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Des Moines, IA— On February 17th, as fans filed into the Wells Fargo Arena to see the American Hockey League  teams the Iowa Stars and the Milwaukee Admirals face each other on the Wells Fargo ice (the Stars beat the Admirals 6-2), there was excitement at the turnstiles before the action in the rink even began. Nicki Hensen, an Iowa resident and Iowa Star fan—became the 1 millionth person to enter the gates of the Wells Fargo Arena.

Among the prizes received by this 1 millionth customer were an authentic Iowa Stars jersey with the number "1" on the back along with the name "Million", a pair of seasons tickets for the Iowa Stars 2007/2008 season, a commemorative banner and a day’s interest on $1 million ($300-$400), donated by the arena’s namesake, Wells Fargo. In addition, Hensen received pair of round trip tickets to New York, dinner and hotel accommodations, and will be a guest at a taping of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

"We are delighted to be welcoming our one-millionth customer as it is an extremely important milestone in Wells Fargo Arena history," said Matt Homan, General Manager of Wells Fargo Arena. "It shows that the community has truly embraced and supported Wells Fargo Arena and the events we provide. It is fitting that this accomplishment will occur at an Iowa Stars game since they are such an important part of the success of Wells Fargo Arena."
 

Wells Fargo Arena marked its one year anniversary  just a few months ago. The venue, which is managed by Global Spectrum, opened its doors on July 14th, 2005— for the Tony Hawk’s Boom Boom Huck Jam tour and since then has hosted 199 events, including 75 Iowa Stars hockey games, 26 concerts, including the likes of Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi, George Strait, Cheetah Girls, Tim McGraw  & Faith Hill and as well as other events, including the Lipizzaner Stallions, Sesame Street Live, US Hot Rod Monster Jam, and Disney on Ice .

"One million fans at Wells Fargo arena in less than two years time is a great showing," declared Angela Connolly, Polk County Supervisor. "Iowans are clearly excited about the entertainment and sporting opportunities the arena brings to the community, and we’re delighted that people are getting out and enjoying what it has to offer."

The Wells Fargo Arena is part of the Iowa Events Center , which also includes the Polk County Convention Complex, the Hy-Vee Hall, and the Veterans Memorial Auditorium . The multi-purpose venue is the largest publicly-funded building project in the history of the state of Iowa and is owned by the people of Polk County, which has more than 388,000 residents and is Iowa’s largest county.