Intrust Bank Arena, Sedgwick County, Kansas

Sedgwick County > INTRUST Bank Arena

Naming Rights Approved for Arena

Cessna Aircraft Company Spirit Aerosystems

The Board of Sedgwick County Commissioners approved proposals for the naming rights of the new arena in downtown Wichita at their regular meeting on January 9, 2008. Sedgwick County will receive $14.75 million for the naming rights at the arena. The approved proposals came from INTRUST Bank for the naming rights for the new “INTRUST Bank Arena” ($8.75 million); Cessna Aircraft Company for the naming rights for the Plaza ($3 million); and Spirit AeroSystems ($3 million) for naming of the Concourse.

Arena Fun Facts

There will be a total of 26,000 cubic yards of concrete poured. This could pave a 4 foot wide and 4 inch thick sidewalk from Wichita to Lawrence.
The ice floor will be 202 feet long; 87 feet wide and 8 inches thick.
There will be 275 total public toilets: 143 for women, 126 for men and 6 family toilets.
There are more than 1,000 pieces of equipment that will be used for food storage and preparation in the INTRUST Arena.
The wires used throughout the INTRUST Arena are the same length as the distance from Wichita to Omaha, NE.
Telephone, data and fiber cables used for the Arena could reach from Wichita to El Dorado, and back again.
The structural steel and rebar used in the INTRUST Bank Arena weighs as much as 1,292 elephants or 3,130 hippos!
The tallest portion of the building is the spire on the south end. The top reaches 220 feet above the ground. The post rock, or rock structure that houses the lower portion of the spire, is 175 feet above the ground. The roof's highest point is the north end which is 99 feet above ground.
There are 150-200 people working on the site.
There are 5 cranes on site.

Arena Design

Located in the center of a revitalizing area of downtown Wichita, the INTRUST Bank Arena will be a modern, first-class, sports and entertainment venue in the center city of Sedgwick County with a 15,000 seat arena (for basketball) and 20 executive and 2 party suites designed to provide maximum "fan experience" for all guests. The facility will be bordered by William Street on the North, Waterman Street on the South, the tracks on the East and Emporia Street on the West.

The exterior will be brick and limestone facades, and the expansive lobby view toward Kellogg will welcome visitors and blend with the surrounding architectural heritage.

Other venues neighboring the new arena include the Old Town entertainment district, the WaterWalk, the Proposed Art District, & the historic Eaton Place block.

Visitors can be part of our "new urbanist" life in Wichita, where hotels, trendy restaurants, classic residential living and entertainment options co-exist in a pedestrian-friendly environment.

Highlights:

Brick and limestone elevation on North and East ties to Old Town and downtown architectural heritage
Glass, limestone and metal elevation on South and West ties into cosmopolitan and urban look
Building orientation places the primary entry facing south toward Kellogg
Secondary entry is centered on the north to accommodate guests from Douglas Ave. and Old Town
Expansive lobby views face south toward Kellogg
Seating bowl is situated East to West on the site
Curvilinear forms signify the entry and a high-speed visual connection to the Kellogg fly-over

Arena Management

On August 1, 2007, Sedgwick County entered into a Management Agreement with SMG to provide pre-opening consulting services and management for the INTRUST Bank Arena. SMG manages stadiums, arenas, convention centers, and theaters around the world and will assume management of the new facility when it opens in January, 2010.

The Britt Brown Arena and Pavilions at the Kansas Coliseum will continue to operate as in the past until the INTRUST Bank Arena opens in January, 2010. SMG will assume management of these facilities on or before January 1, 2009. Once the INTRUST Bank Arena opens, the Pavilions will continue to operate in concert with the new arena, however the mission of Britt Brown Arena will be changed. SMG, as a part of their pre-opening consulting services, will provide a written market analysis/feasibility study for the future use of Britt Brown Arena by June 1, 2008.

SMG Names General Manager, Chris Presson

SMG announced Monday, June 23 the selection of Chris Presson as the General Manager at the new INTRUST Bank Arena. Presson’s impressive background in management, including ten years in executive level sports management, helped him secure the position. Presson is credited with many awards and accolades; most recently he led the turnaround of the Wichita Thunder Hockey team and negotiated the Wichita Wingnuts deal. Commissioner Tom Winters, Chairman of the Board of Sedgwick County Commissioners, stated Monday, “We are pleased that our partnership with SMG will be strengthened with someone locally who has experience in the sports and entertainment business and who already knows and understands our community.”