Honda Center: Corporate: Fact Sheet

Nestled in the heart of Orange County, Honda Center stands as one of the premier entertainment and sports venues in the country. Opened in 1993, it is owned by the City of Anaheim and managed by Anaheim Arena Management, LLC. Home to the Anaheim Ducks and annual John R. Wooden Classic, the arena has hosted the 2003 World Gymnastics Championships and 2005 World Badminton Championships; NCAA events including the first Frozen Four west of the Rocky Mountains and much more. Performances by world renowned musical artists and family shows are also plentiful year after year for the fans of Orange County and Southern California. Since 1993, more than 26 million fans have been entertained at Honda Center, enjoying more than 2,500 events.

Honda Center offers fans a facility that is both beautiful to behold and a delight in which to view any event reflecting state-of-the-art design in both form and function. Visitors enjoy incredibly comfortable seating and some of the best sight lines and proximity to the action found anywhere. Fans looking to experience their favorite artist in an upscale, intimate atmosphere will appreciate The Theatre at Honda Center. Created in 2001, The Theatre seats approximately 7,000 people and acts including Dolly Parton and Matchbox Twenty have graced the stage.

Recently Honda Center has achieved many great accomplishments, such as:
- The venue recently received its seventh nomination for “Venue of the Year” in the United States by Pollstar Magazine.

- Venues Today, a leading concert industry magazine, has ranked Honda Center 1st in the state of California in total attendance (309,686) and total number of concerts & events (28) during 2007.

VENUE	Total Attendance	No. Shows
1. Honda Center, Anaheim, Calif.	309,686	28
2. Staples Center Arena, Los Angeles	292,234	27
3. Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Irvine, Calif.	270,766	22
4. Save Mart Center at Fresno (Calif.) State	170,508	27
5. Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, Calif.	199,893	19
* 15,001-30,000 seats

- According to Billboard Magazine, over the past two years, Honda Center has ranked among the top ten venues in the world for gross ticket sales for venues with more than 15,000 seats.

- 2008 has one of the strongest lineups in recent memory already having seen Billy Joel, Elton John, Keith Urban & Carrie Underwood, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, George Michael, Michael Bublé and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament first and second rounds all at Honda Center in the early part of the year. Still to come are shows from world-renowned artists Celine Dion and Tina Turner.

- Construction was recently completed on a major box office renovation in order to meet the growing demand from patrons. It expanded to add six new windows, dramatically impacting speed and entry to the facility.

- New ownership has poured more than $12.9 million into arena improvements that directly affect our fans and how they see and enjoy events. Fans now view game entertainment on a new, state-of-the-art sound system. A second LED ring and end-zone scoreboards were also added.

- Top-notch food vendors such as Rubio’s, Ruby’s, Wienerschnitzel and First Class Pizza now have locations in the building. A new point-of-sale system for all food and beverage as well as merchandise stands has meant faster, more efficient service for fans.

- Also included in the building improvements have been fresh paint, 57 Freeway Marquee, improved outdoor signage, remodeled team store and flat screen TVs.

The complete arena encompasses 650,000 square feet of space and is lined inside and out with marble and granite from around the world. The building’s roof spans 444 feet by 329 feet, more than 100 feet above the arena floor. Seating is comprised of three levels. Closest to the arena floor is the Plaza Level; just 21 rows from the floor is the exclusive Club Level for Premium Seat holders and above the Club level, is the Terrace level.

Construction start date: June 1991
Opening date: June 19, 1993
Building original cost: $103 million
Building final cost: $123 million
Architect: Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum (HOK)
Building owner: City of Anaheim
Management: Anaheim Arena Management, LLC
Food & Beverage: ARAMARK Corporation
Main Tenant: Anaheim Ducks (Anaheim Ducks Hockey Club, LLC)
First event: Barry Manilow (sold out)
The arena is home to the Annual John Wooden Classic, Stars on Ice, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Champions on Ice and The Harlem Globetrotters.
NCAA History: 1998 Men’s Basketball West Regional, 1999 Men’s Ice Hockey Frozen Four, 2001 Men’s Basketball West Regional and 2003 Men’s Basketball West Regional

Hockey Capacity = 17,174
Basketball Capacity = 17,608
Center Stage Capacity = 18,900
End Stage Capacity = 18,325
Total Number of Suites = 83
Function Rooms include the Vista Rooms and Board Room.
The Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Club is located on the Private Club level.
There are a total of 4,500 parking spaces at Honda Center

More than 26 million people have been entertained at Honda Center since 1993.
More than 2,500 events have been hosted at Honda Center since 1993.
The facility hosted a total of 30 top-name concerts in 2007. Artists included The Police, Christina Aguilera, Eric Clapton and Van Halen.
The arena recently completed a $12.9 million improvement plan, adding a new state-of-the-art sound system, second LED ring, end-zone scoreboards and a new point-of-sale system for all food and beverage and merchandise stands. A 95-foot-tall marquee was also constructed alongside the 57 Freeway.
On April 15, 2006 history was made at Honda Center. The first Ultimate Fighting Championship ever in the state of California, UFC 59: Reality Check was also the fastest sellout in UFC history.

