Iowa Events Center

The Iowa Events Center is a public events complex located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa.

Overview

The Iowa Events Center consists of the existing Veterans Memorial Auditorium, the existing Polk County Convention Complex, the new Hy-Vee Hall, and the new Wells Fargo Arena. The new buildings were designed by HOK Sport, who were also the architects of the renovated Principal Park in Des Moines, the United Center in Chicago, and many other arenas and stadiums in the United States. The project is expected to cost $217 million, which makes this the largest public project in Iowa history. Funding for the project comes from Polk County and its cities, private donations, and the Vision Iowa Fund that Gov. Tom Vilsack signed into law in 2000.

Construction began in early 2002 after Polk County reached a project-labor agreement with local labor unions that guaranteed favorable wages and working conditions in exchange for no work stoppages. Polk County was soon sued by right to work supporters who claimed that the use of a project-labor agreement on a public project violated Iowa's right to work laws. The lawsuit halted construction for several months, but on November 15, 2002, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled in Polk County's favor.

On April 22, 2004, Polk County agreed to transfer management of the Iowa Events Center to Global Spectrum, a Comcast subsidiary, of Philadelphia. Global Spectrum soon announced that the new Iowa Stars hockey team would be the center's primary tenant. In September 2004, Global Spectrum announced that ticket purchases will be done through Patron Solutions, another Comcast subsidiary, instead of Ticketmaster.

Veterans Memorial Auditorium

Named to honor the World War II veterans of Polk County, Veterans Memorial Auditorium opened on February 1, 1955. It has 7,227 permanent seats, with the capacity to add an additional 4,000 seats for concerts and an additional 7,500 bleacher seats for basketball games. Vets also features 44,972 square feet (4,100 m²) of exhibition space at its main arena and an additional 50,806 square feet (4,700 m²) at its exhibition hall. ^*

Vets Auditorium has served as the primary venue of sporting events and concerts in the Des Moines area for many years. Performers such as Elvis Presley, Lawrence Welk, Neil Diamond, and AC/DC have played here; this was also the site of the infamous 1982 concert where Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat. Vets Auditorium was also home to the Iowa Barnstormers arena football team from 1995 to 2000 (and the arenafootball2 version of the Barnstormers that lasted only one season in 2001) and was the longtime home of the Iowa state high school basketball and wrestling tournaments until 2005. Vets auditorium also hosted Drake University Basketball until 1991 and the Des Moines Dragons professional basketball team. In recent years, however, Vets began to show its age as newer and larger arenas were opening in other cities. The Barnstormers moved out because of the inadequacy of "The Barn" (as Vets was known during their games) and concert promoters began to bypass Des Moines for other cities.

Vets Auditorium was modernized as part of the Iowa Events Center work. It will still be used for smaller arena events and exhibitions after the new buildings open. The Des Moines skywalk system connects Vets with Wells Fargo Arena, Hy-Vee Hall, and the Polk County Convention Complex.

Hy-Vee Hall

Hy-Vee Hall, which the Hy-Vee Food Stores chain owns the naming rights to, is the Iowa Events Center's new exhibition hall. It features 100,000 square feet (9,000 m²) of space for trade shows, conventions, and other major events. It also features eight meeting rooms with a total of 15,000 square feet (1,400 m²) of meeting space. ^* The south end of Hy-Vee Hall houses the Iowa Hall of Pride, which honors the achievements of Iowa high school athletes and performers.

Although it was still incomplete, Hy-Vee Hall hosted its first event, the Autumn Festival, from October 21 through October 23, 2004. It was formally dedicated on December 15, 2004, while the Iowa Hall of Pride opened to the public on February 23, 2005.

Wells Fargo Arena

Named for title sponsor Wells Fargo Financial Services, Wells Fargo Arena is the Des Moines area's new venue for sporting events and concerts. Its primary tenant will be the Iowa Stars hockey team, while this will also be the new home for the state high school wrestling and basketball tournaments starting in 2006.

Wells Fargo Arena seats 15,181 for hockey games, 16,110 for basketball games, and as many as 16,980 for concerts. ^*. It also features the Principal River's Edge Restaurant, which provides views of the Des Moines River and the Iowa State Capitol. The restaurant opened on October 6, 2005, coinciding with the Stars' inaugural home game.

Wells Fargo Arena opened with a public dedication ceremony on July 12, 2005. Its first event, Tony Hawk's Boom-Boom Huck Jam, was held on July 14, while its first concert, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with the Black Crowes, was held on July 18.

Polk County Convention Complex

Known locally as "the Plex," the Polk County Convention Complex opened in 1985. It features 60,000 square feet of exhibition space on two levels and 27 meeting rooms. ^* Polk County originally planned to close the Convention Complex when Hy-Vee Hall opened, but they decided to transfer management of the building to Global Spectrum in 2004. While the Convention Complex is located south of the other buildings, Global Spectrum markets it as part of the Iowa Events Center.

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