Verizon Arena naming rights are up for grabs, as the search is underway to land a new corporate sponsor for the North Little Rock, AR venue in 2019.
Originally opening in 1999, Verizon Arena has been used by a few sports teams over its years of existence–including bygone clubs in hockey’s ECHL and basketball’s NBA Development League–but is used primarily for larger shows and events. That includes concerts, performances, various sports games and tournaments, and more.
The Verizon Arena naming-rights agreement is approaching its expiration, and work is now underway to find a new partnership for the facility that could begin at some point in 2019. Time will tell how a new agreement takes shape, but Verizon Arena general manager Michael Marion indicated last week that the goal is to have a facility name change go into effect by next October. More from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette:
Marion said Tuesday that the arena hopes to have a naming-rights partner selected by next spring and an agreement to go into effect by October 2019.
He said he’d love to have a local sponsor, but he is most interested in a bid from a partner who will make the most of the arrangement.
“The expectation is that we’ll have a naming-rights sponsor who … can take advantage of the advertising opportunity involved,” Marion said. “Think about how many times our name is on the radio every day.”
The Verizon Arena name has been in place since 2009, when the facility’s identity changed to reflect Verizon’s merger with the venue’s original naming-rights partner, Alltel Wireless.
Image courtesy Verizon Arena.