Any funds exchanged in a naming-rights deal would go toward offsetting BC Place Stadium's operationsGETTY IMAGES
BC Pavilion Corp., which manages BC Place Stadium, will "soon seek a private sponsor to pay for the right to put their name on the massive sports and entertainment venue" that is home to the Whitecaps and the CFL's BC Lions, according to Stephanie Ip of the VANCOUVER SUN. This comes seven years after the British Columbia government "scuttled naming-rights talks it was having with Telus," which would have seen the province earn C$35M over 20 years in "exchange for turning BC Place into Telus Park." At the time, the province claimed that the deal "wasn’t lucrative enough and they wanted to keep the BC Place name." It is "unknown how much it would cost for a company to put their name on the stadium but any funds exchanged would go toward offsetting the stadium’s operations." The RFP was posted publicly yesterday, with "additional information expected Feb. 19." Presentations from interested parties will take place in early March, with a "shortlist of candidates selected by June." The winning party "will be notified in July." As part of the provincial government’s policy, "no companies that promote alcohol or other addictive substances" are allowed to "name any venue that hosts events primarily geared to children" (VANCOUVER SUN, 2/5).
