Rogers Centre

Rogers Centre is recognized as one of the world's premiere entertainment centres, which since its spectacular opening on June 3, 1989, has achieved the highest honours in the stadium entertainment industry. Formerly known as SkyDome, the venue was renamed the Rogers Centre on February 2, 2005.

Over 2,000 events have been staged and more than 50 million people have visited Rogers Centre - famous the world over for its fully retractable roof. From 1996-1998, the facility also received the prestigious "Prime Site of the Year Award" from Facilities Magazine and recently won the Toronto Tourism Award for "Employer of the Year." For four consecutive years, the facility received the "Stadium of the Year Award" voted by Billboard, Amusement Business and Performance Magazine. This is exciting.

Rogers Centre is the home of the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club™, World Series Champions in 1992 and 1993, and the Toronto Argonauts Football Team™ who won the Grey Cup in 1991, 1996, 1997 and 2004. Rogers Centre facility's versatility allows it to accommodate a variety of events suited for an arena, a domed stadium and an open-air facility.

Roger Centre facility's capacity ranges from 5,000 to 60,000 for sports events, concerts, family shows, trade shows and conventions. In 1997, the facility hosted a record of 302 event days with announced attendance for events and tours of 4,500,000, making it one of the busiest venues in the world.

A unique feature of the Rogers Centre is its videoboard, one of the world's largest, measuring 110 feet wide by 33 feet high - bringing everyone even closer to the action.

Other features include: Premier Fitness, Rogers Centre Tour Experience, Theatre, state-of-the-art broadcast facilities, the Renaissance Hotel, and several restaurants and bars, including the world famous Hard Rock Café.

There was $5 million in artwork commissioned in 1989, located both outside and inside the facility. Canadian artists include Michael Snow, who created The Audience (the portrayal of fans at the northeast and northwest entrances); A Tribute to Baseball, depicting great moments in the long, event-filled history of baseball crafted by Lutz Haufschild appears above the southeast and southwest entrances at Gate 5; The Art of the Possible by Mimi Gellman, is a sculpture of glass and steel located at the north end of the building on Level 100, as a tribute to all of the men and women who built the facility. This sculpture incorporates more than 2,000 signatures of these unsung heroes. Mimi Gellman also decided to commemorate the history of the site - included in the mural are images of some of the artefacts found during excavation, such as musket balls, pottery and bottles from the turn of the century. Two other sculptures displayed outside of the facility are Salmon Run by Susan Schelle and Spiral Fountain by Judith Schwarz.

The facility was a breathtaking technological achievement when completed in 1989. It is one of Toronto's top three tourist attractions and a model for architects of future domed stadiums currently being built around the world. Rogers Centre has been asked to share information about its architecture, events and business plans with numerous city planners, architects and government officials from the U.S., Netherlands, England, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, China and Germany.

Sources

• Rogers Center.com