Bridgestone Arena Bridgestone Arena ( formerly Sommet Center , Gaylord Entertainment Center and Nashville Arena ) is an all - purpose venue in downtown Nashville , Tennessee , that was completed in 1996 . Ownership and usage . The Bridgestone Arena is owned by the Sports Authority of Nashville and Davidson County and operated by Powers Management Company , a subsidiary of the Nashville Predators National Hockey League franchise , which has been its primary tenant since 1998 . The Predators hosted the NHL Entry Draft here in 2003 . Seating capacity . The Bridgestone Arena has a seating capacity of 17 , 113 for ice hockey , approximately 20 , 000 for basketball , 10 , 000 for half - house concerts , 18 , 500 for end - stage concerts and 20 , 000 for center - stage concerts , depending on the configuration used . It has also hosted several professional wrestling events and a boxing card since its opening . The seating configuration is notable for the oddly - shaped south end , which features two large round roof support columns , no mid - level seating , and only one level of suites , bringing the upper level seats much closer to the floor . The arena can be converted into the 5 , 145 - seat Music City Theater , used for theater concerts and Broadway and family shows , by placing a stage at the north end of the arena floor and hanging a curtain behind the stage and another to conceal the upper deck . The arena also features 43 , 00 sq . ft . of space in a trade show layout . Awards and nominations . The Bridgestone Arena was nominated for the 2007 Pollstar Concert Industry Venue of the Year Award . This is the fourth time the venue has been nominated . The first was in 1998 as the Nashville Arena , and then in 1999 and 2000 as the Gaylord Entertainment Center . Naming rights . The arena ' s original name when opened in 1996 was Nashville Arena . Designed by Populous ( formerly HOK Sport ) in conjunction with the Nashville based architecture / engineering firm Hart Freeland Roberts , INC . , it was designed at an angle on the corner of Broadway and 4th Avenue in Nashville in physical homage to the historic Ryman Auditorium , the original home of the Grand Ole Opry . In 1999 , the arena was renamed Gaylord Entertainment Center ( GEC ) after a 20 - year , US $ 80 million naming rights contract was signed between the Predators and Nashville - based Gaylord Entertainment Company , which at the time held part - ownership of the team . In February 2005 , it was announced that the Predators and Gaylord ( which had earlier sold its stake in the team ) had reached an agreement terminating any further involvement between them , and that the Gaylord name would remain on the building only until a new purchaser could be found for the naming rights . As a result , many in the Nashville media quickly reverted to calling the facility by its original name , the Nashville Arena . With the beginning of the 2006 season , the Predators began referring to the arena by its original name as well . In doing so , the team replaced the " Gaylord Entertainment Center " wordmark on the center ice circle with the original " Nashville Predators " wordmark from the inaugural season . The " Gaylord Entertainment Center " name , however , was still displayed on the building ' s exterior signage at this point . The facility was officially renamed the Nashville Arena again and all Gaylord signage was removed from the building ' s exterior on March 16 , 2007 . On May 18 , 2007 , Sommet Group , a Franklin , Tennessee - based collection of companies whose services include human resources administration , payroll processing , software development , computer repair , insurance , and risk management bought the naming rights to the arena , and it became known as Sommet Center . Terms of the deal were not disclosed . The company had previously been the corporate title sponsor for the Predators during the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs . The agreement lasted only two years until the Predators sued the Sommet Group for breach of contract , alleging the latter had failed to make numerous payments under the naming rights agreement . As part of the suit , the Predators stated intentions to seek a new title sponsor for the arena . On February 23 , 2010 , it was announced that Bridgestone will assume the naming rights of the building . The arena became known as Bridgestone Arena . Renovations . In the summer of 2007 a number of renovations were made to the Sommet Center at a cost of several million dollars . Renovations included changes to concession stands and public areas , as well as major changes to infrastructure . The most obvious change was the August 2007 replacement of the original center - hanging scoreboard ( at a cost of $ 3 . 6 million ) with a new scoreboard made by ANC Sports . The original analog scoreboard had become outdated and was no longer supported by the original manufacturer , making parts difficult to come by . The new scoreboard is referred to as the " megatron " by arena and Predators staff . In addition , the TV – media control room was renovated at a cost of $ 2 . 6 million . References . http : / / www . tennessean . com / apps / pbcs . dll / article ? AID = / 20070518 / SPORTS02 / 705180436 / 1002