VANCOUVER (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — National Hockey League team the Vancouver Canucks has pacted with Toronto-based telecom giant Rogers Communication in 10-year naming rights deal for the team's downtown arena. Formerly known as General Motors Place, the building will henceforth be called Rogers Arena. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The sponsorship deal includes extensive branding and advertising placements, including in-ice, in-building and rink board signage, Canucks.com, 300-level concourse branding, in-game features, interactive hockey themed concourse displays and mobile applications.
An official unveiling of the external and internal signage will happen at the downtown Arena prior to the start of the 2010-11 NHL season; the Canucks' 40th anniversary playing in the NHL
According to the Vancouver Sun, the deal comes as Rogers is attempting to capitalize on inroads in the turf of their telecommunications rivals Telus, who are the dominant player in the region.
"There is no question this is reinforcing our commitment to the province, to the West, to being a national player," Nadir Mohamed, Rogers president and CEO said during a news conference at the arena.
Although GM's name is no longer attached to the name of the arena, the company indicated that it intends to remain a sponsorship partner inside the venue.
"We want to be more focused on our brands and on the specific products and the attributes of the products," Tony LaRocca, GM Canada's communications director told the Sun. "This give us an opportunity to do that in a way that allowed us to keep our partnership with these folks which has been really good for us over the years." – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
