| Location: | Downtown Tucson |
| Renovated: | 1987, 2014 |
| Coordinates: | 32.2183°N -110.9742°W |
| Pushpin Label: | Tucson Convention Center |
| Former Names: | Tucson Community Center |
| Operator: | ASM Global |
| Built: | 1971 |
| Expanded: | 1988 |
| Banquets: | 1,200 |
| Theatre: | 8,962 2,289 551 |
| Total Space: | 205000square feet |
| Exhibit: | 113940square feet |
| Breakout: | 10640square feet |
| Ballroom: | 20164square feet |
| Publictransit: | Tucson Sun Link at Granada/Cushing |
| Pushpin Map: | Arizona#USA |
| Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within Arizona##Location within the United States |
| Tenants: | Arizona Wildcats men's ice hockey (NCAA) 1980–present Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) (2016–present) Tucson Sugar Skulls (IFL) (2019–present) |
The Tucson Convention Center (previously named the Tucson Community Center) is a multi-purpose convention center located in downtown Tucson, Arizona. Built in 1971, the location includes an 8,962-seat indoor arena, two performing arts venues, and 205000square feet of meeting space. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
Beginning from the fall of 2016, Tucson Arena has been home to the Tucson Roadrunners in the American Hockey League.[3] [4] [5] [6]
The University of Arizona Wildcats club hockey team currently plays at Tucson Arena. Although associated with the college, the team receives no funding directly from the school. The hockey team is a Division 1 member of the American Collegiate Hockey Association. Leo Golembiewski had been the head coach for 27 years, leading the team to 21 straight national tournaments, with eight semi-final appearances and one national championship. The current coach is Chad Berman.[7]
On August 23, 2018, the Indoor Football League announced the addition of the expansion Tucson Sugar Skulls to begin play in 2019.
The Tucson Convention Center has been host to many other events including the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, Jehovah's Witnesses Regional Conventions, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, concerts, monster truck shows as well as many live WWE television broadcasts featuring Raw, SmackDown & ECW. In 1999, the arena hosted an Empty Arena match between The Rock and Mankind for the WWF Championship, which aired during halftime of Super Bowl XXXIII.
While McKale Center was being built at the University of Arizona, the Wildcats briefly considered playing some of its 1971-72 men's basketball games at Tucson Arena, but eventually decided against doing so, opting to remain in Bear Down Gymnasium until McKale Center was ready.[8]
The arena also hosted concerts by Elvis Presley on November 9, 1972 and June 1, 1976. He previous had performed at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds on June 10, 1956.[9]
During the 2016 presidential race Donald Trump spoke in front of aproximately 5000 people, for which his campaign still owes over $80,000 for local police and other services.[10] [11]
Ventriloquist and comedian Jeff Dunham hosted a show at the arena as part of his "Seriously!?" tour on October 3, 2021.[12]
Throughout 2014, the Tucson Convention Center was renovated at a cost of $22 million,[13] via funding by the Rio Nuevo downtown redevelopment and revitalization district and the City of Tucson, including new bathrooms, lighting, seats, a revamped sound system, a new kitchen and a video scoreboard.[14] Mike Love's Beach Boys headlined a January 4, 2015 concert at the venue, debuting the remodeled arena.[15]
Management of the convention center is now handled by ASM Global.[16]