BankUnited Center turns five

When the doors to the BankUnited Center opened this past Jan. 23, most attendees were focused on defeating Tyler Hansbrough and ACC rivals, the University of North Carolina. Few realized this matchup marked the fifth anniversary of the BankUnited Center’s first event, when the men’s basketball team vanquished the Tar Heels, 64-61 in overtime. On that date, the $48 million center simultaneously became the first on-campus arena and the first mid-size venue south of downtown Miami.

The BankUnited Center’s 7,000 seats have been filled for a variety of athletic events, concerts and speakers, including the 2004 Presidential Debates, the Univision 2008 Presidential Forums, former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore, the Dalai Lama, Maya Angelou, John Mayer, Coldplay and Tim Russert.

The BankUnited Center is run by Global Spectrum, the fastest growing firm in the public assembly facility management field. Global Spectrum is part of Comcast-Spectator, which owns the Philadelphia Flyers and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Statistics compiled by the marketing director for BankUnited Center:

7,192: Highest concert attendance – The Fray on January 25, 2007
86: Number of total wins for Hurricanes Men’s Basketball since
the 2002-03 season at the BankUnited Center (overall record 789-618)
90: Number of total wins for Hurricanes Women’s Basketball since
the 2002-03 season at the BankUnited Center (overall record 521-391)
737: Number of Red Bulls guzzled by patrons – the stacked cans
are 2.5 times as tall as the Four Seasons Hotel-Miami which is the
city’s tallest building at 70 stories high
44,555: Hotdogs eaten – enough to line Ocean Drive on Miami
Beach 2.5 times
32,117: Soft Pretzels purchased – all University of Miami
undergraduate and graduate students could have eaten at least two
41,072: Dippin’ Dots enjoyed by fans
1: Only one BBQ Chicken Sandwich has ever been purchased