Anaheim Convention Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Anaheim Convention Center |
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Exterior of venue, c. 2021
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| Address | 800 West Katella Avenue Anaheim, CA 92802-3415 |
| Location | Anaheim Resort |
| Coordinates | 33°48′09″N 117°55′11″W / 33.802455°N 117.919843°W |
| Owner | City of Anaheim |
| Operator | Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau |
| Opened | July 12, 1967 |
| Renovated | 1974, 1982, 1990, 1999–2000, 2015–17 |
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Construction cost
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$15 million ($142 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| Banquet/ballroom | 6,500 (ACC Grand Plaza) 5,500 (ACC Arena Plaza) 2,500 (ACC Palm Court) |
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Theatre seating
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7,500 (The Arena at ACC) |
| Enclosed space | |
| • Total space | 1,800,000 square feet (170,000 m2) |
| • Exhibit hall floor | 813,607 square feet (75,586.6 m2) |
| • Breakout/meeting | 81,423 square feet (7,564.4 m2) |
| • Ballroom | 38,058 square feet (3,535.7 m2) |
| Tenants | |
| Anaheim Amigos (ABA) (1967–1968) San Diego Friars (WTT) (1975–1977) Anaheim Oranges (WTT) (1978) California Surf (NASL) (1979–1980) Anaheim Arsenal (NBAGL) (2007–2009) |
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The Anaheim Convention Center is a huge building in Anaheim, California. It's the biggest place on the West Coast of the United States for holding large events. You can find it right across from the famous Disneyland Resort on Katella Avenue.
This amazing center first opened its doors in July 1967. It started with a basketball arena and a convention hall. Since then, it has grown a lot! Many exciting events happen here, like Star Wars Celebration, VidCon, BlizzCon, Anime Expo, D23 Expo, WonderCon, NAMM Show, and the Pokémon World Championships. It even hosted the wrestling events during the 1984 Summer Olympics.
The center has been made bigger six times over the years. These updates happened in 1974, 1982, 1990, 1993, 1999–2000, and 2016–2017. These changes helped it become the largest event space on the West Coast.
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Exciting Events and Gatherings
The Anaheim Convention Center is a popular spot for many different types of events. From huge fan conventions to sports tournaments, there's always something happening!
Fan Favorites and Big Conventions
Many well-known events that fans love take place here.
- Anime Expo: This big event for anime and manga fans was held at the center in 1996. It returned from 2003 to 2006, drawing huge crowds.
- BlizzCon: Blizzard Entertainment hosts its yearly BlizzCon here. This event celebrates their video games like Warcraft and Diablo. Tickets for BlizzCon often sell out incredibly fast!
- VidCon: Since 2012, VidCon, a major event for online video creators and fans, has called the Anaheim Convention Center home. It's much larger than its previous locations.
- WonderCon: This popular comic book and pop culture convention has been held here every year since 2012, except for one year.
- D23 Expo: Disney's own D23 Expo, a special convention for Disney fans, started here in 2009. All D23 Expos since then have been held at the center.
- Star Wars Celebration: Fans of Star Wars gathered here in 2015 for a huge celebration. It was scheduled to return in 2020 but was moved to 2022.
- Minecon: The official convention for the popular video game Minecraft took place at the venue in September 2016.
- NAMM Show: This is a very large event for people who make and sell musical instruments and equipment. It's a trade show, meaning it's mostly for businesses, not the general public. The NAMM Show has been held here since 1977.
Sports and Competitions
The center's arena has hosted many sports teams and competitions.
- Early Basketball: The Anaheim Amigos basketball team played here in 1967–68. Other teams like the San Diego Friars and Anaheim Oranges (tennis) also used the arena.
- Olympic Wrestling: The venue was chosen to host the wrestling at the 1984 Summer Olympics events.
- College Basketball: The center hosted the Big West Conference college basketball tournaments for both men and women from 2001 to 2010. It also hosted the 76 Classic and the Wooden Legacy college basketball tournaments.
- Robotics Competitions: The VEX Robotics World Championship was held here in 2012 and 2013. Hundreds of teams from many countries competed to be the best!
- Other Sports: The 2017 World Weightlifting Championships and the Collegiate Challenge gymnastics meet in 2019 were also held at the center.
Youth Leadership Conferences
The Anaheim Convention Center is a popular place for student leadership events.
- Future Farmers of America: The California State Future Farmers of America leadership conference has been held here since 2018. It's the largest youth convention in California, with thousands of students attending.
- Business Leaders: The center hosted the FBLA-PBL National Leadership Conference in 2017 and the Business Professionals of America National Leadership Conference in 2019. It will also host the Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference in 2025.
Helping the Community
Beyond fun events, the convention center has also served the community in important ways. From February to June 2021, a large part of the center was used as a mass COVID-19 vaccination site for people in Orange County. This helped many workers and residents get their vaccines safely.
See also
In Spanish: Anaheim Convention Center para niños
- List of convention centers in the United States
