Bohao Zhao [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

CHI Health Center Omaha – Overview

Since CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska, opened in 2003 under its original name Qwest Center Omaha, it has quickly become Omaha’s premier concert, sports, business, and events venue.

If you’re gearing up for an event at this fantastic complex, there’s a lot you should know. That’s why we put together an extensive overview of the facility, which you can find below. And just to make sure everything goes super smoothly, we included some helpful tips as well.

Overview

1,119,300 square feet of space: Those who attend an event at this complex are always impressed by its size. Most don’t expect a smaller city like Omaha to have such a massive, well-cared-for facility. The convention center has a sparkling reputation and the adjacent arena is one of Nebraska’s most popular venues for big-name artists and performers. The convention center can hold a lot of people very comfortably. The arena, on the other hand, can get packed and somewhat cramped. It’s still a phenomenal venue; things might just be a little tight.
194,300-square-foot exhibit hall: The largest of CHI Health Center Omaha’s rooms is its expansive exhibit hall. Whenever major events like conventions, expos, and trade shows are in town, they’re held in this hall. Space may be the defining factor of CHI Health Center Omaha’s exhibit hall, but versatility is a close second. Not only can the hall be utilized as one giant room, it can be split into two or three smaller halls, capable of hosting multiple events simultaneously. As you continue reading, you’ll notice that versatility is one of CHI Health Center Omaha’s essential features.
Peter Kiewit Grand Ballroom and Junior Ballroom: Weddings, sweet sixteens, retirement parties; whatever the celebration, CHI Health Center Omaha’s ballrooms are fully equipped to handle any shindig. The Grand Ballroom totals 30,996 square feet, while the Junior Ballroom offers a modest, yet flexible, 10,880 square feet of usable space. Like the exhibit hall, both of these ballrooms can be divided into smaller rooms. The Grand Ballroom boasts a couple of configurations: a two-way split of a North and South Ballroom and a three-way formation of Ballroom A, B, and C. The Grand Ballroom’s also boasts an impressive maximum capacity of 2,693. As far the Junior Ballroom goes, it can be sectioned off into four ballrooms each equating to 2,720 square feet.
12 meeting rooms: CHI Health Center Omaha also serves the community by being an ideal place for meetings, lectures, and other business events. Keeping with the facility’s versatile tradition, these 12 meeting rooms can be combined into multiple arrangements, adjoining two or three at a time.
18,000-seat arena: CHI Health Center Omaha’s most frequently used space is its arena. This arena is one of Omaha’s, and to a larger extent Nebraska’s, busiest venues. Events such as concerts, Creighton University basketball games, live performances like Disney on Ice and Cirque du Soleil, and more, are held there all year-round. The venue’s seating capacity varies depending on the type of event: 18,320 for basketball, 17,100 for hockey, and 18,975 for center-stage concerts.
Hilton Omaha: Hilton Omaha is a 600-room hotel that’s located on the grounds of CHI Health Center Omaha. The hotel has been AAA Four Diamond rated for several consecutive years, which is quite an impressive achievement. It’s the closet hotel to the convention center and arena and offers topnotch amenities, such as 15 meeting rooms, a fitness room, and a pool. There are also business-oriented amenities like express mail, FedEx Office services, printers, and video conferencing capabilities. Hilton Omaha even offers a few dining options. If you’re a fan of convenience, it’s in your best interest to book a room at Hilton Omaha.
On-site parking: In total, CHI Health Center Omaha provides guests with four expansive parking lots and an additional parking garage. It does cost money to park at these lots, but the price is a bargain, especially when you factor in how close they are to the venue. Taking advantage of the on-site parking is a total no-brainer. There are approximately 4,500 available parking spaces between the four lots and parking garage. There may be traffic when you’re arriving and leaving the complex, but parking won’t be too much of a hassle.
Location, location, location: There are a lot of convenient features and amenities that make CHI Health Center Omaha one of the best facilities in the region. Perhaps one of the most useful of these is its close proximity to a variety of restaurants, attractions, and hotels. Many of them are within walking distance, so there’s no need to take an Uber or deal with the hassles of public transportation.

