Worcester, MA (May 7, 2024) |
ASM Global, the City of Worcester, and DCU – Digital Credit Union announced today that an agreement has been reached to extend the naming rights partnership of the DCU Center arena and convention center through the end of June 2027.
DCU agreed to become the facility's naming rights partner in October 2004 with the official launch on March 1, 2005. The initial 10-year agreement was extended in May of 2014 for another 10 years. DCU serves over one million members across all 50 states and Puerto Rico, including 118,000 members in Worcester County, and operates 23 branches in Massachusetts and New Hampshire including five in Worcester County.
"For two decades, DCU has been proud to partner with the City of Worcester to support and promote the DCU Center as a cornerstone of entertainment, business, and community celebrations,” said Sue Burton Kirdahy, Senior Vice President of Experience at DCU. “This venue partnership continues to provide opportunities to demonstrate appreciation to both our members and employees. Stay tuned for our exciting plans to delight DCU members who visit the DCU Center with special benefits, including a new DCU member VIP entrance.”
“This contract extension is continued proof of DCU’s commitment to the City of Worcester and its residents,” said City Manager Eric D. Batista. “The arena and convention center are a critical piece of Worcester’s downtown and its identity. The DCU Center is home to many great events in Worcester including concerts, hockey games, graduations, and many more, all of which bring our community together. We look forward to the DCU Center’s continued success as a hub for business, economic development, and culture in Worcester.”
“Since the start of our partnership, DCU Center has continued to grow a diverse offering of events, assisted the city with strategic capital investments and evolved to create a dynamic and engaging environment for both arena and convention center attendees,” said Sandy Dunn, General Manager of the ASM Global managed DCU Center. “DCU’s commitment to their members aligns with our focus in ensuring the comfort of our guests is our top priority,” she continued. “We look forward to continuing to build on our shared successes.”
The new agreement will extend the naming rights to June 30, 2027, with the option for DCU to extend the agreement for an additional seven years. In addition to the existing elements of the agreement, the new contract will include enhanced marketing opportunities for both parties, and on-site activations exclusively for DCU members, including a dedicated arena entrance, “On the Night” upgrades (four VIP tickets and two $25 concession vouchers for every publicly ticketed arena performance), and an annual Member Appreciation Week providing members with various events and activities.
The agreement also provides the credit union with a DCU-branded photo area for high school and college graduations, a designated arena wall-scape mural to showcase DCU for Kids, DCU’s charitable
foundation, and the rebranding and retrofitting of the convention center’s Showcase Overlook area for the benefit of event attendees.
The agreement includes both a base naming rights fee in the amount of $1.8 million for the three-year term, which will be paid at the beginning of the agreement, plus incentive bonuses on an annual basis, which are tied to performance metrics.