SALT LAKE CITY – Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment (LHMSE) today announced a partnership with Vivint, a leading smart home provider and one of the top tech companies in Utah. The partnership will include naming rights of the downtown Salt Lake City arena that is home of the Utah Jazz and the region’s premier concert and entertainment venue. Financial terms of the 10-year agreement were not disclosed.
The name for the 19,911-seat facility, formerly known as EnergySolutions Arena, will be the Vivint Smart Home Arena. The arena hosts about 1.8 million guests and more than 100 sports and entertainment events each year. The basketball court is named for Larry H. Miller, who spearheaded the construction of the building 25 years ago.
“The Utah Jazz and the arena are proud to have Vivint as our new naming rights partner,” said LHMSE President Steve Starks. “Vivint is a long-time supporter of the Jazz, is a Utah-based company, and has a deep commitment to the community and our fans. These were all qualities we looked for when we began this process. ”
Headquartered in Provo, Utah, Vivint creates innovative smart home and security products and services. With Vivint, homeowners can automate, control, and monitor their homes from any smart device. The company’s smart home platform includes door locks, lights, thermostats and an intelligent doorbell camera, among others. Vivint has more than one million customers and 8,000 employees throughout the United States and Canada. Forbes recently named the company to its list of “America’s Best Employers.”
“The Utah Jazz and the arena have been an incredible economic engine for this region, and have created a tremendous sense of pride among Utahns,” said Todd Pedersen, CEO of Vivint. “This agreement extends far beyond a typical ‘logo-on-the-building’ arrangement – it’s a true partnership built around innovation, community impact and the drive to elevate the prominence of Utah.”
“I am really pleased about this association between two Utah businesses,” said Gail Miller, owner of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies. “Vivint shares our vision of having the arena be a gathering place for our community where millions of visitors can enjoy the Jazz and other first-class entertainment. I also want to thank EnergySolutions for their past contributions and continued support of our company and the Jazz.”
LHMSE and Vivint have formed a multi-faceted strategic marketing partnership that will include an interactive “Vivint Smart Home Experience” on the arena concourse, expertise in products and services to improve the game night fan experience, and upgraded security and automation technology at the basketball facilities. The two companies will also be collaborating on an autism awareness campaign as part of their joint community outreach. Vivint has already been an active partner with LHMSE, including sponsorship of the Tour of Utah, Salt Lake Bees and Utah Jazz.
The name change, effective immediately, will be visible throughout the facility, with Vivint Smart Home Arena being prominent on the exterior of the building, the lower panels of the center hung scoreboard, all digital building signage and on the Utah Jazz basketball court. The venue’s naming transition to Vivint Smart Home Arena will occur throughout the end of 2015 as the building hosts marquee events beginning with the Garth Brooks World Tour on Oct. 29-31 and the Jazz home opener on Nov. 4.
Located on the west side of downtown Salt Lake City, the building originally opened as the Delta Center on Oct. 7, 1991, and was renamed EnergySolutions Arena on Nov. 20, 2006. Construction began on June 11, 1990, and was completed in record time – 15 months and 24 days later, at a cost of $66 million. The arena boasts 50 luxury suites, an All-Star Suite and an Executives Club, three sky suites on level six, and numerous hospitality and multipurpose rooms.
The building has played host to the 1993 NBA All-Star Weekend, two NBA Finals, the 1999 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, as well as figure skating and short track speed skating events at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The arena has featured some of the biggest names in the music world with Brooks, U2, Taylor Swift and The Rolling Stones among the largest concert draws in the arena’s history. Family-friendly events such as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Disney on Ice and Days of ’47 Rodeo also make annual appearances.
In the last five years, about $25 million has been injected into arena improvements. With an emphasis on enhancing the fan experience, upgrades have included an improved public address system, enlarged concourse entries with retail and food offerings, digital direction and concessions signage, the addition of the Legends Club, two Fanzz stores and the expansion of the main team store, and numerous energy efficiency projects. The most significant improvement was a $15 million investment prior to the 2013-14 season for the installation of a new high definition video display system and other building infrastructure.
EnergySolutions, the current naming rights partner, will continue as a Champion Partner with the Utah Jazz. “Our partnership with the Utah Jazz over the past decade has been a tremendous opportunity for our company. We look forward to continuing as a Champion Partner for the Jazz and also our new role as a lead sponsor for Junior Jazz across the State of Utah as well as our commitment to work with the Miller Family on several community projects,” said David Lockwood, CEO of EnergySolutions.
The arena is owned and operated by the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies.
