Vibrant Arena at The MARK facts for kids
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Vibrant Arena in 2023
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 Vibrant Arena at The MARK
Location in Illinois
Vibrant Arena at The MARK
Location in the United States
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| Former names | The MARK of the Quad Cities (1993–2007) iWireless Center (2007–2017) TaxSlayer Center (2017–2022) |
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| Address | 1201 River Dr Moline, IL 61265 |
| Location | Quad Cities |
| Coordinates | 41°30′28″N 90°31′14″W / 41.507837°N 90.520437°W |
| Public transit |  Quad Cities MetroLINK |
| Owner | Quad City Civic Center Authority |
| Capacity | 12,000 (concerts) 3,000 (theater concerts) 6,000 (amphitheater concerts) 9,200 (hockey) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | October 17, 1991 |
| Opened | May 28, 1993 |
| Construction cost | $33.4 million ($71.8 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| Architect | Ellerbe Becket |
| Project manager | National Sports Services |
| Services engineer | KJWW Engineering Consultants |
| General contractor | Huber Hunt & Nichols Inc. |
| Tenants | |
| Quad City Thunder (CBA) (1993–2001) Quad City Mallards (CoHL/UHL) (1995–2007) The Summit League men's basketball tournament (1996–1999) Quad City Steamwheelers (AF2) (2000–2009) Quad City Flames (AHL) (2007–2009) Quad City Mallards (IHL/CHL/ECHL) (2009–2018) Quad City Steamwheelers (IFL) (2018–19, 2022–present) Quad City Storm (SPHL) (2018–present) |
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The Vibrant Arena at The MARK is a large building in Moline, Illinois. It can hold up to 12,000 people. This arena is used for many different events. It first opened in May 1993. Back then, it was called The MARK of the Quad Cities. A famous singer named Neil Diamond performed at its opening.
Over the years, the arena has had a few different names. It was called the iWireless Center from 2007 to 2017. Then it became the TaxSlayer Center in 2017. Since September 1, 2022, it has been known as the Vibrant Arena at The MARK. Today, it is the home for two sports teams: the Quad City Steamwheelers (who play indoor football) and the Quad City Storm (who play hockey).
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Sports and Games at the Arena
The Vibrant Arena has hosted many exciting sports events.
Basketball Games
The arena has been a place for college basketball games. This includes the Mid-Continent Conference men's basketball tournament from 1996 to 1999. It has also hosted exhibition games for both the NHL and NBA. Since 2016, the Missouri Valley Conference has held its Women's Basketball Tournament here. The Quad City Thunder basketball team played all their home games at the arena from 1993 until 2001.
Hockey Matches
Hockey has been a big part of the arena's history since 1995.
- The Quad City Mallards played here for 12 years.
- After them, the Quad City Flames played for two seasons.
- The Quad City Mallards team came back in 2009 and played until 2018.
- In 2018, a new team called the Quad City Storm started playing hockey here. They are part of the Southern Professional Hockey League.
- Western Illinois University's club hockey team, the Fighting Leathernecks, also plays some games here each season.
Indoor Football
From 2000 to 2009, the arena was home to the Quad City Steamwheelers indoor football team. They won the first two championships in their league, called the af2. The Steamwheelers returned in 2018. They first played in the Champions Indoor Football (CIF) league. Then they joined the Indoor Football League (IFL) in 2019.
Arena Setup and Events
The Vibrant Arena is very flexible. It can change its setup for different types of events.
Concerts and Shows
For concerts with a stage at one end, the arena can fit up to 12,000 people. It only takes about six hours to change the arena into a theater. This theater is called The Theater at the TaxSlayer Center. It can seat 3,000 people for theater shows, like Broadway plays, concerts, and family shows. For amphitheater concerts, it can hold 6,000 people.
Other Events
The arena has also hosted many professional wrestling events. These include big shows like the 1997 Great American Bash and 2015 King of the Ring. It has also been the location for many WWE TV shows, such as Raw, ECW, and SmackDown.
The main floor of the arena is very large, about 31,000 square feet. This means it can be used for trade shows and big meetings. There are also smaller meeting rooms next to it, covering 20,000 square feet. The largest crowd ever at the arena was in 1996. More than 12,000 people came to see a concert by Neil Diamond.
How the Arena Got Its Name
The arena's name has changed several times because of "naming rights" deals. This is when a company pays money to have their name on a building.
In 2005, a company called iWireless made a deal to put their name on the arena. So, in 2007, it became the "iWireless Center." This deal was supposed to last for 10 years.
In 2017, a new company called TaxSlayer bought the naming rights. TaxSlayer is an online company that helps people with their taxes. On October 1, 2017, the arena was renamed the "TaxSlayer Center." This was a long-term agreement.
Most recently, on August 17, 2022, the arena announced a new naming rights deal. This time, it was with Vibrant Credit Union. The arena's current name, Vibrant Arena at The MARK, officially started on September 1, 2022.
See also
In Spanish: TaxSlayer Center para niños
