UBS secures Naming Rights to New York’s next Premier Entertainment & Sports Venue and future home of the NY Islanders

UBS today announced an exclusive 20-year arena naming rights agreement for the metropolitan area’s most anticipated, cutting-edge live entertainment and sports venue and the future home of the New York Islanders. UBS Arena, located at Belmont Park, is projected to open for the 2021-22 NHL season and will host more than 150 major events annually. 

The significant redevelopment project is expected to create 10,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs, generating approximately US$25bn in economic activity over the term of the lease.

 Tom Naratil, Co-President UBS Global Wealth Management and President UBS Americas, said:

We are excited to announce this long-term partnership with the New York Islanders and are proud to play a role in creating one of the country’s premier sports and entertainment venues. The New York City area is home to our Americas headquarters, thousands of our employees, and more UBS clients than any other US market. We have deep roots in the tri-state area and a fundamental commitment to growing our presence in the US. This is an opportunity to demonstrate and accelerate that commitment, while having a positive and lasting impact on the surrounding community.

Tim Leiweke, CEO of Oak View Group and leader of the arena project, said:

UBS Arena is poised to become a global landmark entertainment and sports destination, leading us to partner with one of the world’s premier brands, UBS. Together we’re eager to deliver on our shared promise of helping reinvigorate the New York economy, creating jobs, supporting a sustainable future, and safely providing an unrivaled, distinctive premium experience for all. We’re excited to bring our passion and unmatched guest service commitment to life, and we look forward to welcoming fans to what will surely become a popular global destination for world-class events for many years to come.

Jon Ledecky, Co-Owner of the New York Islanders, said:

UBS Arena will stand as a beacon of strength, resilience, achievement and community, and we look forward to celebrating this milestone with our loyal fans. We’re thrilled to be partners with UBS on this transformational project that will be so important to the New York economy for decades.

The $1.5bn private investment into the arena and the overall surrounding campus will provide a significant boost to the regional economy at a time when economic activity has slowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project will also inject much needed stimulus into the New York economy and the local community, with the goal of filling 30% of UBS Arena’s permanent jobs with workers who live in the surrounding area.

Thirty percent of contracting dollars for construction will also be earmarked for state-certified minority and female-owned businesses, and 6% will be earmarked for service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. An additional $100m investment in transit and infrastructure enhancements, including the first, newly constructed Long Island Rail Road station in almost 50 years, will benefit local residents and visitors for decades to come.

UBS Arena will also commit a significant philanthropic investment to drive economic redevelopment and strengthen the local community. The primary focus of these efforts will be on improving college and career readiness for local youth by providing programming related to post-secondary education and entrepreneurship, both of which are longtime cornerstones of UBS’s community impact efforts across the Americas region.

Expanding on UBS’s global commitment to sustainability, UBS Arena is being built to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED v4) standards for Building Design and Construction. In an effort to build a greener future, UBS Arena is working with world-class sustainability experts to minimise the environmental impact of the venue and become a zero waste facility, utilising renewable energy sources and reducing water and electricity consumption.

In addition to securing naming rights to the arena, specific elements of the agreement with UBS include permanent exterior signage, entitlement to the Arena’s largest premium private hospitality space, and prominent UBS logo placement on the roof, centre ice, and throughout the venue. UBS clients and employees will also enjoy extensive VIP hospitality opportunities.

Naratil added:

Today, I’m proud to join Tim Leiweke of Oak View Group and Jon Ledecky of the New York Islanders to announce that UBS has signed an exclusive 20-year arena naming rights agreement for the New York metropolitan area’s most cutting-edge live entertainment and sports venue. UBS Arena at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, is expected to host more than 150 major events annually and is projected to open for the 2021-22 National Hockey League season as the new home of the New York Islanders.

Naratil continued:

I’m excited that UBS will be part of an overall $1.5 billion private investment into the arena and the overall surrounding campus that is expected to generate $25 billion in economic activity, including creating 10,000 construction jobs, 3,000 permanent jobs, and major infrastructure improvements.

 

The building of UBS Arena will provide a significant boost to the regional economy at a time when economic activity has slowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project will also inject much-needed stimulus into the New York economy and the local community, with the goal of filling 30% of UBS Arena’s permanent jobs with workers who live in the surrounding area. Thirty percent of contracting dollars forconstruction will also be earmarked for state-certified minority and female-owned businesses, and 6% will be earmarked for service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. An additional $100 million investment in transit and infrastructure enhancements will benefit local residents and visitors for decades to come.

 

UBS clients and colleagues will also enjoy extensive benefits from this partnership, including special access to top sports and concert events, dedicated VIP privileges, premium seating and more.

He added:

As an avid hockey fan myself, I’m delighted to announce this long-term partnership with the New York Islanders, an organization with a winning tradition and an exciting future. The New York City area is home to our company’s regional headquarters, thousands of our employees, and more UBS clients than any other US market. We have deep roots in the New York tri-state area and a fundamental commitment to growing our presence in the US. This is an opportunity to demonstrate and accelerate that commitment, while having a positive and lasting impact on the surrounding community.

OVG is leading the development and operations of UBS Arena, as well as leading major global development projects in Seattle, WA, Austin, TX, Palm Springs, CA, Manchester, UK and Milan, Italy. Sterling Project Development (SPD) is the Development Manager and Owner’s Representative for New York Arena Partners, the group developing UBS Arena.

Watch the launch video online at ubsarena.com/ubs and learn more about UBS Arena here.

Images, courtesy: UBS

#arena #Isles #NHL #sportsbiz #sportsentertainment #sportsindustry #sportsvenues #UBSArena 

The next edition of ALSD International – Europe’s leading event for the Premium Seat & Sports Hospitality sector – will be a hybrid affair, with the physical event being hosted at the home of the newly crowned Premier League champions, Liverpool FC’s Anfield Stadium, October 12-13. The event will focus on how to increase revenue through new builds, renovations, service expansions and technology, with the physical event being complemented by virtual elements to ensure no one misses out!

The 2020 edition of ALSD International – organised by the Association of Luxury Suite Directors and Sports Venue Business – will feature a high-level conference, an exhibition hall showcasing the latest products, services & solutions, tours of Anfield, Everton’s Goodison Park and M&S Bank Arena, and numerous networking events, ensuring optimised opportunities to knowledge-share, network and do business.

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