Arena gets big sponsor

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, February 25, 2004

EVERETT — Cable television giant Comcast Corp. signed on today as a major sponsor of the Everett Events Center – a deal that over three years could mean up to $1.5 million in cash and tradeoffs for the arena.

In return for the sponsorship, Comcast will receive naming rights to the community ice rink, which will become the Comcast Community Ice Rink.

"We may be a large company, but we like to think of ourselves as a local company," Comcast regional manager Roger Valentine said. "It’s not just a name on a building, it’s a connection to the community."

Valentine said the company chose to sponsor the ice rink rather than the entire center because it wanted to focus on the community and family appeal of the rink.

The Everett Public Facilities District Board unanimously approved the deal.

Comcast will pay the district $75,000 in cash and provide $400,000 worth of cable advertising, products and services in the first year.

At the end of that year, the deal may be renewed for two more years, another $225,000 in cash and another $800,000 in cable television tradeoffs.

But Comcast spokesman Steve Kipp said three years is just the beginning of what he hopes will be a long partnership with the events center, and Comcast working to contribute to the success of Everett as a city.

"Doing this says Comcast is here to stay," Kipp said. "We really feel that we’re here to stay. We are long-term partners."

Events center spokesman Eric Blankenship said the infusion of cash will help the arena meet fiscal goals after getting off to a slow start.

Having Comcast as a major partner will not only draw performers, but also the availability of free cable advertising will help sell shows.

"It’s a better start than I have envisioned," Blankenship said, adding that Comcast’s initial sponsorship eventually could snowball into a larger partnership.

Comcast owns Global Spectrum, which manages the center and is bringing major acts – including Grammy winners Rod Stewart and Big Boi of the rap duo OutKast – to Snohomish County’s largest indoor venue.

NorthWest Plus Credit Union, Budweiser and Pepsi are also large events center sponsors, Blankenship said.

Earlier this month, Comcast made a surprise bid for the Walt Disney Co., which would have made it the world’s biggest media conglomerate. Disney rejected the offer, but the companies are still talking.

In December, Comcast offered the Tacoma City Council a $7 million deal for naming rights to the Tacoma Dome, but the company withdrew its offer after several members of the council wavered in their support. That proposal included renaming the 20-year-old, 22,000-seat building the Comcast Dome. In return, Comcast would have paid the city $3.5 million in cash and $3.5 million worth of cable advertising over 10 years.

Though Comcast is lined up as the ice rink’s sponsor, the arena is still shopping around for a corporate sponsor to buy the naming rights for the main facility, and perhaps also the conference center.

The events center, which opened in August, is the state’s newest major entertainment venue and is drawing crowds of up to 8,000 for concerts, ice shows and other entertainment that used to be found only in Seattle. It is also home for the Everett Silvertips minor league hockey team.

Naming rights for the events center could fetch up to $3 million over 10 years, said Harry Howell, president of Sports Facilities Marketing Group, the Cleveland-based company that markets the center.

Reporter Jennifer Warnick: 425-339-3429 or jwarnick@heraldnet.com.