Naming Opportunities at Grand River Center et al
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MEMORANDUM
August 10, 2005
TO:
The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM:
Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Naming Opportunities at the Grand River Center and other City Properties
Assistant City Manager Cindy Steinhauser recommends that the naming opportunity
amount for the Grand River Center (GRC) and other City properties be revised as
follows:
. GRC meeting room (six total)
. Outdoor "Tri-State" Plaza West Entrance
. Skywalk to Grand Harbor Resort
. GRC Lower Lobby space
. Prefunction Space outside Ballroom
. GRC ballroom
. Water Works Park
$ 100,000/each
$ 200,000
$ 200,000
$ 200,000
$ 400,000
$ 500,000
$ 500,000
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
(It! 1t~IltL
Michael C. Van Milligen
MCVM/jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
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MEMORANDUM
Michael C. Van Millgen, City Manager /'In ./l/
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Managet)1\PS
Naming Opportunities at the Grand River Center and other City properties
August 3, 2005
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
Introduction
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide you information on naming opportunities
for city properties and to recommend a revision to the current cost for each area.
Backaround
In June 2003, the City Council approved the following naming opportunities and
sponsorship levels for different spaces at the Grand River Center (GRC), the proposed
Shot Tower Visitor Center and Water Works Park. Naming opportunities are those in
which the donation represents a significant giving level and then a name is associated
with the space. For example, the American Trust Rivers Edge Plaza was a fulfilled
naming opportunity. These are different than commemorative opportunities which are
those in where the giving level warrants special recognition. An example is the Pavilion
at the Rivers Edge Plaza made possible through the generosity of Rotary.
The following were the approved locations and amounts for Naming Opportunities:
. GRC meeting room (six total)
. Outdoor "Tri-State" Plaza West Entrance
. Outdoor Plaza East Entrance
. Fountain/Garden Area in front of Center
. Skywalk to Grand Harbor Resort
. Prefunction Space outside Ballroom
. GRC ballroom
. GRC exhibit hall
. River Room
. Amphitheather
. Rivers Edge Plaza
$ 250,000/each
$ 250,000
$ 250,000 *fu/filled
$ 250,000 *fu/filled
$ 500,000
$ 1 million
$ 1 million
$ 2.5 million
$ 1 million
$ 250,000 *fulfilled
$ 250,000 *fulfilled
. Shot Tower Visitor Center
. Water Works Park
$ 1 million
$ 500,000
In establishing these levels, city staff reviewed information on naming opportunities of
similar sized communities and projects, analyzed the cost of the space and size of the
space in relationship to the entire project. In addition, city staff reviewed the information
with HOK Venue, the international architect firm that designed the Grand River Center
and has assisted previous clients with naming rights, and with Teri Goodmann and Jerry
Enzler from the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium (NMRMA).
The following naming opportunities were reviewed as part of this research:
. Hy-Vee Center Des Moines - $8 million over 20 years *fulfilled
. Midwest Express Center Milwaukee - $9.25 million over 15 years *fu/filled
. Alliant Energy Center Madison - $6.3 million over 20 years *fu/filled
. Touchstone Energy Place St. Paul- 2.35 million 10 years *fulfilled
. NMRMA Wetland - $1 million *fu/filled
. NMRMA Auditorium & Theater - $500,00 *fu/filled
. NMRMA Reading Room - $250,000 *fulfilled
. Figge Art Center (FAC) Davenport - $12 million *fu/filled
- FAC North Plaza space $3 million *fulfilled
- FAC Exhibit Gallery $3 million *fulfilled
- FAC Lobby $1 million *fu/filled
- FAC Gallery space $1 million *fulfilled
- FAC Library $500,000 *fulfilled
- FAC South Entrance $250,000 *fu/filled
- FAC Gift Shop $100,000 *fulfilled
Discussion
Recently the City has been approached about naming opportunities and levels
previously approved to obtain naming rights. In response to this, I have again reviewed
the information with the parties noted above as well as visited with representatives from
SMG, Inc., an international private management firm for Convention and Conference
Center that has experience is soliciting naming rights. The consistent message that
each of these firms stated was that people are interested in naming rights for two
reasons 1) community philanthropy and 2) marketing opportunities. They all also
agreed that the amount of marketing opportunities through naming rights is abundant
and very competitive. Based upon this input I would recommend that the naming
opportunity amount for the GRC and other city properties be revised as follows:
. GRC meeting room (six total)
. Outdoor "Tri-State" Plaza West Entrance
. Skywalk to Grand Harbor Resort
. GRC Lower Lobby space
. Prefunction Space outside Ballroom
. GRC ballroom
$ 100,000/each
$ 200,000
$ 200,000
$ 200,000+
$ 400,000
$ 500,000
. GRC exhibit hall
. River Room
. Shot Tower Visitor Center
. Water Works Park
$ 1 million
$ 500,000
$ 450,000
$ 500,000
+Not previously on the naming opportunity list but being recommended
Lastly, a consistent theme in reviewing naming rights with the parties above was that
the city may want to consider establishing a term limit on those naming rights that
represent marketing opportunities for a business as opposed to those that are purely
philanthropic. As shown above, several of the examples had limits from ten to twenty
years. This is consistent with industry standards. Based upon this, I would further
recommend that a 15-year term be established for naming opportunities in the Ballroom,
Exhibit Hall, River Room and Lower Lobby.
Reauest
The requested action is for City Council to adopt the revised recommendations
regarding naming opportunities.