GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — The “iconic” venue in Greensboro is getting an update.
According to their official X account, the Greensboro Coliseum will now be known as First Horizon Coliseum after selling the naming rights to the complex.
First Horizon Bank was founded and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.
This push to change the name was driven by the Oak View Group, which took over operation of the coliseum earlier in 2024, after the longtime director, Matt Brown, retired.
“We are thrilled to welcome First Horizon Bank, a fantastic community and business partner here in Greensboro, as our naming rights partner at the Coliseum,” Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan said. “We are grateful to Oak View Group, who, in their first year of operating our beautiful facilities, helped us attract and secure First Horizon as the first naming rights partner in the venue’s 65-year history. With Oak View Group as our operator and First Horizon as our naming rights partner, the First Horizon Coliseum is poised to be a top entertainment destination and a tremendous asset for our community that will continue to attract events that generate millions of dollars in economic impact for our region.”
“Securing a naming rights partner was a top priority in our first year in Greensboro,” said Greg O’Dell, President of Venue Management, Oak View Group. “We are excited for the future here in Greensboro as we seek new opportunities for the First Horizon Coliseum that further generate excitement and more indelible moments for this iconic and revered venue. First Horizon Bank is the perfect partner to help us.”
The new name is a part of Oak View Group’s efforts to build the venue’s brand identity, hoping to further build a strong fan base. First Horizon was founded and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.
The new partnership with First Horizon Bank was secured by OVG Global Partnerships.
“This was an iconic venue to put our name on and really show a long-term consistent commitment,” First Horizon Bank Triad Market President Todd Williams said.
Vaughan says the contract between the First Horizon Bank, Oak View Group and Greensboro will last 10 years.
She said the change will save the city money.
First Horizon paid a million a year for the naming rights with an escalator clause, which allows the price of the contract to be decreased or increased under certain conditions.
“I think it’s really around brand awareness. At first, we’ve had a handful of brands with bank mergers … To reinforce our brand … is just such an important state with the growth in the Carolinas … especially here in the Triad and the Carolinas core,” Williams said.
They expect the change to be bittersweet for many as fans adapt to the name change.
“You’re going to continue to hear ‘Greensboro’ over the course of time. This will phase in,” Oak View Group First Horizon Coliseum General Manager Scott Johnson said. “But over the course of the next months and years, it will matriculate into First Horizon Coliseum, and we’ll also continue that with other things. So the Special Events Center at Greensboro Complex or White Oak Amphitheater at Greensboro Complex.”
Greensboro city leaders believe with Oak View Group as the venue’s operator and First Horizon as its naming rights partner, First Horizon Coliseum will grow as an entertainment destination and continue to attract events that generate millions of dollars to our local economy.
Celeste Smith
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