The Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority board voted Wednesday morning to hire a consultant to work on a new naming rights contract, possibly with a new sponsor, for the downtown arena and convention center.
The current 15-year contract with CenturyLink, signed in 2003, is set to expire.
The consultant is Professional Sports Partners. MECA officials are hoping a naming rights deal will bring in more than $10 million.
“We’ve enjoyed a good working relationship with CenturyLink and would welcome the opportunity to continue that partnership,” Roger Dixon, MECA president and CEO, said in a press release. “We also look forward to exploring other possibilities that will help us continue building on the established success of this facility.”
The arena and convention center opened in 2003 with a 15-year agreement with Qwest, which later became CenturyLink. That deal was worth $12.6 million.
Arena visitors also soon will walk through metal detectors to get to concerts and games.
MECA voted today to spend $250,000 to buy 50 walk-through metal detectors in an effort to further improve security and the efficiency of getting people through it. Currently, security personnel check people with metal detector wands.
The detectors should be in place in time for the NCAA men’s basketball regionals at the arena in March.
– Story from Omaha World-Herald, January 17, 2018
