The Qwest
has begun
Brigitte Moland
The Henry Doorly Zoo, as
everyone knows it, is the tourist attraction for which Omaha is known.
Other events, such as the College World Series and Creighton basketball games
have put Omaha on the map as a place of interest, but such events only last for
a week or a few months at the most.
Besides those few
attractions, there aren't many other events to draw people towards the Omaha
area. However, that may begin to change.
This fall, the city opened the Omaha Qwest Center in downtown.
The building is roughly 1 million square
feet and is broken up into three different sections within the building consisting
of: an arena for concerts and sports games, an exhibition hall, and meeting
and concession spaces located throughout the building. It is located just east of 10th
and Abbott Drive.
This $291
million project is almost guaranteed to be a complete success in the Omaha
area. "I'm really proud of the structure of the building and what it
is doing for the area," said vice president of corporate sales for the
Qwest Center, Tom O'Gorman.
The Qwest Center
opened with River City Round-up on Sept. 19. Each day consisted of
various activities and was followed by a concert later that night by groups
like "Brooks and Dunn" and "Rascal Flats".
On the last day
of River City Round-up, Marian freshman, Kaley Swartz-Brown, participated in a
play involving riding horses to act out scenes. She got a first hand look
at the backstage facilities. "It's
very impressive and big. I also couldn't believe how clean it was. I
really think it will help Omaha be known better," she said.
The Cher
concert, a UNO exhibition, and Fleetwood Mac have already appeared at the new
center. In the months to come, O'Gorman
said, "We've been talking to a lot of people about coming. So
far we have Kiss and Aerosmith coming, John Mayer, Matchbox Twenty. We also are getting some different events
like Barnam and Baileys circus to come. Basically we just are trying to
open doors to all types of people and draw them in."
Not only does
the Center's marketing team plan to have concerts, but they also have arranged
for the Creighton Bluejays to play there and hopefully draw an even larger
Creighton audience to the games. The
UNO hockey team can boast playing in the third largest rink of all college
hockey teams as they will play their season at the Qwest Center.
However, as all
of this excitement has hit Omaha, O'Gorman reports that he has faced
difficulties opening a new facility. "We've had a few problems but
nothing major. I would say 98 percent of the people who have been here
are beyond satisfied," said O'Gorman.
The building opened with a
bang, the arena has only begun a new era of entertainment for the Omaha community.
O'Gorman said, "Fun things are coming in so make sure and come down,
we have a lot in store."