BOK Center - Impact and Reception

Impact and Reception

Tulsa's downtown was the site of projects anchored by the BOK Center, including a $42 million renovation of the Tulsa Convention Center, a $20 million renovation of downtown streets, a $4 million renovation and expansion of a nearby parking garage, streetscape improvements, and art deco-style signs directing visitors to parking garages, public buildings, specialty districts, and entertainment venues. The arena is expected to host 148 major and minor events in its first year, which are anticipated to generate $1.5 million in tax revenue and $92 million in economic impact. SMG is expected to earn $6,553,250 in revenue, giving it a $285,498 annual profit. In its first four months of operation, the BOK Center's ticket sales were nearly enough to reach Venues Today's top 20 worldwide rankings for total ticket sales in 2008 among venues seating 15,001-30,000. The arena reached $20 million in sales in 2008 and is projected to surpass at least $30 million in 2009, which would put it within the top 15 worldwide in sales according to the 2008 rankings.

The arena won Facilities Magazine's Prime Site Award in 2008, which is based on opinions from representatives in the site selection industry, booking agents, promoters, talent buyers, and special event planners, who judge based on location, functionality, technical capabilities, quality of staff, food and beverage, lighting, sound, and staging. The arena was also one of four venues nominated for Pollstar's 2008 "Best New Major Concert Venue" award, which is set to be decided in January 2009. In its first three months of operation, the facility was featured or set to be featured in at least four major venue publications, including Venues Today, which gave its 2008 "Hall of Headlines" award to BOK Center manager John Bolton after a poll of venue managers, owners, operators and bookers determined that Bolton had the highest level of success worldwide in booking high-quality performances in 2008. In late 2008, a survey of BOK Center visitors found that 96.7 percent felt the building's overall impression, staff, concessions, merchandise, and traffic flow were favorable.

The flowing design and acoustic properties of the BOK Center have been praised by Tulsa Vision Builders, Tulsa city officials, and Garth Brooks. Officials from Flintco and Manhattan Construction have called the BOK Center one of the best architectural designs in their 100-year histories of building projects. The companies have worked on Cowboys Stadium, Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, Gallagher-Iba Arena at Oklahoma State University, the Oklahoma City Arena in Oklahoma City, the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee, and stadium renovations at the University of Oklahoma and OSU, among other projects. City officials have praised Pelli for the design, and Brooks, who held a 2007 concert at Kansas City's new Sprint Center, said at the BOK Center's grand opening, "You guys have got (the Sprint Center) beat hands down. It houses as many people, yet it's warm and small. It's as beautiful and grand as any place I've played." Pelli reacted to the arena's completion by saying that it had taken a "life of its own" since he designed the building, but that the results were exciting and impressed him. He said the building has taken a form that pays tribute to Tulsa's art deco, the nearby Arkansas River, and the city's American Indian history, and anticipated that it would be a major catalyst for private development in Tulsa's downtown area.