Charlotte Bobcats Arena

[Miesian Corners]

We're SunCom...and we get it. I know how you love Harry Connik, atlrvr.

[atlrvr]

I'll strangle that fuc.........

[reverbandwhiskey]

SunCom is the devil. I used to work for them in the late 1990's. We were forced to lie to customers about coverage, and the company would sell your personal information to any company willing to pay...

[CLTfanatic]

Do you think BOA or Wachovia might have something to say about the arena being named Suntrust?

[eastsider]

I could possibly see Wachovia, but I have a feeling that won't happen. Bank of America's already tied in to the Panthers Stadium. Lowes is local, but already tied into the speedway. It seems in recent years airlines have gotten into buying naming rights of new arenas, so USAir would be logical, but they are definantly not in a position to do it. To me it looks like it will be a company from outside of Charlotte to buy the rights.

[Norm2]

Duke Energy Arena?

[hueion39]

I could possibly see Wachovia, but I have a feeling that won't happen. Bank of America's already tied in to the Panthers Stadium. Lowes is local, but already tied into the speedway. It seems in recent years airlines have gotten into buying naming rights of new arenas, so USAir would be logical, but they are definantly not in a position to do it. To me it looks like it will be a company from outside of Charlotte to buy the rights.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wachovia already has the Wachovia Center in Philly...

[reverbandwhiskey]

How about Charlotte Arena since we paid for most of the damn thing.

[dubone]

we gave the team the right to name the arena, as long as the team had "Charlotte" in the name. I think it is a fair trade since the team name gets reported on nationally.

I hope a company with a cool name buys the naming rights....

[keer5771]

Duke Energy Arena?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The Duke Dome? I'm sure that'd go over like a turd in the punchbowl. I know how people here looooove their dookies!

[dubone]

lol.

I had a professor in chapel hill that was part of the fundraising for the dean dome.... apparently there was a crisis briefly, because doris duke was thinking of buying naming rights. now THAT would have been the punchbowl turd.

What about Goodrich Arena?

[reverbandwhiskey]

How about the UrbanPlanet.Org Center?

[dubone]

....we'd be debating sports subsidizies till kingdom come.

[SmellyCat]

lol. 

I had a professor in chapel hill that was part of the fundraising for the dean dome.... apparently there was a crisis briefly, because doris duke was thinking of buying naming rights.   now THAT would have been the punchbowl turd.

What about Goodrich Arena?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I love that idea. Along with the live broadcast feed of the Charlotte skyline brought to you by the Goodrich Blimp!

[Neo]

How about the UrbanPlanet.Org Center?

Have a few million to spare by chance?

[Tayfromcarolina]

The "Charlotte Arena", is as good a name if any. The City did pay for the majority of the arena, so it would be fitting.

Plus do they have to have a Corporate Entity throw their name on there? "The Charlotte Arena" sounds great to me.

[dubone]

Have a few million to spare by chance? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

charge five bucks a post .

[dubone]

The "Charlotte Arena", is as good a name if any.  The City did pay for the majority of the arena, so it would be fitting. 

Plus do they have to have a Corporate Entity throw their name on there?  "The Charlotte Arena" sounds great to me.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree, but it is a waste of an asset. They can sell the naming rights for money, so why not do that? The city opted to give the team that, as part of a give and take negotiation (yes, mostly give).

We want lots of people and money to move around this arena, and for the team to be profitable ads and naming rights are part of that equation. Frankly, the more money the bobcats make, the better their players, their record, and without needing ticket prices to fund it all.

[eastsider]

Some other options use companies with a presence in the Charlotte area

Harris Teeter Center

Family Dollar Fieldhouse

Belk Arena (stolen from Davidson College)

Food Lion Forum

Continential Tire Center

Lance Crackers Coliseum

Bojangles' Chicken-Shack

[Raintree21]

So who would get the proceeds from the sale of the naming rights? The city or the Bobcats?

[dubone]

bobcats.

I really like Lance Arena.

Mostly, i like names that trace back to a person. Goodrich, Lance, Belk, Harris Teeter. McColl whatever...

I'm okay with a corporate name, but some corporate names are just plain tacky. PLEASE not Family Dollar, Food Lion or Bojangles.

Hey, what about Bloom Arena (or the Bloom Bloom Room)

[Raintree21]

So we built it for them, they get all of the ticket revenues, concession revenues, tv revenues, AND get the revenues from the sale of the name of the CHARLOTTE OWNED arena?

[dubone]

yes. this is all very old news by now.

there were a number of major give and takes. Bobcats bear all the risk if they are unsuccessful. They absorb any operational losses for concessions. They pay for all the marketing and and are responsible for maximizing bookings.

the city gains from having the bobcats be successful, getting lots of fans to come and spend money, having many many events at the arena, and having the name broadcast around the country for every game.

Other than some land swaps that you could make a case for, this was all paid for by the hotel-motel tax, which are put on tourists...

Old news. The city gave up alot, but the hotel industry was willing to put their industry's tax proceeds entirely into this basket... so...

[Raintree21]

Rolling Stones coming to Charlotte

Some say the uptown arena will never bring Charlotte satisfaction. On at least one night this fall, they will be wrong.

The Rolling Stones -- who've rocked from the '60s until their own 60s -- will strut into the new arena as its first big act. Sources close to the concert tell the Observer that Mick Jagger and the boys will announce a new tour on Tuesday that includes a Charlotte stop.

Other details about the show -- including the date -- will be announced Tuesday in a live, televised news conference. Bobcats "premium" ticketholders will most likely have first shot at tickets, as happened with U2, the sources say. The 17,000 tickets to that show sold out in 59 minutes. Information on how to buy tickets will be announced at the news conference.

The autumn Stones concert will precede the Dec. 12 concert by U2, the band that some critics say supplanted the grizzled Stones as the "world's greatest rock 'n' roll band."

[monsoon]

It is a bit of a misnomer to imply that U2 and the Rolling Stones came to Charlotte simply because the city built a NBA arena. Both concerts would have come to Charlotte anyway because we have a larger arena (the current Charlotte Coliseum) where both concerts could have had more ticket sales because there are several thousand more seats to sell. The fact that well off NBA ticket holders are given preference is another slap in the face to the taxpayers that paid for the facility in the first place.

The building of the NBA Arena may actually cause Charlotte to start losing out to Greensboro again as Greensboro willl have the largest indoor arena in Western NC after the Charlotte Coliseum is closed. Before the current Charlotte Coliseum was built, Charlotte lost on many major concerts that could only make 1-2 stops in the Carolinas because they could sell more seats in Greensboro (which will have close to 4500 more seats) And believe me when I tell you that Greensboro will do everything they can to market this advantage.