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| DESCRIPTION: In October 2007, Kansas City ushered in a new era of live entertainment with the addition of the $276 million Sprint Center. A cornerstone of Kansas City's downtown revitalization, Sprint Center is a state-of-the-art, 18,500-seat arena on the eastern edge of the new Kansas City Power & Light District. |
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| ADDRESS: 1407 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Mo. |
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| LOCATION: At the corner of 14th Street & Grand Boulevard in downtown Kansas City. |
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| PHONE: 816-949-7000 |
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| WEB SITE: www.sprintcenter.com |
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HIGHLIGHTS:
- Sprint Center will play host to more than 100 events a year, including marquee concerts, sporting events and family shows.
- The College Basketball Experience is connected to the Sprint Center via a common lobby. CBE contains interactive basketball exhibits and houses the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
- Built of 2,204 panes of glass, designers intentionally made Sprint Center transparent to allow views into and out of the facility. The clear patterned glass material catches and reflects light both day and night.
- Major sporting events have already made their way to Sprint Center, including basketball tournaments, professional volleyball and wrestling. The arena is home to the Kansas City Brigade, a member of the Arena Football League.
- Stretched across eight and half acres, the arena complex also includes 72 hospitality suites, 14 concession areas, a gift shop, a sports bar, a VIP lounge and several smaller rooms for meetings, receptions and other special events.
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| HOURS: The Sprint Center box office is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with extended hours on event nights. |
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| ADMISSION: Tickets to Sprint Center events can be purchased at the arena box office, at Ticketmaster outlets, at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 816-931-3330. |
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| ANNUAL ATTENDANCE: Nearly a million guests are expected to visit Sprint Center in its inaugural year. |
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HISTORY: Sprint Center was developed through a public/private partnership between the City of Kansas City, Mo., and Anschutz Entertainment Group. AEG operates some of the world's finest arenas, from Los Angeles' STAPLES Center to London's new world-class arena, The O2.
The venue was designed by a collaboration of KC-based architect firms called the Downtown Arena Design Team, including representatives from HOK Sport, Ellerbe Becket, 360 Architecture and Rafael Architects. The CBE portion of the complex was designed by ESI Design, best known for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
In August 2004, citizens approved a ballot initiative to fund the arena through hotel, motel and rental car fees. Construction broke ground in June 2005 and was completed in fall 2007. A special performance by Elton John on Oct. 13, 2007, was the first event inside the arena. In its first 60 days of operation, Sprint Center welcomed more than 400,000 guests at 32 events.
In March 2008, Sprint Center was the site of the Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship. Future events include the first and seconds of the NCAA Men's Tournament in 2009 and the regional round of the NCAA Women's Tournament in 2010.
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| WHERE TO GET LUNCH: Sprint Center's 14 concession areas feature a variety of food and drinks, including Kansas City barbecue at Truman's and Mexican fare at Taco Taco. The arena also houses a QuikTrip convenience store-complete with doughnuts, sandwiches and fountain drinks. Before or after a show, check out the restaurants at the adjacent Kansas City Power & Light District, where the dining options range from an Irish pub to a create-your-own-burger restaurant. |
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| WHAT'S NEARBY: Sprint Center and the College Basketball Experience are just steps away from the Kansas City Power & Light District. The $850-million district features eight blocks of restaurants, shops and entertainment venues. |
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| HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES: The hands-on, high-energy exhibits at the College Basketball Experience recreate the intensity of a college basketball game. |
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| DID YOU KNOW: The arena's "glass bowl" exterior is made up of more than 2,200 panes of glass, each weighing between 700 and 750 pounds. |
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| DON'T FORGET: to take notice of the Sprint Center's unique art installation, entitled We hardly ever see the moon anymore. Created by New York artist Chris Doyle, the work includes water displays, trees and three landscaped "islands" with 10-foot-tall, high-resolution circular LED screens. The screens, which will operate 24 hours a day, display videos of city residents seemingly flying from one screen to the next. The islands represent small satellite moons orbiting around Sprint Center. |
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| PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Take the MAX to the Arena stop. |
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DRIVING THERE: From the east: Travel west on I-70 into downtown Kansas City. Take Exit 2Q and turn right on Grand Boulevard. Sprint Center will be on your right.
From the west: Travel east on I-70 and merge onto I-670 E. Take Exit 2R on the left. Turn left on Central Street and then a right on 14th Street. Finally, take a left on Grand Boulevard. Sprint Center will be on your right.
From the north: Travel south on I-35 into downtown Kansas City. Take Exit 2F and merge onto Oak Street. Turn right on 13th Street and then left on Grand Boulevard. Sprint Center will be on your left.
From the south: Travel north on US-71. Merge onto I-670 W. Take Exit 2Q and turn right on Grand Boulevard. Sprint Center will be on your right.
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| PARKING: More than 20,000 parking spots are within 10 blocks of the arena. For a map of available downtown parking, visit Sprint Center's Web site. When purchasing tickets at the arena box office during non-event hours, 15-minute parking is available in the parking lot near Oak Street. |
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| PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACT: Shani Tate Ross at 816-949-7100 or media@sprintcenter.com. |
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