Philips Arena Philips Arena is an indoor arena in Atlanta , Georgia . Completed in 1999 at a cost of $ 213 . 5 million , it is home to the Atlanta Thrashers of the National Hockey League , the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association , and the Atlanta Dream of the Women ' s National Basketball Association . It is owned and operated by Atlanta Spirit , LLC , the group of investors that also owns the Hawks and Thrashers . The arena seats 19 , 445 for basketball and 18 , 545 for ice hockey . The largest crowd ever for an Atlanta Hawks basketball game was in the 2008 NBA Playoffs ( Game 6 against the Boston Celtics ) , where there was an approximate crowd of about 20 , 485 . The arena includes 92 luxury suites and 1 , 866 club seats . For concerts and other entertainment events , the arena can seat 21 , 000 . The arena has been recently ranked as a top venue in " Pollstar " magazine ' s Top 100 Worldwide Arena Venues , and for the first half of the 2009 calendar year it has been named as the No . 1 concert and events venue in the United States , based on attendance figures released by the leading industry publication , beating traditional powerhouse larger - market venues such as Madison Square Garden in New York City and the Staples Center in Los Angeles . Layout . The arena is laid out in a rather unusual manner , with the club seats and luxury boxes aligned solely along one side of the playing surface , and the general admission seating along the other three sides ( the arrangement was later emulated at the Detroit Lions ' home , Ford Field ) . This unique layout is a vast contrast to many of its contemporaries , which have their revenue - generating luxury boxes and club seats located in the ' belly ' of the arena , thus causing the upper deck to be 2 – 4 stories higher . The layout at Philips was done so as to be able to bring the bulk of the seats closer to the playing surface while still making available a sufficient number of revenue - raising club seats and loges . On the exterior , angled steel columns supporting the roof facing downtown spell out " ATLANTA " and the side facing the Georgia World Congress Center spells out " CNN . " The arena adjoins the CNN Center . The rail station below the arena provides access to Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority ( MARTA ) public transportation . Philips Electronics purchased the naming rights to the arena upon construction . For the 2007 - 2008 season , Philips Arena utilized the new " see - through " shot clock units which allow spectators seated behind the basket to see the action without having the clocks interfere with their view and for basketball joining the FedExForum , Wachovia Center , TD Banknorth Garden , United Center , US Airways Center and the Time Warner Cable Arena . Video advertising panels replaced the traditional scrolling panels . History . During the late 1980s and early 1990s , many cities starting building new state - of - the - art sporting venues for their NHL and / or NBA franchises , or in hopes of attaining one . Many of these arenas had modern amenities for their high - end customers , such as luxury boxes , club seats , and large , posh club - level concourses ; some even had practice facilities on - site . These attractions were rarely found in arenas constructed in the early 1970s when The Omni was built and led to its chief tenant , the Atlanta Hawks , being put in a competitive disadvantage . The operating manager of the current arena in place Ted Turner wanted an expansion hockey team but was told by the NHL that a new arena would have to be built . That , along with the fact that The Omni was rapidly deteriorating , led to a new venue being built . After much consideration of possible other sites , it was decided that the Omni would be demolished , and a new Omni built in the same location , starting in 1997 . This new coliseum became the Philips Arena . The Philips Arena held its first event with a September 1999 concert by the musician Sir Elton John . Philips Arena occupies the site of the Omni Coliseum , Atlanta ' s former sports arena . The Omni ' s " center - hung scoreboard " now hangs in the lobby of Philips Arena , where it still displays The Omni ' s logo along with those of Philips Arena , the Hawks , and the Thrashers ( who never played in The Omni ) . The scoreboard still functions and displays information relevant to the game taking place in the arena . Tornado . On March 14 , 2008 , an EF2 Tornado struck near Philips Arena . The arena only received minor exterior damage .