Cox Business Center

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Cox Business Center (originally Tulsa Assembly Center and formerly Tulsa Convention Center) is a 310,625 square foot facility in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma hosting a 7,000 seat arena with event suites, Oklahoma's largest ballroom, 34 meeting rooms, and a 102,600 square foot column-free exhibit hall. Cox Business Center (CBC) is managed by SMG-the world leader in venue management, marketing, and development and owned by the City of Tulsa. In the fiscal year 2015-2016, the economic impact of events held at the CBC was more than $33 million. The facility won the 2017 Venue Excellence Award from the International Association of Venue Managers, along with being chosen as the 2017 Top New or Renovated Meeting Site by Convention South and Best Event Center by Tulsa People readers. The CBC was constructed in 1964 and named for Tulsa Mayor James L. Maxwell who was the driving force behind the planning and start of the venue.

In 2013, the Convention Center was renamed Cox Business Center.

Video Cox Business Center

Former tenants

In November 2013, the Tulsa Revolution of the Professional Arena Soccer League began play with the Cox Business Center as their home arena. The team relocated to the Expo Square Pavilion in January 2015. The original Tulsa Roughnecks used the building for indoor soccer in 1978.

It was home to the Central Hockey League Tulsa Oilers ice hockey team and to the Tulsa Talons, an af2 arena football team prior to the opening of the new BOK Center in 2008. It was a regular stop for Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling and its successor, the Universal Wrestling Federation, until shortly after the UWF's purchase by Jim Crockett Promotions in 1987. It hosted the Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament title game in 1982 and 1984-87. It was also the home to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane basketball team until the program moved to the Reynolds Center in 1998.

The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) hosted a Built Ford Tough Series event at the Convention Center each year between 2005 and 2008; for 2009 and beyond, the event was moved to the BOK Center. Beginning in 2009, the Convention Center was the home arena for the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League until 2012, when the team returned to the SpiritBank Event Center in nearby Bixby. In March 2012, the Oklahoma Defenders of the American Professional Football League played their first game at the arena. The team folded in August 2014.

Maps Cox Business Center

Proposed improvements

Some Tulsans involved with the city's travel and tourism have been voicing concerns that Cox Center needs modernization to prevent losing convention business to other cities with more modern facilities. Michelle Hartman, board president of the Metro Tulsa Hotel & Lodging Association, has been quoted as saying that, "Tulsa lost more than 20 events (over the period of 2013 to 2015) because of a lack of convention space, resulting in a loss of more than $109 million, more than 56,000 hotel room nights and more than 48,500 visitors." The assistant general manager of the center, Kerry Painter, has claimed that what the center needs now is, "...more space to hold exhibits, conferences and meetings." She feels that much of this space could be provided by removing the existing arena, which can seat 6,752 people. She believes that this arena is no longer needed, since the opening of the very successful BOK Center nearby.

Another necessary improvement, according to Cox Center management, is a new entrance on the east side of the building. Ms. Painter said that this feature is cited in the 2020 Vision Master Plan.

The arena at Cox Business Center will renovated with work beginning in July 2018 as part of the Tulsa Vision plan.