Bradley Center Naming

[Oldgym]

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2012/05/21/bmo-harris-secures-bradley-center.html

In a surprise move, BMO Harris Bank    has secured the naming rights to the Bradley Center as part of a new six-year sponsorship deal aimed at helping extend the building's life during the debate over a new basketball arena.

The move comes just four years after Bradley Center officials dropped an effort to sell naming rights for the building because the children of Jane Bradley Pettit, the philanthropist who donated $90 million to build the center, publicly opposed the effort.

But Bradley Center and Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce    officials were able to convince David and Lynde Uihlein, Pettit's children, in recent months that securing the funds from naming rights was critical to getting enough financial support to provide maintenance and upgrades to the building.

The new name of the building will be the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

"We are grateful for the community's support in working to ensure the continued viability of the Bradley Center," David and Lynde Uihlein said in a statement. "And we support solutions that preserve the integrity of our family's gift to build the Bradley Center as well as ensure the success of the Bucks as Milwaukee's NBA franchise."

The BMO Harris name will soon by added to interior and exterior signage at the Bradley Center, the building's main scoreboard and event tickets.

For BMO Harris, the naming rights deal is the bank's biggest commitment to the Milwaukee area since it bought Milwaukee-based Marshall & Ilsley Corp. in July 2011. M&I had been the area's biggest bank and was a major supporter of community events and professional sports team.

BMO Harris officials declined to say how the bank was paying for its sponsorship deal. During the 2008 naming rights effort, the Bradley Center hoped to raise at least $30 million over 10 years.

Article continues but that's the gist of it.

[AZWarrior]

Dang.  I was hoping the Johnson Sausage company would get the rights.   

[eroc830]

It is not the best sounding name but I think it was much needed for the BC to keep operating for the next few years.  Wonder if MU had any say in this since their big sponsor is US Bank, even though I'm sure US Bank was contacted to buy the naming rights also. 

[reinko]

It is not the best sounding name but I think it was much needed for the BC to keep operating for the next few years.  Wonder if MU had any say in this since their big sponsor is US Bank, even though I'm sure US Bank was contacted to buy the naming rights also. 

Could be a lot worse.

Regards,
O.Co Coliseum

[brewcity77]

Calling it the B-MO isn't too bad (Beemo), though BC will still work. I'd love to know the terms of the deal, whether or not it was set up with the possibility of a new arena in mind or not.

[Nukem2]

Calling it the B-MO isn't too bad (Beemo), though BC will still work. I'd love to know the terms of the deal, whether or not it was set up with the possibility of a new arena in mind or not.

As per the JS article, this is a bridge between the current BC and the future.  Big thing here is getting $$ for the interim while getting community "powers" working together.

[mu_hilltopper]

Anyone understand what the BC will do with the money?  I mean .. it's not like they have this giant maintenance backlog.  Once they instituted the ticket surcharge 3 years ago .. they started a decent revenue stream they didn't have before.

Maybe they're putting the BMO money in the bank so they can afford the moving vans to the next stadium?

.. oh, and I'm sure the Midwest/Frontier Airlines Center people aren't too happy with this .. the BC just sniped a pretty big fish that could have replaced the Frontier name once they go under.

[Oldgym]

Anyone understand what the BC will do with the money?  I mean .. it's not like they have this giant maintenance backlog.  Once they instituted the ticket surcharge 3 years ago .. they started a decent revenue stream they didn't have before.

Maybe they're putting the BMO money in the bank so they can afford the moving vans to the next stadium?

.. oh, and I'm sure the Midwest/Frontier Airlines Center people aren't too happy with this .. the BC just sniped a pretty big fish that could have replaced the Frontier name once they go under.

I thought the same thing.

[chapman]

Let's just take the M out and call it the BO Center.

[MUfan12]

Anyone understand what the BC will do with the money?  I mean .. it's not like they have this giant maintenance backlog.

They do, actually. The state money a few years ago went primarily to the scoreboard. There are issues with the HVAC system and roof that need attention and aren't cheap.

[TallTitan34]

I live in Rockford and six or so months ago they renamed the Metro Centre the BMO Harris Bank Centre.

Two arenas with the same name?