Top Rank Boxing, Jorge Arce vs. Julio Roque Ler – Two fights were aired nationally in High Definition on HBO Boxing After Dark, January 27, 2007
John R. Wooden Classic – Game One was broadcast live on CBS Sports, Game Two was live on KCAL9 locally and nationally on HDNet and Superstation WGN.
UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn – Three hours of Pay Per View coverage
UFC 59: Reality Check – Three hours of Pay Per View coverage
2005 World Badminton Championships –Five hours of coverage nationally on ESPN2 plus international coverage that was seen in millions of households worldwide.
2003 World Gymnastics Championships - Five hours of coverage nationally on NBC Sports and international broadcasts ranged from six to 30 hours in as many as 80 other countries.
2004 Olympic Team Trials for Gymnastics - six hours of coverage nationally on NBC.

Member of the exclusive Arena Network and Arena Network Theatre Group which have promoted tours including Dolly Parton and the 2004 T.J. Maxx Tour of Gymnastics Champions.
Received international attention when the venue hosted the World Gymnastics Championships in August of 2003. More than 300 reporters and photographers from all over the world covered the more than 60 countries and 600 athletes. Economic impact was estimated at $30 million to the local area.
First arena to host both a World Gymnastics Championships and the Olympic Team Trials within 12 months.
Hosted two World Championships in just two years (Gymnastics, 2003; Badminton, 2005)
During the 2004 Olympics, the NBC commentators and journalists often referenced the World Championships and Olympic Trials at Honda Center (then the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim).
The Theatre at Honda Center, launched in 2001, provides entertainers and fans a more intimate, upscale experience. A 7,000-seat venue created inside Honda Center, it is the only one of its kind in Orange County.
Performers have included Matchbox Twenty, Maroon 5, David Bowie, YES, Seal and Dolly Parton
Since opening in 1993, the arena has been home to hockey (Anaheim Ducks: ’93-present) Arena Football (Piranhas: ’96, ’97), Indoor Soccer (Splash: ’94-’97), Indoor Roller Hockey (Bullfrogs: ’93-’99) and Indoor Lacrosse (Storm: 2003-2005).
Over the 13 year history, the arena has hosted four NCAA events. The fifth will be in 2008 when the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship First and Second Rounds come to Honda Center.
Past NCAA Events: 1998 Men’s Basketball West Regional, 1999 Men’s Ice Hockey Frozen Four, 2001 Men’s Basketball West Regional and 2003 Men’s Basketball West Regional
In 2004, ranked 4th for Top 10 Venues based on Gross Ticket Sales by Billboard magazine - $34,179,023 (Venues 15,000+ seats; Source: Billboard magazine 12/25/04).
2004 Arena of the Year nominee (Pollstar Magazine). This was the 7th time the arena has been nominated.
Honda Center President & CEO, Tim Ryan, was named Pollstar Magazine’s Facility Executive of the Year in 2001.
Voted New Venue of the Year by both Pollstar Magazine and Performance Magazine in 1993.

In 1993, the Arrowhead Pond opened as the Anaheim Arena; later that year Arrowhead Water became the title sponsor of the building.
On October 3, 2006 the name of the building changed to Honda Center when Honda Motor Company became the title sponsor of the building. This is the first name change in the 14 year history of the building.
Over 23 million people have walked through the doors of Honda Center as of January, 2007.
There is more than 200,000 square feet of marble lining the interior concourses and walls.
There are 4 different colors of imported marble which were secured from mountains of Spain, Taiwan, and the Philippines.
The 12 feet of granite, which encircles the building’s exterior was mined in Sweden and fabricated in Italy.
The arena encompasses 650,000 square feet in space.
The distance from the highest seat in the arena straight down to the floor level is only 82 feet.
Q. How do they make the ice? A. 10 miles of piping travels along the arena’s concrete floor. When ice needs to be in place for an event, a solution made up of 40% Ethylene Glycol and 60% water is pumped through the piping, freezing the concrete. Next, a thin layer of water is pumped onto the floor and freezes to the concrete. Logos and ice markings are painted and another layer of ice is added.
Ice hockey is played on ice that is 1 1/4'” thick with a floor temperature of 21 degrees. The ice for figure skating is 2” thick and 25-26 degrees. Figure skaters need the ice to be thicker and softer for jumping and landing.
It takes roughly 30 hours and 15,000 gallons of water to complete the ice making process. It only takes 5-6 hours to remove the ice at the end of the season.
City of Anaheim “Arts in Public Places” Commission has 3 works of art on the premises: Video Arch, Musical Gateway and Anamorph.
It takes a 25 man crew 8 hours to go from hockey to a concert setup
The HondaVision is approximately 30,000 pounds
There are more than 130 palm trees on the property.

Building History

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