Cincinnati’s U.S. Bank Arena is set for a name change, as it has been confirmed that U.S. Bank’s naming-rights deal will not be renewed.
The facility has been known as U.S. Bank Arena since 2002, but will now prepare for a rebranding. While Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank is set to maintain a presence at the facility through a three-year marketing partnership, that agreement does not include naming rights to the arena.
A new name has not been announced, but U.S. Bank Arena branding and signage could be removed from the venue beginning week. More from the Cincinnati Enquirer:
U.S. Bank, which has held the venue’s naming rights since 2002, said in a press release that it expects the U.S. Bank Arena branding and signage to start coming down next week….
“U.S. Bank has been part of the Cincinnati community for more than 150 years, and we’re continuing to look for new ways to invest in initiatives and opportunities that help us create a deeper engagement with our customers, the community and 3,100 local employees,” said Mike Prescott, U.S. Bank’s Cincinnati market president. “At the time, U.S. Bank Arena provided us a unique opportunity to reinforce our commitment to the community, and we’ll continue to harness this energy in our other investments across the Cincinnati area.”
U.S. Bank said it will continue to have a presence in the facility as part of a new three-year marketing agreement with AEG and Nederlander Entertainment, which own and operate the arena.
“We are grateful to U.S. Bank for being our naming rights partner for the better of the last two decades and we look forward to a continued relationship,” said Ray Harris, Nederlander Entertainment’s chief operating officer. “We are anxious to announce our new naming rights partner in the near future and beginning a new chapter for this historic venue.”
U.S. Bank Arena is currently home to hockey’s Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL), and is used for a variety of other events. It first opened in 1975, and its aging condition has prompted debate in recent years about a potential replacement or major renovation, but plans to modernize or replace the venue have not come to fruition.
