The 1998-99 Fiscal year at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center was an exciting one with performances by many of today's top musical artists. Some 1,024,787 patrons enjoyed not only sports events such as FSU Basketball, Tiger Sharks Hockey, WCW Thunder, but also musical concerts by Bob Dylan with the Brian Setzer Orchestra, Kenny Rogers, Tim McGraw, Dionne Warwick, The Temptations and The Four Tops, Tony Bennett and more.

Other events of Fiscal Year 1998-99 included the FSU Homecoming PowWow featuring Sinbad, Champions on Ice, Volunteer Jam Tour '99, dc Talk in concert and Kirk Franklin, The Nu Nation Tour. The 1998-99 Broadway Series included Rip Taylor in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Cats, Fiddler On The Roof and Annie. The second annual Kids Night on Broadway was celebrated with a special pre-show party before the performance of BIG, the Broadway musical. Kids Night on Broadway is a national audience development program supported by the League of American Theatres and Producers and TDF which gives children the opportunity to see a Broadway show for FREE when accompanied by a paying adult.

The Civic Center continued to be one of the busiest facilities in Florida and in the Capital City by hosting 1125 events for a total of 1334 event days. The following information will give you an idea of how we spent the 1998-99 fiscal year:

The Civic Center:

• served 90,222 meals
• hosted 536,987 patrons at sporting events
• hosted 36,000 patrons at theatrical events
• hosted 150,100 patrons at trade shows
• hosted 70,000 patrons at musical concerts
• hosted 2,055 patrons at lectures
• hosted 34,379 conventioneers or meeting attendees
• hosted 44,900 patrons at religious events
• hosted 12,500 patrons at comedy events
• hosted 23,000 patrons at family shows
• hosted 79,800 guests at graduation ceremonies
• hosted 14,665 guests at theme parties
• hosted 4,350 patrons at retail sales events
• hosted 10,730 at dances

The Civic Center is known and admired throughout the industry as one of the most dynamic facilities for its size and market. First class facilities include a 35,000 sq. ft. exhibition hall with six connecting meeting rooms, an award-winning Chef and Catering Staff, and a sales staff experienced to accommodate most any style convention or show--or simply serve dinner for 1,000. The six meeting rooms are fully carpeted and equipped with sound systems and adjustable lighting. To meet your exact needs, this 16,000 square feet of meeting space can be divided into a variety of floor plans and can accommodate from small gatherings to large galas up to 1,000 people.

Acclaimed for its ability to house major meetings, entertainment and athletic events, the Civic Center provides the home court for Florida State University Seminoles ACC Basketball, the ice rink for the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks (East Coast Hockey League) and coming in the Summer of 2000, Arena Football2. Not to mention a broad range of cultural events from concerts, family shows and ice shows, to Olympic athletes and the Tallahassee Broadway Series. The Civic Center has a 13,500 seat, 18,000 sq. ft. arena featuring Centre Suites and Club Seats, plus the Spotlight Grille, an arena view restaurant.

The Civic Center is in its final phase of a $24 million Luxury Suites and Club Seat expansion project where 34 Luxury Suites and 468 Club Seats were added at mid level in the arena. Spotlight Grille, the Civic Center's new restaurant featuring delicious fare in a casual setting, opened in early November. Now it is feasible to have an unforgettable meal and watch an event simultaneously! In addition, the Civic Center added a new four-sided center hung MegaVision video display, a state-of-the-art sound system and four new scoreboards in the upper corners of the arena.

"The hardest working team in FSU history" is what Head Coach Steve Robinson used to describe the 1998-99 Florida State University Seminole Basketball Team. Charging head on into a schedule rated the 2nd toughest in the nation, FSU looked to make its mark in the toughest basketball conference in the country, the Atlantic Coast Conference, with one of the program's youngest teams in recent memory. Robinson's 2nd season as Seminole Head Coach ended in a 13-17 record, closing the season with a loss to No. 5 Maryland at the ACC tournament.

Florida State University ACC Basketball and Tallahassee Tiger Sharks ECHL Hockey are the major tenants of the Tallahassee Civic Center with Tallahassee Thunder Arena Football2 beginning in the Summer of 2000. As a sports facility, the Civic Center provided the home court for the Seminoles and Tiger Sharks for a total of 149 ticketed events. As a result, some 536,987 patrons attended sports events at the Civic Center during the 1998-99 fiscal year.

Not only is the Tallahassee Civic Center a popular venue for a variety of entertainment, but it serves as a primary meeting location for many types of activities. Fiscal year 1998-99 was a busy year for both the Sales and Catering Departments at the Civic Center. Many civic organizations and businesses, such as the Rotary Club of Tallahassee, Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Women's Forum and the Tallahassee Society of Association Executives, used the Civic Center's meeting rooms and Exhibition Hall for a variety of functions including luncheons and banquets, theme parties, legislative functions, seminars, wedding receptions, proms and more.

The Catering Department served 90,222 meals at various food functions with the Sales Department achieving $1,081,812.53 in catering sales for a total of 536 events. In addition, the Civic Center offers Off-Site Catering which provides food services for a variety of functions including wedding receptions and legislative events. The Civic Center and Centre Catering continue to receive excellent ratings on food and services while offering a variety of creative menus for various events.

The Civic Center was also the site of local high school and college graduations with 79,800 guests in attendance. Trade Shows during the 1998-99 fiscal year included The Big Boys Tech and Toy Show, Florida Women's Show, North Florida Home Show, Government and Technology Conference and North Florida Boat Show.

Public Ice Skating continues to be a popular activity for all ages and is offered in the Fall, Winter and Spring months. In addition, the Civic Center offers Learn to Skate classes, which follow the United States Figure Skating Association guidelines for ages four through adult. Tallahassee Youth Hockey, the Adult Hockey League and FSU Ice Hockey also practice and hold classes at the Civic Center throughout the Fall and Winter months.