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accesso ShoWare Center facts for kids
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The Show
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Arena bowl during a Thunderbirds game (c.2012)
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| Former names | Kent Events Center (planning/construction) Amiga Center (planning/construction) ShoWare Center (2009-17) |
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| Address | 625 W James St Kent, WA 98032-4406 |
| Location | Greater Seattle |
| Owner | City of Kent |
| Operator | SMG |
| Capacity | 7,141 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | September 25, 2007 |
| Opened | January 2, 2009 |
| Construction cost | $84.5 million |
| Architect |
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| Project manager | Shiels Obletz Johnsen, Inc. |
| Structural engineer | Magnusson Klemencic Associates |
| Services engineer | Wood Harbinger, Inc. |
| Tenants | |
| Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) (2009–present) Seattle Mist (LFL) (2009–19) Rat City Rollergirls (WFTDA) (2009–present) Kent Predators/Seattle Timberwolves (IFL) (2010–11) Seattle Impact (MASL) (2014–15) Tacoma Stars (MASL) (2015–present) |
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The accesso ShoWare Center is a cool multi-purpose building in Kent, Washington, United States. It's a place where lots of different events happen, like exciting hockey games and fun concerts!
Contents
About the Arena
Building the arena started in September 2005, and it first opened its doors in January 2009. The main teams that play here are the Seattle Thunderbirds (a hockey team) and the Tacoma Stars (a soccer team).
How the Arena Got Its Name
The arena's name has changed a few times! At first, a company called Amiga, Inc. was going to pay to have the arena named after them, so it would be called the "Amiga Center." But they didn't make their payment, so they lost the naming rights in 2007.
Later, in 2008, the city of Kent sold the naming rights to a company called VisionOne, Inc. They named the arena after their main computer program, ShoWare. Then, in 2014, another tech company called Accesso bought VisionOne, Inc. Because of this, the arena changed its name again in 2017 to the accesso ShoWare Center.
Who Designed and Manages It?
The arena was designed by LMN Architects from Seattle, working with PBK Architects. It's managed and run by a company called SMG.
The accesso ShoWare Center has hosted many cool events. For example, it was home to the 2012 Hilton HHonors Skate America, which is a big international figure skating competition.
Fun Facts and Records
Here are some interesting facts and records about the accesso ShoWare Center:
General Facts
- The arena is about 150,000 sq ft (14,000 m2) big.
- It has a special "Chandelier" scoreboard with four large video screens, each 6 feet by 12 feet.
- The very first event held here was a hockey game on January 3, 2009. The Seattle Thunderbirds played against the Everett Silvertips.
- The arena usually has 5,887 seats. But for concerts or other shows, some seats can be moved to make room, expanding the capacity to 7,141 people!
- The arena typically hosts over 100 events each year, including about 40 Thunderbirds hockey games.
- On December 14, 2013, the country music duo Florida Georgia Line performed for 7,129 fans, which was a huge crowd!
- The 2 millionth guest to visit the arena was celebrated on November 11, 2014.
Sports Highlights
- The first-ever goal scored in the arena happened on January 3, 2009. Brenden Silvester of the Seattle Thunderbirds scored it during a game against the Everett Silvertips.
- A "hat trick" in hockey is when one player scores three goals in a single game. Greg Scott of the Seattle Thunderbirds scored the first hat trick in the arena on February 6, 2009.
- The 2015-2016 hockey season set a new attendance record, with an average of 4,792 people coming to each game.
- The most people ever at a single hockey game was 6,223. This record was set on May 12, 2017, during the WHL finals when the Thunderbirds played the Regina Pats.
- The arena also hosted its first professional basketball games during the 2018 JBA season.
- In Professional Wrestling, the arena has hosted several shows. This includes three events for TNA Wrestling (in 2009, 2011, and 2012) and one TV show taping for Ring of Honor wrestling in 2019.
Selected Events
| List of selected events held at the accesso ShoWare Center | |||||
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| Date | Artist | Event | Opening act(s) | Attendance | Revenue |
| November 19, 2016 | Amy Grant Michael W. Smith |
Christmas with Amy Grant & Michael W. Smith | Jordan Smith | 5,986 / 5,986 | $329,078 |
| December 7, 2016 | Hunter Hayes Josh Turner |
Hometown Holiday | Tyler Farr Maddie & Tae Seth Ennis |
3,481 / 3,498 | $150,520 |
| April 12, 2017 | Banda MS | Gira Es Tuyo Mi Amor | Pancho Barraza Beatriz Solís |
6,521 / 6,521 | $390,210 |
| June 18, 2017 | El Fantasma | Rancheando En La Ciudad Tour | Voz de Mando Kanales |
1,890 / 6,439 | $121,350 |
| July 13, 2017 | Logic | Everybody's Tour | Joey Bad*** Big Lenbo |
4,612 / 4,937 | $204,643 |
| October 15, 2017 | Los Inquietos del Norte | Gira Locos y Entumecidos | Chuy Lizárraga Jesús Ojeda El Filly |
2,796 / 6,614 | $142,955 |
| October 29, 2017 | Skillet | Unleashed Tour | Britt Nicole Colton Dixon Tauren Wells |
1,891 / 4,432 | $55,162 |
| March 3, 2018 | G-Eazy | The Beautiful & Damned Tour | Trippie Redd Phora Anthony Russo |
6,656 / 6,820 | $264,543 |
See Also
| Preceded by KeyArena |
Home of the Seattle Thunderbirds 2009 - present |
Succeeded by current |