Latest news with #KeyBankCenter
Associated Press
31-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Pro Football Hall of Fame, KeyBank Agree On Naming Rights Deal for New Event Center
CANTON, OHIO – KeyBank and the Pro Football Hall of Fame have reached a naming rights agreement for a new event center to be built at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The KeyBank Center at the Pro Football Hall of Fame will be the largest event center in the area and will be utilized for Hall of Fame events including Enshrinement Weekend festivities beginning in 2027. The venue also will be used to support community occasions. 'The relationship with KeyBank extends across our community at multiple layers,' said Jim Porter, president & CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 'Not only will this agreement support a first-class hospitality venue in our community, but it also provides a valuable educational resource to be shared through our various outreach programs.' Included in the agreement is a five-year sponsorship during which KeyBank will become the 'Exclusive Bank to the Pro Football Hall of Fame' and incorporates engagement with Pro Football Hall of Famers. Additionally, financial literacy curriculum will be added to the Hall's current educational programming through its award-winning Youth, Education & Leadership Team. 'As KeyBank celebrates our bicentennial, we are thrilled to deepen our roots in Northeast Ohio through the creation of the KeyBank Center at the Pro Football Hall of Fame,' said Chris Gorman, chairman & CEO of KeyCorp. 'This partnership reflects our long-standing commitment to investing in communities, expanding access to opportunity and honoring legacy. The KeyBank Center will be a place where people come together to learn, lead and be inspired for generations to come.' Event center space on the first level will total nearly 12,000 square feet, and the KeyBank Center will include such significant features as an integrated 27-feet-wide glass system that opens to the adjacent field turf area, full kitchen capabilities and a rooftop terrace. The second level will include a café, VIP Club and 6,580 square feet of turf rooftop space for parties or other events. 'I want to congratulate the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the addition of a new event center,' said William V. Sherer II, mayor of the City of Canton. 'This project reflects our shared commitment to celebrate Canton's legacy as the birthplace of the NFL while driving our city toward cultural and economic growth. The Hall has been an incredible partner over the years, alongside the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, in bringing top-tier events to the Canton Memorial Civic Center. While we will continue to make upgrades to our facility and offer a variety of events for all to enjoy, we celebrate this new chapter for the Hall and all it will bring to our community.' Groundbreaking for The KeyBank Center at the Pro Football Hall of Fame is scheduled for the fall of 2025, with completion anticipated in time to host events related to the Enshrinement of the Class of 2027. ### ABOUT THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAMELocated in Canton, Ohio, the birthplace of the National Football League, the Pro Football Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit institution with the Mission to Honor the Greatest of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values, & Celebrate Excellence Together. The Pro Football Hall of Fame is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. AAM accreditation is national recognition for the museum's commitment to excellence and the highest professional standards of museum operation and public service. Hundreds of thousands of fans from across the globe travel to Canton annually to experience an inspirational, interactive museum that chronicles America's most popular sport. Fans can also enjoy the Hall of Fame Store at the Hall, and online for merchandise from all 32 NFL clubs plus the Hall of Fame. Proceeds from the Store support the Hall's Mission. ABOUT KEYBANKIn 2025, KeyCorp celebrates its bicentennial, marking 200 years of service to clients and communities from Maine to Alaska. To learn more, visit KeyBank Heritage Center. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $185 billion at June 30, 2025. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,200 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit KeyBank Member FDIC. Visit 3BL Media to see more multimedia and stories from KeyBank
New York Times
30-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
What's the latest on Buffalo Sabres' arena lease, upgrades and season tickets?
