After more than two years of construction, the Amway Center opened in downtown Orlando on October 1. The new $380 million, eight level, smoke-free facility has 17 hospitality spaces like multipurpose areas, private rooms, and suites for special events and entertaining. Additionally, there are 1,100 high-definition video displays throughout the facility that can be controlled to show a single image or multiple messages or video clips.
Developed by the N.B.A.’s Orlando Magic and operated by the City of Orlando, the new 875,000-square-foot facility is nearly triple the size of the old Amway Arena. The 31,000-square-foot arena floor can be used for exhibitions, trade shows, banquets, and meetings. The 42-foot scoreboard—the largest in any N.B.A. arena—suspended above the center of the floor can be used for video displays during events. There are a variety of seating configurations for events of as many as 20,000 people.
The largest event space is the team's practice court, which can seat 500. Another nontraditional venue is the AirTran Airways Flight Deck, a 1,245-square-foot area decorated to look like the interior of an aircraft, complete with two business class seats and a private bar.
For a more traditional setting, the 3,740-square-foot Fairwinds Tower Room can accommodate 250 and is surrounded by windows and views of downtown Orlando. For slightly smaller events, the 2,860-square-foot I.O.A. Hospitality Room can be partitioned into two or three spaces and has a total capacity of 185. There are also 14 smaller party rooms, most of which have views of the arena floor, hosting 35 to 60 people.
In addition to dozens of concessions stands, the facility has eight restaurants and bars, including two that are outside: Sky Bar is 100 feet above ground in the facility's tower, and the Gentleman Jack Terrace is on the third level.
An enclosed bridge connects the venue to a parking garage with 2,100 spaces, and there are thousands more nearby. Six loading docks facilitate access for large productions. The exterior of the building has a 2,800-square-foot LED video board that can be used for event advertising. Throughout the interior, the million-dollar Amway Center art collection includes more than 340 works contributed by 21 artists, including 14 from Central Florida.