EDIT: Ah never mind.  I see it will be the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

http://www.bmoharrisbradleycenter.com/

[mu03eng]

While I'm sure a good deal for the BC and a good bridge to the new arena, I don't get this from BMO's standpoint.  BMO Harris Bradley Center is a mouthful and will not stick, people will just keep calling it Bradley Center or BC.  I suppose this makes sense if they have the naming rights for a new arena, but just renaming the old doesn't do anything for BMO, IMHO

[mr.MUskie]

While I'm sure a good deal for the BC and a good bridge to the new arena, I don't get this from BMO's standpoint.  BMO Harris Bradley Center is a mouthful and will not stick, people will just keep calling it Bradley Center or BC.  I suppose this makes sense if they have the naming rights for a new arena, but just renaming the old doesn't do anything for BMO, IMHO

Rolls off the tongue, aina?

[reinko]

I live in Rockford and six or so months ago they renamed the Metro Centre the BMO Harris Bank Centre.

Two arenas with the same name?

EDIT: Ah never mind.  I see it will be the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

http://www.bmoharrisbradleycenter.com/

Perhaps, BMO can also sponsor Magic Waters...corner the entertainment market in Rockford.

[mu03eng]

Perhaps, BMO can also sponsor Magic Waters...corner the entertainment market in Rockford.

Why are they going into Meth distributorship as well?

[🏀]

Why are they going into Meth distributorship as well?

+1

[MUEng92]

I live in Rockford and six or so months ago they renamed the Metro Centre the BMO Harris Bank Centre.

Two arenas with the same name?

EDIT: Ah never mind.  I see it will be the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

http://www.bmoharrisbradleycenter.com/

It's not the Metro Centre anymore?  How did I miss that?  Besides the fact that I haven't been back to Rockford in a year and a half.

[MerrittsMustache]

While I'm sure a good deal for the BC and a good bridge to the new arena, I don't get this from BMO's standpoint.  BMO Harris Bradley Center is a mouthful and will not stick, people will just keep calling it Bradley Center or BC.  I suppose this makes sense if they have the naming rights for a new arena, but just renaming the old doesn't do anything for BMO, IMHO

They get their name on a building and presumably a bunch of ad space inside. It also gets them some more recognition in the city aside from simply being "the company that bought M&I." Financially it must make sense or else companies would never buy naming rights to established, long-standing stadiums.

[mu03eng]

They get their name on a building and presumably a bunch of ad space inside. It also gets them some more recognition in the city aside from simply being "the company that bought M&I." Financially it must make sense or else companies would never buy naming rights to established, long-standing stadiums.

Or the company thinks there is a value and its all a lot of group think in the industry.  Maybe there is a metric out there to track business traffic as a result of stadium naming rights but I haven't seen it yet.  I'd be shocked if there is much hard evidence that naming rights brings greater customer opportunities.

[LAZER]

They get their name on a building and presumably a bunch of ad space inside. It also gets them some more recognition in the city aside from simply being "the company that bought M&I." Financially it must make sense or else companies would never buy naming rights to established, long-standing stadiums.

Yeah I think they did it to get their name out there while the M&I name gradually disappears

[Niv Berkowitz]

Anyone understand what the BC will do with the money?  I mean .. it's not like they have this giant maintenance backlog.  Once they instituted the ticket surcharge 3 years ago .. they started a decent revenue stream they didn't have before.

Maybe they're putting the BMO money in the bank so they can afford the moving vans to the next stadium?

.. oh, and I'm sure the Midwest/Frontier Airlines Center people aren't too happy with this .. the BC just sniped a pretty big fish that could have replaced the Frontier name once they go under.

That place will be renamed the Southwest Center.

[JakeBarnes]

While I'm sure a good deal for the BC and a good bridge to the new arena, I don't get this from BMO's standpoint.  BMO Harris Bradley Center is a mouthful and will not stick, people will just keep calling it Bradley Center or BC.  I suppose this makes sense if they have the naming rights for a new arena, but just renaming the old doesn't do anything for BMO, IMHO

The Sears Tower concurs.

[nathanziarek]

Or the company thinks there is a value and its all a lot of group think in the industry.  Maybe there is a metric out there to track business traffic as a result of stadium naming rights but I haven't seen it yet.  I'd be shocked if there is much hard evidence that naming rights brings greater customer opportunities.

I'd imagine naming rights have more to do with advertising/PR than marketing (i.e. awareness over revenue). For $3m/year (going off the old $30m/10 years number), BMO will now be mentioned with every event at the center. That's a pretty good deal.

It also wouldn't surprise me to see BMO playing nice with the city. Does this sponsorship buy a little leeway on something else they're trying to do?

Edit: Noticed somewhere it said $18m/6 years. Still $3m/year, but a shorter commitment.

[TVDirector]

Let's just take the M out and call it the BO Center.

or the B-M center.
crappy name, I know.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Why are they going into Meth distributorship as well?

They'd probably be better at cooking meth then they are at banking.