Expo Hall

Last updated
Expo Hall
USA Florida relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Expo Hall
Location in Florida
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Expo Hall
Location in the United States
Former namesTampa Fairgrounds Arena (1977–83)
Address4800 US Highway 301 North
Location East Lake-Orient Park, Florida
Coordinates 27°59′26″N82°21′45″W / 27.99056°N 82.36250°W / 27.99056; -82.36250
OwnerFlorida State Fair Authority [1]
OperatorFlorida State Fair Authority
Capacity Indoor soccer: 9,200
Ice hockey: 10,425
Concerts: 11,926
Field size88,000 sq ft (8,200 m2)
Opened1977 [2]
Tenants
South Florida Bulls men's basketball (1979–1980)
Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) (1984)
Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL) (1992–1993)
Tampa Bay Tritons (RHI) (1994)
Website
www.floridastatefair.com

Expo Hall is an indoor arena located at the Florida State Fairgrounds in East Lake-Orient Park, Florida. It is used primarily as an exhibition hall during the Florida State Fair, but has also hosted concerts and sporting events.

The South Florida Bulls men's basketball team used Expo Hall as their main home arena for the 1979–80 season before the on-campus USF Sun Dome opened.

The Tampa Bay Rowdies of the defunct North American Soccer League used Expo Hall for 8 of their 16 home games during the 1983–84 indoor season. At that time the arena's capacity was 9,200. [3] This would also prove to be the league's final indoor campaign before suspending operations following the 1984 outdoor season. [4]

The arena was more famously used by the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning during the team's inaugural season of 1992–93. The facility's seating capacity of 10,425 proved too small for the Lightning, and the team relocated to the ThunderDome in St. Petersburg for three seasons, until its permanent home, Amalie Arena, was built in downtown Tampa.

In 1994 the expansion Tampa Bay Tritons of Roller Hockey International played for one season at Expo Hall before folding. Mark Messier owned the club. [5]

The facility currently[ when? ] hosts graduation ceremonies for Hillsborough County's public high schools.

Noteworthy entertainers to perform in concert at Expo Hall include Robert Plant, REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick, No Doubt, Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, Peter Frampton, Stone Temple Pilots, Yes, George Michael, Santana, Beastie Boys, Alabama, Motörhead, and the Smashing Pumpkins. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tampa Stadium</span> Demolished stadium in Florida, USA

Tampa Stadium was a large open-air stadium located in Tampa, Florida, which opened in 1967 and was significantly expanded in 1974–75. The facility is most closely associated with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League, who played there from their establishment in 1976 until 1997. It also hosted two Super Bowls, in 1984 and 1991, as well as the 1984 USFL Championship Game. To meet the revenue demands of the Buccaneers' new owners, Raymond James Stadium was built nearby in 1998, and Tampa Stadium was demolished in early 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tropicana Field</span> Baseball stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.

Tropicana Field is a multi-purpose domed stadium located in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. The stadium has been the ballpark of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) since the team's inaugural season in 1998. The stadium is also used for college football, and from December 2008 to December 2017 was the home of the St. Petersburg Bowl, an annual postseason bowl game. The venue is the only non-retractable domed stadium in Major League Baseball, making it the only year-round indoor venue in MLB. Tropicana Field is the smallest MLB stadium by seating capacity when obstructed-view rows in the uppermost sections are covered with tarps as they are for most Rays games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amalie Arena</span> Multiuse arena in Tampa, Florida, USA

Amalie Arena is a multipurpose arena in Tampa, Florida, that has been used for ice hockey, basketball, arena football, concerts, and other events. It is mainly used as the home for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Coliseum</span> Arena in Illinois, United States

Chicago Coliseum was the name applied to three large indoor arenas, which stood at various times in Chicago, Illinois, from the 1860s to 1982. They served as venues for large national conventions, exhibition halls, sports events, and entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cow Palace</span> Indoor arena in Daly City, California, U.S.

The Cow Palace is an indoor arena located in Daly City, California, situated on the city's northern border with neighboring San Francisco. Because the border passes through the property, a portion of the upper parking lot is in San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–1993)</span> Defunct American soccer club

The Tampa Bay Rowdies were an American professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida, that competed in the original North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1975 to 1984. They enjoyed broad popular support in the Tampa Bay area until the NASL folded in 1984, after which the team played in various minor indoor and outdoor leagues before finally folding on January 31, 1994. The Rowdies played nearly all of their outdoor home games at Tampa Stadium and nearly all of their indoor games at the Bayfront Center Arena in nearby St. Petersburg, Florida. Although San Diego played indoors until 1996, the Rowdies were the last surviving NASL franchise that played outdoor soccer on a regular basis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuengling Center</span> Indoor arena in Florida, United States

