Rockford Area Venues & Entertainment Authority officials are expected to announce a new name for the Rockford MetroCentre on Thursday.
Officials have for months worked to land a naming rights partner that could help re-brand the aging MetroCentre. RAVE Authority officials today issued a news advisory that a naming rights partner would be announced at a news conference Thursday at 11 a.m. at the MetroCentre, 300 Elm St.
In addition to perhaps giving the MetroCentre a financial boost, a naming rights sponsor has long been seen as a way to break from the past and set a new tone for the downtown arena.
Chairman Mike Dunn has said that a naming rights deal is less about finances, than a long-term partnership that would benefit the sponsor and the city.
Naming the MetroCentre is billed as a valuable marketing investment for a corporate sponsor and is part of plans to make the arena more profitable and reduce its reliance on public subsides.
We’ll have the details from the news conference starting at 11 a.m. on Twitter or check back here later for more.
I suggest Rockford study how Indianapolis revived their downtown. Their downtown was terrible until it was revitalized. They have Circle City Mall, Hotels, Restaurants, Bars, Shops,and Theaters. It is fabulous, every day and night people are shoppping, eating, listening to bands in the bars, or watching street performers. To top it off the streets and sidewalks are very clean. I realize that Rockford is alot smaller than Indianapolis, but something similar can be done. Rockford belongs to Main Street America, so why are they not capitilizing that fact. Get small business owners in there that are interested in opening Galena style stores and restaurants. Offer something like Machesney Park did tax wise to get those potential business owners into the empty store fronts. A Jazz or Blues Club would be a nice addition. A dinner and music restaurant, somewhere where people dress up to go. Sidewalk Cafes. Art Galleries and Antique Shops. You see where I am going with this. I don’t know why the City of Rockford hasn’t tried to do something like this before. I have alot more ideas so maybe the city should hire me to help revive Rockford instead of having the same people recycle the same tired ideas over and over again.