Tips

The arena is CHI Health Center Omaha’s busiest facility. This is crucial to know if there’s an event at the arena and convention center happening at the same time. If you’re not going to the arena, you should elect to park in a lot as far away as you can. Major events bring major traffic. CHI Health Center Omaha does the best it can to keep traffic moving, but that’s never an easy problem to solve. Stick to parking lots further from the arena; you’ll still be close by the convention center, but you won’t have to deal with the mass hysteria that occurs before and after big events. Another useful tidbit: CHI Health Center Omaha is adjacent to TD Ameritrade Park. Every year this ballpark is the home of the College World Series. As you can imagine, parking and traffic is at an all-time high while it’s going on. Don’t get stuck parking near the ballpark while the College World Series is going on.
Omaha Airport is just a stone’s throw from CHI Health Center Omaha. Those who are flying in to Omaha will find it extremely beneficial that the Omaha Airport is only a 10-minute drive from CHI Health Center Omaha. This is immensely helpful from a logistics standpoint. Getting to and from the convention center is a breeze. If you’re driving in, sorry! You don’t get to take advantage of the short trip.
Hilton Omaha is the go-to hotel for those staying overnight in Omaha for an event at CHI Health Center Omaha. On-site hotels are a pretty standard amenity for convention centers nowadays. CHI Health Center Omaha doesn’t stray from the pack. Hilton Omaha is the closet, most convenient hotel to the facility… because it’s a part of the facility. The hotel is connected to CHI Health Center Omaha via a pedestrian skybridge. This is especially useful during the colder months, because it gets pretty dang cold in Omaha! Hilton Omaha has 600 rooms available, but they tend to fill up quickly because of the frequency of events held at the arena and convention center.
Hilton Omaha provides its guests with plenty of useful services. Whether you’re attending a business-oriented event or something a little more fun, Hilton Omaha offers a lot of worthwhile comforts. Business services include FedEx Office services, express mail, meeting rooms, and video conferencing capabilities. Other conveniences to take advantage of are a well-equipped fitness center, pool, lounge, room service, and concierge desk.
CHI Health Center Omaha is close to nine other hotels along with a lot of restaurants and attractions. Hilton Omaha may be the closet hotel to CHI Health Center Omaha, but it’s not the only one. Marriott at Capitol District is actually right next to Hilton Omaha and there are eight other hotels within the span of a few blocks. This is great because if you aren’t able to book a room at Hilton Omaha, it’ll still be easy to find a nearby hotel with open rooms. You’ll also be within walking distance of Old Market, a downtown neighborhood that’s brimming with restaurants, art galleries, high-end shopping, and more. Old Market is one of Omaha’s most popular attractions.
CHI Health Center Omaha’s arena enforces a strict clear bag policy, This rule takes a lot of people by surprise the first time they visit the complex. Bags like medium- to large-size purses, backpacks, et cetera, are not allowed. There’s also a size requirement: clear bags must be 12 inches by six inches or smaller. Small, non-see-through clutch purses are allowed, but must be four inches by six inches or less. Remember, this rule is only in effect for the arena. Anyone attending an event at the convention center can bring in larger, non-see-through bags.
The arena’s seating can get cramped during widely attended events. There really isn’t anything you can do about this one. If you have people sitting on either side of you, there’s a chance you might feel a little crowded. But it’s better to know this is a possibility going in rather than learning the hard way when you’re fighting for armrest space.
Surprisingly, both the convention center and arena maintain comfortable temperatures. Too hot or too hold; those are usually the temperature options at big venues. When you’re packed in like a bunch of sardines, it starts getting uncomfortably toasty. On the other hand, when you’re sitting in a massive building for hours with a lot of flowing air, you’re usually in store for a constant chill. Now we can’t guarantee that you won’t be hot or cold, so plan accordingly based on your own personal track record. But a reoccurring theme on several reviews is that CHI Health Center Omaha knows how to keep the temperature at a comfortable setting.