Arena Digest Hosting the Greatest Shows on Earth

{jathumbnail off} Developer Willard Hackerman has offered to fund the construction of a new $325-million, 18,500-seat arena as part of the expansion of the Baltimore Convention Center, making it much more likely an expansion of the Inner Harbor facility could begin in the near future. Hackerman would also fund construction of a new hotel at the expanded complex. Hackerman already ... Read More »

A vote on a controversial events center and arena in Sioux Falls could be presented to the electorate this fall, as Mayor Mike Huether continues his mission to build next to the current arena/events center complex, rather than downtown. Huether and a local group have been sparring over the location of the new facility: Build it Downtown wants to see ... Read More »

Caesars Entertainment won a huge battle by persuading a state judge that a referendum on raising Strip sales taxes for a new arena is legal, but other factors still may bring the project to a screeching halt. The issue: Caesars and the Arena Initiative Committee want to see the sales tax on the the Strip raised from 8.1 percent to ... Read More »

Well, that didn’t take long: last night the Virginia Beach City Council rejected a proposal by Drakkar America to fund a new 22,000-seat arena on the city’s Oceanfront area, saying the city couldn’t afford to back the project. The proposal would have had the city guaranteeing all the debt on the $350-million project, an amount too steep for councilmembers. Drakkar ... Read More »

Drakkar America, a Norfolk consulting firm, is pitching a 22,000-seat arena for the Virginia Beach waterfront near the Convention Center and is looking for assistance from the city to help cover the $350-million price tag. The Virginia Beach City Council will discuss the matter tonight in closed session. The proposal from David Tollacksen is still a little short on specifics, ... Read More »

International Development Management, which had pitched a Silver State Arena on the Vegas Strip, has shifted direction and is now proposing a new arena, football stadium and minor-league ballpark in downtown Las Vegas, bringing a new chapter to the area’s arena wars. The prime tenant of the facilities: the University of Nevada, Las Vegas sports teams. The proposal from International ... Read More »

{jathumbnail off} A decision to hire VenuWorks as the manager of a new downtown Evansville arena has been delayed after county officials say they weren’t part of the decision-making process — but there are some agendas at play as well. The Arena Management Interview Committee decided on Friday to award the management deal for a new downtown arena to Ames, ... Read More »

MGM Grand and Boyd Enterprises, behind the shield of Taxpayers for the Protection of Nevada Jobs, have filed suit against a citizens group seeking to build a new Las Vegas arena behind Harrah’s, funded with a 0.9 percent hike in the Strip’s sales tax — and there’s some merit to their arguments, if third parties can be believed. The group opposes ... Read More »

It would be one of the most ambitious building projects in Baltimore history, as the Greater Baltimore Committee is proposing a billion-dollar expansion of the downtown Convention Center that would include a 18,500-seat arena to replace 1st Mariner Arena. Details of the proposal include a 400,000-square-foot Convention Center expansion, a 500-room Sheraton to replace an existing smaller hotel, and the ... Read More »

{jathumbnail off} A proposed Bangor (Maine) arena is garnering opposition and could go before voters via referendum — but the city is exploring whether to do a referendum anyway. A citizens group is opposing the arena, saying the $80 million cost is too much and that it relies too heavily on revenues generated by a local casino. The city says ... Read More »