is more than one way to skin a cat and Greensboro has found its niche.

Edited January 25, 2011 by cityboi

[twincity]

Just got my Sports Business Journal and that have a small article re: the 6 construction projects on coliseum grounds.

Other minor improvements that are under construction.

- The Terrace, a new 12,900 sf banquet room

- A new fresh deli concession stand

- Expansion of the Schiffman's Diamond Club.

The Diamond Club will now have an exclusive view of the arena floor with a 350 sf platform extending into the bowl on the north end. That should be ready this week.

The Terrace should be ready in time for the ACC tournament in March.

[cityboi]

Just got my Sports Business Journal and that have a small article re: the 6 construction projects on coliseum grounds.

Other minor improvements that are under construction.

- The Terrace, a new 12,900 sf banquet room

- A new fresh deli concession stand

- Expansion of the Schiffman's Diamond Club.

The Diamond Club will now have an exclusive view of the arena floor with a 350 sf platform extending into the bowl on the north end. That should be ready this week.

The Terrace should be ready in time for the ACC tournament in March.

great news. In the coliseum's 50 year history there has never been this many projects under construction at one time. The banquet hall, ACC Hall of Champions, Aquatic Center and a 7,600 seat amphitheater which is about half the size of the big regional amphitheaters in Charlotte and Raleigh. Now mind you all this is has been happening in the middle of a bad economy. There are even future exansion plans which includes the second phase of the ACC Hall of Champions and adding an additional 2,000 seats to the main arena. Long range plans show the old Canada Dry building becoming an entertainment venue for the coliseum and a large 4 or 5 star hotel becoming a part of the complex. An anchor hotel for the coliseum has always been on the table and the coliseum was really close to getting one about 10 years ago. The entertainment space in the Canada Dry building could easily be used for an onsite restaurant/lounge (The ACC Cafe & Sports Bar?) and maybe even a comedy club. All of these additional amenities would really make the complex competitive on a state and national level in luring events. It would really force arenas like the RBC Center in Raleigh to come up with expansion plans of their own to stay competitive. Many arenas have no other amenities other than the arena itself and they have no convention/trade show space like the Greensboro Coliseum. Plans for renovation of the War Memorial Auditorium are also up in the air as the city decides between a new perforance arts center downtown or renovation at the coliseum. Because these projects have reduced the number of parking spaces, parking will be an issue. I would recommend a large parking deck attached to the coliseum. Coliseum manager Matt Brown mentions that part of the Canada Dry building could be demolished for extra parking but I would be against that since it is a historic building. Also railroad tracks (Amtrak line) are practically across the street from the coliseum and in the future it would be a good idea to put a commuter rail stop there at some point. People from Charlotte, Raleigh or Winston-Salem going to events at the coliseum could just take the train and walk across the street.

Coliseum manager Matt Brown weighs in and he supports naming rights for the coliseum which is something Charlotte and Raleigh have done with their arenas. With all the exposure the coliseum has been getting lately naming rights many not be that far off and it would help the city financially in regards to the coliseum. Here is an idea....maybe something like "The FedEx Center". The downside is that Greensboro would be removed from the name. Its amazing that Greensboro is even supporting a venue of this size without a primary tenant. The Greensboro Coliseum Complex is one of the city's greatest assets and its the Greensboro's greatest asset in regards to generating national media attention for the city.

http://www.myfox8.com/news/newsmakers/wghp-story-matt-brown-110127,0,4905092.story

Edited January 28, 2011 by cityboi

[cityboi]

A little clip of the competition so far. That coliseum was pretty packed. Live national coverage will begin this afternoon, tonight and the finale tommorrow.

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/9008810/

just started. They showed a nice aerial video shot of the coliseum complex and downtown Greensboro on NBC

Edited January 31, 2011 by cityboi

[cityboi]

Here is a list of all the indoor arenas in the country. The list excludes indoor dome stadiums such as the Georgia and Alamo Dome. According to the rankings, Greensboro Coliseum is tied with the United Center in Chicago and the Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY in having the largest civic arena seating capicity in the United States. All three have a maximum capacity of 23,500. This means the Greensboro Coliseum seats more people than any major league sports "arena" in the country, with exception to the United Center. There are a few university arenas that are a little larger but in terms of civic arenas, these 3 are the largest. When the Greensboro Coliseum adds 2,000 more seats in the main arena, it will stand alone in having the largest seating capicity for a civic arena in the United States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_indoor_arenas_in_the_United_States

Edited January 30, 2011 by cityboi

[cityboi]

As the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships end, coliseum staff are already seeking the next "BIG" event. In fact representatives, from U.S. Gymnastics were at the coliseum Saturday. There is already a U.S. swim nationals on the calendar for 2012 at the coliseum. GO TOURNAMENT TOWN!!!

http://www.myfox8.com/news/wghp-story-figure-skating-dream-110130,0,1975441.story

Edited January 31, 2011 by cityboi

[cityboi]

U.S. Figure Skating announced the attendance to the event in Greensboro. The numbers are big and they surpassed the attendance at the International Home Furnishings Market in High Point. 110,787 people attended the event over 9 days. The record was set last year in Washington State 158,000. While Greensboro didnt break the record the event here does rank as the second highest attendance in the championships history beating old records set by Los Angeles and Dallas. Not bad for a region of the country not known for figure skating. Additional attendance at the FanFest, practice rink and related activities totaled another 50,805. The U.S. Figure Skating organization was so pleased with Greensboro they plan to keep the Gate City on their short list for future championships.

http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=159291&catid=57

Edited February 2, 2011 by cityboi

[cityboi]

While not as big as the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships, the coliseum is hosting another big sports event this weekend. It will be a gymnastics competition with 1,500 athletes from eight states. Organizers say it will be the largest gymnastics competition ever held in North Carolina.

http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2011/02/07/coliseum-to-host-gymnastics-competition.html

http://www.greensborogyminvite.com/home/

Edited February 8, 2011 by cityboi

[Urbanity]

That's great. Hope to see more big events coming to Greensboro.