The Cross Insurance Center Advisory Board is a group of local citizens and leaders who assist the Oak View Group (OVG is an industry leader in hosting and entertainment and manages the facility) by providing strategic advice and feedback on behalf of the community related to the Cross Insurance Center.
In 2009, community leaders from the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce, Greater Bangor Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Eastern Maine Development Corporation identified replacing the Bangor Auditorium as a key economic development priority. Working with the City of Bangor, they envisioned an “Entertainment Corridor” stretching from Bangor International Airport to the Penobscot River Waterfront, with a new arena and conference center as its centerpiece.
Following a successful public campaign, Bangor voters overwhelmingly approved the Arena Yes initiative in 2011. Construction began that August, led by Cianbro Corporation with designs by Sink, Combs Defleths and WBRC Architects Engineers. The Cross Insurance Center officially opened on September 10, 2013.
With an 8,000-seat arena and over 50,000 square feet of convention space, the facility is unmatched in Maine and continues to attract concerts, entertainment, and conferences that previously bypassed the region.