A mammoth crowd of 36,000 filled the sparkling new Araneta Coliseum to witness the historic Flash Elorde-Harold Gomes, the Big Dome’s inaugural offering more than 50 years ago. It was acknowledged as an engineering marvel with the biggest clear-span dome – without a single post to obstruct anyone’s view – in the world.

Fast forward to July 23-24, 2011.

Another humongous crowd filled the Big Dome as it kicked off another chapter of its illustrious history under a new name and an exciting alliance with Mr. Manny Pangilinan, the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The Ultimate All Star Weekend was a double header against Filipino basketball idols that will long be talked about in the annals of sports.

Making history and churning out the best forms of entertainment is nothing new at the Araneta Center. It now pulses toward a continued dynamic future as a mixed-use development comprising shopping malls, residential towers, office parks among the 2,000 businessmen in its confines, and the million or so people who traverse its premises daily.

So what’s in a change of name? The change of name opens up a whole new celebrity experience for the millions of Filipinos that flock to the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Smart Araneta Coliseum will undergo a grand facelift to guarantee a star treatment for its customers. Picture this – a “green” weather-proof parking facility right beside the coliseum, providing direct access to the coliseum sections; a façade with an exterior wrapped by LED walls, its dynamic colors providing eye candy to everyone; lobbies equipped with the first ever curved escalators as access to the higher levels; luxurious seats and world class rest rooms to bring comfort to a maximum level. Celebrity treatment awaits guests with a VIP lounge where patrons meet and greet their favorite stars and performers, luxurious cinema seats for the VIP box. All these and much, much more.

With these renovations, as in the past, Filipinos can expect the Smart Araneta Coliseum to continue to be stamped in our collective consciousness.

As in the past, the Smart Araneta Coliseum will continue to be a place that will touch many lives that it deserves to be part of our national heritage.

And as in the past, the Smart Araneta Coliseum will continue to be the entertainment mecca of the Filipinos.

Welcome to the Smart Araneta Coliseum!