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres and KeyBank announced a 10-year extension of the arena's naming rights deal on Wednesday. And they did so with a 30-minute event in the pavilion of the arena that included Sabres owner Terry Pegula opening a door on stage to reveal the announcement while pyrotechnics went off overhead. He and KeyCorp chairman and CEO Chris Gorman also donned Sabres away helmets with the KeyBank Center logo on them to announce the one-year helmet advertising deal for Buffalo's away helmets. Advertisement But what the event on Wednesday didn't include was any announcement of a new arena lease between the team and the county or any specifics in regards to what upgrades could be coming to KeyBank Center in the near future. Pegula read a prepared statement but did not take questions. Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz and Sabres COO Pete Guelli did speak to reporters on Wednesday. Here are some takeaways from what they said. Erie County owns the arena, and the Sabres lease it. The lease is set to expire later in 2025, but there are provisions within the lease that allow for short-term extensions. 'It doesn't really expire,' Guelli said. 'There are options that occur on Sept. 30 that we're looking at to automatically extend for five years, which is likely the path we'll take. We could also opt out, and then there's another year on the lease after that. But the way it's trending, we're likely to continue with the lease.' Poloncarz previously stated his long-term goal is to have the county not own the arena. That is the case with the Bills' new stadium, which will be owned by the state. As it stands, the city owns the land the arena is built on and the county owns the arena. The county is responsible for the outside structure of the arena, but the Sabres are responsible for the cost of all upgrades inside the arena. Pegula made an exception last summer when he offered to pay for the new roof, which was the most pressing concern with the building and one that would have been on the county to address. As of now, the Sabres and the county haven't started seriously negotiating another lease. Poloncarz said nobody thought that was appropriate with the ongoing construction of the Bills' new stadium in Orchard Park. That stadium is set to be completed in 2026, and Poloncarz expects lease negotiations for the arena to begin more seriously in late 2025. Advertisement 'I'm not going to negotiate in public, but we want to ensure that we're going to keep the team here for a long time,' Poloncarz said. 'We're going to do that, I guarantee you that. But we're also going to ensure it's the best investment the county can make in the short term and the best impact on the county in the long term.' Guelli noted that the Bills were able to find a path to building a stadium without the county owning it, and he's confident the Sabres can find a similar path with a new arena lease. The city likely can't afford the upkeep of the arena, so that would leave the state and Pegula as the two other options. 'Our goal is to make sure this team is here long term and well situated,' Guelli said. The Sabres had an average attendance of 15,998 last season, which was the sixth-lowest number in the NHL. Based on the percentage of total capacity, the Sabres ranked even lower. Guelli said that 'the season-ticket number is hovering around 9,000, somewhere in that neighborhood.' The Sabres once needed a waiting list and capped season tickets at 16,000. Two seasons ago, their season-ticket numbers were up over 11,000 before dropping to just under 10,000 last season. This would be the second straight season with a significant decrease for a team already struggling with attendance. 'From a ticketing standpoint, it's always going to be a focus,' Guelli said. 'There's definitely urgency. There's a lot of ways to fill a building. Season tickets you would love to have consistently north of 10,000 maybe in that 12,000 range. I've operated buildings like this before, and I would position that as more of a sweet spot. But there's all kinds of group sales opportunities and individual game sales opportunities. There's options on (the) type of tickets people can buy. It's not just about season tickets. It's about putting plans together to get as many people in here on a nightly basis as you can.' The message from Guelli and Poloncarz was consistent: if the on-ice product improves, the building will be full again. Of course, the on-ice product improving is not a given considering how the last 14 years have gone. Last summer, the Sabres put a new roof on the arena and upgraded the video board. Guelli didn't get into specifics on what upgrades could be coming next. But he and Poloncarz are in agreement that there is work that needs to be done. Poloncarz, though, said the football stadium will be the focus before any significant work gets done on the hockey arena. Advertisement 'It's coming up on 30 years (old),' Poloncarz said. 'It needs some updates. But thankfully, we're not talking about building a new hockey arena to keep the team in town. I expect the team to stay here a long time, and there's some work that will be done. But we'll resolve that all through the negotiations, probably coming in earnest later this year through next year. But we have to get that football stadium done on time.' Guelli said he has talked to the state and the county about putting together a long-term plan for arena upgrades. He noted that KeyBank Center, which opened in 1996, is the oldest building in the NHL that hasn't undergone a major renovation. That's something that will likely be a focus in any lease negotiations that happen over the next couple of years. Poloncarz said the structure of the arena is in good shape, meaning any upgrades will be more focused on cosmetic issues inside the arena. One area of concern for fans is the seats, and Guelli says that issue is 'definitely on the radar.' 'There's a number of things we know our fans are interested in,' Guelli said. 'One of them is the seats. Candidly, one of the things we're waiting on is, 'What are we doing long term?' Before we go in and put a whole swath of brand-new seats, it doesn't make as much sense until we know what we're doing with the building long term. But it's something that's definitely on the radar.' With the new Highmark Stadium opening in 2026, the Sabres are hopeful that they will get another outdoor game and have discussed the possibility with the league. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has previously said he would be interested in seeing outdoor hockey return to Buffalo, which hosted the NHL's first Winter Classic in 2008. 'We've talked to the league about the Winter Classic, we talked to them about the Stadium Series,' Guelli said. 'We told them, 'We want it. We'd love to have it here.' Right now, we're in the process of kind of looking at the dates that might make the most sense for that. 'They would love to have it here. The first outdoor game in NHL history was hosted here in Buffalo. It was a big success. It will be fun to, maybe, memorialize that event with another one here in this market, and to do it at the new stadium. I think it's the perfect venue.' Guelli also said the Bills have turned their attention to 2029 and 2030 as their target for hosting the NFL Draft.