Yuengling Center is an indoor arena on the main campus of the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, Florida. Construction began in November 1977, and it opened in November 1980. It is located in USF's Athletics District on the southeast side of campus, and is home to the South Florida Bulls men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams, as well as USF's commencement ceremonies and other school and local events. With 10,500 seats, it is the third-largest basketball arena by capacity in the American Athletic Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum</span> Multi-purpose indoor arena in Phoenix

Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a 14,870-seat multi-purpose indoor arena in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, located at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. It hosted the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association from 1968 to 1992, as well as indoor soccer, roller derby and major and minor league ice hockey teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RP Funding Center</span> Arena in Florida, United States

The RP Funding Center is a multipurpose entertainment complex in Lakeland, Florida, comprising a convention center, arena and theater. Formerly, it was the home of the Lakeland Magic, the Orlando Magic's affiliate in the NBA G League and the Florida Tropics SC of the Major Arena Soccer League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alliant Energy Center</span> Multi-building complex in Madison, Wisconsin

Alliant Energy Center is a multi-building complex located in Madison, Wisconsin. It comprises 164 acres (0.66 km2) of greenspace and includes the 255,000-square-foot (23,700 m2) Exhibition Hall, the 10,000-seat Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the 29-acre (0.12 km2) Willow Island, several multi-use pvillions, and the 22,000-square-foot (2,000 m2) Arena. The Center welcomes more than one million people attending more than 500 events annually, ranging from local meetings and banquets to large sporting events and major concerts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayfront Center</span> Arena in Florida, United States

Bayfront Center was an indoor arena located in St. Petersburg, Florida that hosted many concerts, sporting and other events. Depending on the configuration, it could hold up to 8,600 people. The arena was opened in 1965 and demolished in 2004. It adjoined the Mahaffey Theater, which is still standing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Donner</span> American businessman and sports team owner

Steve Donner is an American sports executive, team owner, and manager. He is the founding Commissioner of the Professional Box Lacrosse Association, and the co-owner of the Elmira Mammoth of the Federal Prospects Hockey League. He is the former president and CEO of the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League, and the founder and CEO of the Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League, the Rochester Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse and the Rochester Raging Rhinos of the United Soccer League. He has also served as chief executive of numerous other professional sports teams and ventures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tampa Bay Tritons</span> Ice hockey team in Tampa, Florida

The Tampa Bay Tritons were a professional roller hockey team based in Tampa, Florida, United States that played in Roller Hockey International for one season. Mark Messier was the owner of the club during its short existence. His older brother Paul Messier served as the team's head coach and general manager. The club played its home games at Expo Hall in Tampa where the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning had previously played one season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in the Tampa Bay area</span> Overview of sports opportunities in the Tampa Bay area

The Tampa Bay area is home to many sports teams and has a substantial history of sporting activity. Most of the region's professional sports franchises use the name "Tampa Bay", which is the name of a body of water, not of any city. This is to emphasize that they represent the wider metropolitan area and not a particular municipality and was a tradition started by Tampa's first major sports team, the original Tampa Bay Rowdies, when they were founded in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in Florida</span> Overview of sports in Florida

The U.S. state of Florida has three National Football League teams, two Major League Baseball teams, two National Basketball Association teams, two National Hockey League teams, two Major League Soccer teams and 13 NCAA Division I college teams.

The 1993–94 Tampa Bay Lightning season was the Lightning's second season of operation. The team finished last in the Atlantic Division and did not qualify for the playoffs.

The University of South Florida athletic facilities are the stadiums and arenas the South Florida Bulls use for their home games and training. The University of South Florida currently sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and has 11 facilities in the designated Athletics District on or adjacent to its Tampa campus, one on its St. Petersburg campus, and one elsewhere in Tampa. 18 of the 19 teams have some sort of facility in the USF Athletics District.

References

  1. "Expo Hall venue information" . Retrieved 2021-10-08.
  2. McMorrow-Hernandez, Joshua (27 April 2015). Tampa Bay Landmarks and Destinations. Arcadia. ISBN   9781439651063 . Retrieved 2017-03-16.
  3. Bunch, Ken (November 8, 1983). "Arena possible site for Rowdies". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1-2. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
  4. Beard, Randy (November 5, 1983). "Don't hold your breath as Rowdies unveil schedule". Evening Independent. p. 4-C. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  5. Brown, Arthur R. Jr. (June 11, 1994). "Tritons to make roller hockey home debut". Lakeland Ledger. p. 3D. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
  6. "Expo Hall Tampa Concert Setlists". www.setlist.fm. Archived from the original on 28 August 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
Preceded by
first arena
Home of the
Tampa Bay Lightning

1992 – 1993
Succeeded by