Denny Sanford PREMIER Center

The Denny Sanford PREMIER Center

Supporting and promoting the communities we serve is a value that stands at the core of PREMIER. One of the biggest examples of this commitment is the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls.

As the largest publicly funded project in Sioux Falls history, the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center is South Dakota’s largest indoor entertainment venue. The building was completed in 2014 and has seating capacity for approximately 12,000 spectators.

Philanthropist T. Denny Sanford and First PREMIER Bank and PREMIER Bankcard were strong supporters of the facility’s construction. In consideration of this support, the City of Sioux Falls signed a 25-year agreement with PREMIER and Sanford Health for naming rights to the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. The $20 million agreement is believed to be one of the largest of its kind in U.S. history.

Today, the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center hosts the NCAA Summit League Basketball Tournament and is home to the Sioux Falls Storm IFL football team and the Sioux Falls Stampede USHL hockey team. It also attracts world-class entertainment to the Sioux Falls area, providing a significant boost to the local economy.

Denny Sanford PREMIER Center Highlights:


2014
• The Grand Opening concert featuring country music superstars Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line on October 3 is the first official sold-out show at the PREMIER Center.
• The Denny Sanford PREMIER Center is nominated for Best New Major Concert Venue by Pollstar magazine.

2015
• In the first six months, the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center reports $1.1 million in net operating income.
• In October, the PREMIER Center announces more than 630,000 people attended events in the venue’s first year.
• Pollstar magazine ranks the PREMIER Center the 100th highest ticket-selling concert and sports venue in the world.
• Venues Today ranked the center 18th among worldwide venues, and 11th among American venues (capacity of 15,000 or less).
• The Academy of Country Music nominates the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center for the Venue of the Year award in 2015, 2016 and 2017. The center is also named one of the 50 busiest concert venues in the world.
• The Denny Sanford PREMIER Center ends 2015 with 645,659 total attendance and $1.9 million in net operating income.

2016
• Sir Paul McCartney performs to a sold-out crowd on May 2. The concert grosses more than $2.1 million. At the time, it was the highest grossing indoor concert in South Dakota history.
• Sir Elton John performs a sold-out concert on October 2, setting an attendance record of 11,600.
• Attendance for the second year of operation tops 630,000 bringing the total to more than 1.26 million visitors.
• The Carrie Underwood concert on October 17 sets a new PREMIER Center attendance record (12,000).
• Pollstar magazine ranks the center 88th in the world and 46th in the U.S. based on total ticket sales for touring events.

2017
• Garth Brooks sells out nine shows. This has an estimated $20 million economic impact on city of Sioux Falls.
• The PREMIER Center’s two-millionth visitor was recognized just before one of Garth Brooks’ sold-out shows.
• Venues Today ranks the building eighth in the United States and 13th in the world among venues with capacities between 10,000 and 15,000.
• Pollstar magazine ranked the PREMIER Center 44th in the U.S. and 84th in the world among all arenas based on touring event ticket sales of 239,000+.
• The PREMIER Center sells more than 709,000 tickets and ends the year with a net operating budget over $2 million.

2018
• Hard-rockers Metallica set a new single event attendance record (12,000+ attendees) on September 18.
• The Denny Sanford PREMIER Center hosts three major first-time events for the state: the National Pheasant & Quail Classic (February), the nationally televised WWE Raw event (June 27) and the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey regional tournament, also known as the Frozen Four (March 23-24).
• Total attendance surpasses 2.8 million for the year.

2019
• The PREMIER Center celebrates its 5th anniversary with a public open house.
• The center announces three million visitors have attended events or concerts at the venue. There have been more than 50 sold-out events in the five years the PREMIER Center has been open.

2020
• Due to the world-wide COVID-19 Pandemic most concerts and events were canceled in 2020.
• In July 2020, The Denny Sanford PREMIER Center became the nation’s first indoor event facility to host a major sporting event with fans in attendance during the pandemic. Attendance at the PBR Monster Energy Team Challenge was capped at 50% of the PREMIER Center’s capacity.