National Post
30-07-2025
- Business
- National Post
Buffalo Sabres home arena to remain KeyBank Center after reaching 10-year naming rights extension
The Buffalo Sabres' home arena will continue being called the KeyBank Center after the two sides announced a 10-year naming rights extension on Wednesday. Article content The new deal will kick in next year and run through 2035-36. Article content Article content The Cleveland-based bank has a large regional presence in Buffalo, and took over the downtown arena's naming rights after acquiring First Niagara Bank in 2016. As part of the extension, the bank's name will be featured on the Sabres' helmets for away games starting this season. Article content Article content The arena is undergoing a series of long-needed renovations since first opening in 1996. Last year, the Sabres replaced the roof and installed a new video scoreboard over center ice. The next series of renovations are expected to address upgrading the seats and fan amenities. Article content The Sabres' control the building, which is also home to the three-time defending National Lacrosse League champion Bandits, and have placed an emphasis on adding more events since Pete Guelli took over as the team's chief operating officer last year. Article content
Edmonton Journal
30-07-2025
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Buffalo Sabres home arena to remain KeyBank Center after reaching 10-year naming rights extension
Article content The Buffalo Sabres' home arena will continue being called the KeyBank Center after the two sides announced a 10-year naming rights extension on Wednesday. Article content The new deal will kick in next year and run through 2035-36. Article content Article content The Cleveland-based bank has a large regional presence in Buffalo, and took over the downtown arena's naming rights after acquiring First Niagara Bank in 2016. As part of the extension, the bank's name will be featured on the Sabres' helmets for away games starting this season. Article content Article content The arena is undergoing a series of long-needed renovations since first opening in 1996. Last year, the Sabres replaced the roof and installed a new video scoreboard over center ice. The next series of renovations are expected to address upgrading the seats and fan amenities. Article content Article content
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Buffalo Sabres home arena to remain KeyBank Center after reaching 10-year naming rights extension
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres' home arena will continue being called the KeyBank Center after the two sides announced a 10-year naming rights extension on Wednesday. The new deal will kick in next year and run through 2035-36. The Cleveland-based bank has a large regional presence in Buffalo, and took over the downtown arena's naming rights after acquiring First Niagara Bank in 2016. As part of the extension, the bank's name will be featured on the Sabres' helmets for away games starting this season. The arena is undergoing a series of long-needed renovations since first opening in 1996. Last year, the Sabres replaced the roof and installed a new video scoreboard over center ice. The next series of renovations are expected to address upgrading the seats and fan amenities. The Sabres' control the building, which is also home to the three-time defending National Lacrosse League champion Bandits, and have placed an emphasis on adding more events since Pete Guelli took over as the team's chief operating officer last year. In November, the arena will host one of Paul McCartney's 20 North American tour stops, as well as host a pre-Olympic U.S. vs. Canada women's hockey Rivalry Series game. The Sabres, meanwhile, have been struggling on the ice with the team in the midst of an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought. ___ AP NHL: John Wawrow, The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
