In another sign that progress is being made on a Summerlin Las Vegas 51s (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) facility, an $80-milion, 20-year naming rights deal for a new Las Vegas ballpark could be approved by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority this week.
The naming-rights deal with Clark County Las Vegas Stadium LLC, the 51s owner, is expected to be discussed at Tuesday’s LVCVA meeting. Howard Hughes Corp. has been proceeding very quietly on a new ballpark to be located next to the training facility for the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights in Downtown Summerlin, a 1.8-million-square-foot retail and office complex.
The LVCVA currently owns and operates Cashman Field, the current 51s home in downtown Las Vegas. The new deal does more than just make the LVCVA a naming-rights partner: it also gives the LVCVA rights to put on as many as 100 events annually in the facility, as well as two Major League Baseball spring-training exhibitions and two other MLB exhibitions. (The Chicago Cubs have been playing an annual spring-training series in Cashman Field, with two games scheduled last season and everyone expecting two more this coming spring.)
Cashman Field has been run by the LVCVA since 1983. The authority formerly managed the adjoining Cashman Center, a small convention space, but turned that facility over to the city. The LVCVA is responsible for the much larger Las Vegas Convention Center, a draw for major events. (The last time the Baseball Winter Meetings was held in Las Vegas, the trade show and meeting space was at the Las Vegas Convention Center. In 2018 the event will be held at Mandalay Bay, which has its own convention space and meeting areas.) From the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Among the conditions of the agreement are that the Las Vegas brand, which the authority manages as a destination marketing organization, be the dominant sponsor and appear in all signage — exterior, concourse, suites, scoreboard and outfield walls as well as advertising on video walls.
The team name also is required to include “Las Vegas.”…
According to information provided to board members, the authority’s role with the 51s is transitioning from being a landlord and owner-operator of a stadium to administrator of a sports marketing initiative targeted at driving visitation and visitor spending.
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