Wells Fargo Arena (Des Moines)
Encyclopedia
Wells Fargo Arena is a 16,980-seat multi-purpose arena
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...

 in Des Moines, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

, USA. Part of the Iowa Events Center
Iowa Events Center
The Iowa Events Center is a public events complex located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa.-Overview:The Iowa Events Center consists of the existing Veterans Memorial Auditorium, the existing Polk County Convention Complex, the new Hy-Vee Hall, and the new Wells Fargo Arena...

, the arena opened in 2005, at a cost of $99 million.

It is home to the Iowa Energy
Iowa Energy
The Iowa Energy are a 2007-08 expansion team of the NBA Development League, of which they are the current defending champions. They play their home games at the Wells Fargo Arena at Iowa Events Center....

 D-League team, the Iowa Barnstormers AFL squad and formerly the Iowa Chops AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

 franchise.

It was a host for the 2008 NCAA Women's Tournament
2008 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2008 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the 2007–08 national champion of women's NCAA Division I college basketball. It commenced on March 22, 2008, and concluded when the University of Tennessee Lady...

.

The PBR has hosted a Built Ford Tough Series
Built Ford Tough Series
The Built Ford Tough Series is the "major league" tour of the PBR competitions. It is a 30-city event series culminating in the PBR World Finals every year in Las Vegas, Nevada. The top 45 riders of the PBR compete in the BFTS with the rankings determined by points and money won...

 event at Wells Fargo Arena annually since 2008.

Named for title sponsor Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...

 Financial Services, Wells Fargo Arena is the Des Moines area's venue for sporting events and concerts. The state high school wrestling and basketball tournaments have been held there since 2006.

Wells Fargo Arena seats 15,181 for hockey games, 16,110 for basketball games, and as many as 16,980 for concerts. It also features the Principal
Principal Financial Group
Principal Financial Group is a publicly traded corporation based in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.The Principal Financial Group is a global financial services provider which offers a wide range of financial products and services, and is a U.S. leader in 401 plans. Headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, the...

 River's Edge Restaurant, which provides views of the Des Moines River
Des Moines River
The Des Moines River is a tributary river of the Mississippi River, approximately long to its farther headwaters, in the upper Midwestern United States...

 and the Iowa State Capitol
Iowa State Capitol
The Iowa State Capitol is located in Iowa's capital city, Des Moines, and houses the Iowa Senate, Iowa House of Representatives, the Office of the Governor, and the Offices of the Attorney General, Auditor, Treasurer, and Secretary of State...

. The restaurant opened on October 6, 2005, coinciding with the Stars' inaugural home game.

Wells Fargo Arena opened, with a public dedication ceremony, on July 12, 2005.

The first event held at the arena was Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...

's Boom-Boom Huck Jam, on July 14, while its first concert, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, with The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...

, was held on July 18.

Global Spectrum operates Wells Fargo Arena. It also operates Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center (formerly Wachovia Center), which took on the Wells Fargo name in the wake of Wells Fargo buying Wachovia
Wachovia
Wachovia was a diversified financial services company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before its acquisition by Wells Fargo in 2008, Wachovia was the fourth-largest bank holding company in the United States based on total assets...

.

Wells Fargo has held many WWE events such as SmackDown!, RAW, and ECW.

It hosted the inaugural game of the reincarnation of the Arena Football League on April 2, 2010, between the Barnstormers and Chicago Rush
Chicago Rush
The Chicago Rush is an arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. It is a member of the Central Division of the National Conference of the Arena Football League. The team was founded in 2001 and is co-owned by Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame player and coach.The Rush have qualified for the...

, televised nationally by NFL Network
NFL Network
NFL Network is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League . It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation...

.

External links

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