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WAM works with corporations to assess, develop and leverage sponsorship marketing programs in order to meet strategic business objectives.
WAM works with organizations seeking corporate sponsors (referred to as ‘Properties’) to maximize their revenue potential through effective marketing alliances.
WAKEHAM & ASSOCIATES MARKETING, INC. (WAM)
ANNOUNCES NAMING RIGHTS AGREEMENT FOR THE
KINGSTON REGIONAL SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE
WITH THE RADIO GROUP, INC.
Venue Named K-ROCK Centre
February 27, 2008
Toronto, ON – Wakeham & Associates Marketing, Inc. (WAM) is pleased to announce that it has successfully brokered a naming rights sponsorship agreement between The Radio Group, Inc. and the City of Kingston’s Kingston Regional Sports and Entertainment Centre. The venue will be known as “K-ROCK Centre”. The $3.3 million agreement is for a 10-year term.
“It has been a pleasure working with The City of Kingston, Arcturus SMG and John Wright, President of The Radio Group to establish a naming rights agreement for the new Kingston Regional Sports and Entertainment Centre. John Wright is a visionary and a great promoter. This is a big win for the new Centre and the City of Kingston as K-ROCK not only names the new arena, commits to promote its events through K-ROCK, KIX 93.5 and The Lake”, said Dan Sherrett, Vice President, Corporate Alliances at WAM.
“We are happy to have been selected by the City of Kingston to be the agency tasked with securing a naming rights sponsor for the new arena. We think that K-ROCK is a very exciting partner for the Centre, and they will help to make the new venue a true success”, said Hugh Wakeham, President of WAM.
“Wakeham & Associates Marketing packaged the naming rights opportunities for the Centre and took them to market on our behalf. After soliciting dozens of local and national companies, they brought us K-ROCK, and we could not be happier with the partnership they have created for us. The WAM team has been consummate professionals throughout the naming rights campaign, and we couldn’t have secured a naming rights partner without them” said Lanie Hurdle, spokesperson for the City of Kingston.
About the K-Rock Centre
Work began on Kingston's Sports and Entertainment Centre in late August of 2006., and the $46.1-million centre opened as the K-ROCK Centre on February 22, 2008.
The Kingston Regional Sports and Entertainment Centre will provide the facilities needed for such major events as concerts and shows, Ontario Hockey League games, professional and competitive figure skating, conferences, trade shows, job fairs and other community events. It will also be the new home of the Kingston Frontenac’s hockey team and include artifacts from the local Sports Hall of Fame. It will accommodate up to 6,800 people with 5,000 in the arena bowl and another 1,800 on the floor for concerts and shows. The largest gathering place in the corridor between Oshawa and the Quebec border, it will highlight Kingston's position as a natural stopping point for major touring artists, reinforcing the city's role as the leading community in southeastern Ontario.
Most significantly, the facility will be located downtown on city-owned land just three blocks north of the main downtown business artery, Princess Street. Studies from other sports and entertainment centres in Ontario and the United States suggest that entertainment centres thrive best as part of a cluster of restaurants, clubs, hotels and related amenities. Downtown Kingston offers the type of environment that ensures patrons enjoy a complete entertainment experience — benefiting the local economy and the operation of the facility itself.
Similar centres in other cities have generated significant municipal revenues and provided cultural and entertainment experiences for their residents and the residents of surrounding communities. Study estimates indicate that the centre will have an annual regional economic impact on tourism activity of $15 to $20 million.
About The Radio Group, Inc.
The Radio Group owns three radio stations in the Kingston area: K-ROCK, KIX 93.5 and The Lake. KROCK, or CIKR, is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 105.7 FM in Kingston, Ontario. The station broadcasts an active rock format. The station was launched in 2001 by John Wright, formerly the general manager of the competing stations CKLC and CFLY. It was the first new station launch in Kingston since 1953. The first song after this launch was "New Orleans is Sinking" by Kingston's own Tragically Hip. The Radio Group also operates WBDR, from the nearby American community of Cape Vincent, New York, through a local marketing agreement.