Henrico Sports and Events Center celebrates 1 year anniversary
HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Henrico County's Sports and Events Center celebrated its first anniversary -- that's one full year of "Showtime… All the Time!" Ribbons and lights adorned the facility Friday, Dec. 6. While there was definitely a lot of festive holiday cheer going on, a lot of that spirit emanated from the center's major one-year milestone as officials, community members, and maybe even some tourists, reflected on this past year and what's to come. "It's hard to believe that this is the one-year anniversary of the Henrico Sports and Events Center," said Henrico County Sports and Entertainment Authority Executive Director Dennis Bickmeier. "We literally cut the ribbon a year ago. So, a remarkable vision to bring this facility to life and then to reflect back on a year of activity in this building has been truly remarkable." The week of Dec. 6 marked exactly one year in the books for the massive Glen Allen site. 8News has followed the journey to bring Henrico's Sports and Events Center to life since construction began back in 2020. With dining spots, event space and more than a dozen courts, the $50 million, state-of-the-art facility has transformed the region into a hub for sports enthusiasts. 8News asked Bickmeier about some standout events. "The A-10 Women's Basketball Championship in March was certainly one of the highlights," Bickmeier smiled. "And the National Wheelchair Basketball Association National Championship." The center also hosted graduation ceremonies and became home to a Virginia Sports Hall of Fame display. "We want our young people to know who came before them and give them something to dream for," Bickmeier explained. This inaugural year saw 370,000 visitors. Bickmeier said the complex has helped boost Henrico County's sports tourism industry's economic impact from about $74 million a year to $90 million. "This really was kind of the missing link in our sports tourism portfolio," Bickmeier explained. "Because we really didn't have anything for December, January, February and March that we could do something indoor like this." Now it's "showtime — all the time." Henrico County is shooting for another "slam dunk" of a year at the hotspot in 2025. Bickmeier said his team is building off of the successes from this past year to learn how to continue to grow and cultivate the sports tourism atmosphere they have developed. "There's some things ... with layout that we're going to tweak in year two as well," Bickmeier announced. "We're looking at trying to, kind of ... moving some of the pieces in our lobby area, some of the pieces in our restaurant cafe area to make those areas more efficient as well." Henrico County is celebrating this special anniversary all weekend long. For a full list of these events — which include games, community and even cake visit the website.
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HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Henrico County's Sports and Events Center celebrated its first anniversary -- that's one full year of "Showtime… All the Time!"
Ribbons and lights adorned the facility Friday, Dec. 6. While there was definitely a lot of festive holiday cheer going on, a lot of that spirit emanated from the center's major one-year milestone as officials, community members, and maybe even some tourists, reflected on this past year and what's to come.
"It's hard to believe that this is the one-year anniversary of the Henrico Sports and Events Center," said Henrico County Sports and Entertainment Authority Executive Director Dennis Bickmeier. "We literally cut the ribbon a year ago. So, a remarkable vision to bring this facility to life and then to reflect back on a year of activity in this building has been truly remarkable."
The week of Dec. 6 marked exactly one year in the books for the massive Glen Allen site. 8News has followed the journey to bring Henrico's Sports and Events Center to life since construction began back in 2020. With dining spots, event space and more than a dozen courts, the $50 million, state-of-the-art facility has transformed the region into a hub for sports enthusiasts. 8News asked Bickmeier about some standout events.
"The A-10 Women's Basketball Championship in March was certainly one of the highlights," Bickmeier smiled. "And the National Wheelchair Basketball Association National Championship."
The center also hosted graduation ceremonies and became home to a Virginia Sports Hall of Fame display.
"We want our young people to know who came before them and give them something to dream for," Bickmeier explained.
This inaugural year saw 370,000 visitors. Bickmeier said the complex has helped boost Henrico County's sports tourism industry's economic impact from about $74 million a year to $90 million.
"This really was kind of the missing link in our sports tourism portfolio," Bickmeier explained. "Because we really didn't have anything for December, January, February and March that we could do something indoor like this."
Now it's "showtime — all the time." Henrico County is shooting for another "slam dunk" of a year at the hotspot in 2025. Bickmeier said his team is building off of the successes from this past year to learn how to continue to grow and cultivate the sports tourism atmosphere they have developed.
"There's some things ... with layout that we're going to tweak in year two as well," Bickmeier announced. "We're looking at trying to, kind of ... moving some of the pieces in our lobby area, some of the pieces in our restaurant cafe area to make those areas more efficient as well."
Henrico County is celebrating this special anniversary all weekend long. For a full list of these events — which include games, community and even cake visit the website.
