Albany County Government: County Executive McCoy Announces New Arena Naming Rights RFP

Press release from the Albany County Government:

10/14/2021 12:00 pm

Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy today officially published a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the naming rights of Albany County’s sports and entertainment arena, which formerly held the title of “Times Union Center.” The announcement comes after the end of a 15-year contract with the newspaper holding the naming rights. In conjunction with the official RFP process, potential bidders attended a pre-proposal conference with a tour of the facility at 51 South Pearl Street in Albany earlier today. 

“Today is the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Albany County’s arena, especially at a time when we have so many incredible acts and events coming up, including Michael Bublé and the National Lacrosse League. Dedicated fans and residents have known it by many names – from the Knickerbocker, to the Pepsi – but the thing that remained constant is top notch entertainment year-round,” said County Executive.

“And that’s why we already have so many local and international companies exploring the idea of putting their name on our building and partnering with the county. I’m hopeful that with this RFP we can generate even more interest from others as we move forward and continue to improve the arena and make it better than ever before,” he continued.

The Arena began operations in January of 1990. Owned by Albany County and managed by ASM, the Arena has an adaptable seating capacity between 6,000 and 17,500. Since it opened nearly 32 years ago, more than 18 million patrons have walked through the turnstiles. As a multi-purpose facility, the Arena has hosted a variety of events, including concerts, family shows and sporting events, averaging 145 events each year. It is home to the Siena Saints, the Albany Empire Arena Football champions, and the Albany FireWolves of the National Lacrosse League. 

Sealed proposals for the naming rights of the Albany County arena as requested by the Albany County Executive’s Office will need to be received by the Albany County Purchasing Agent, Room 1000, 112 State Street, Albany, New York 12207 by 4:30pm, local time on Monday, November 1, 2021. Request for Proposal (RFP) documents may be obtained at the office of the Albany County Purchasing Agent, as noted above. RFP documents may be available for download from the Empire State Bid System website at the link here.

This press release was produced by the Albany County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.