Team Services Secures 10-year, $10 million Cornerstone Partnership with Norton Healthcare on Behalf of the Louisville Arena Authority
Louisville, KY – Team Services and the Louisville Arena Authority, Inc. (LAA) announced March 2, 2009 that Norton Healthcare has become the first Cornerstone Partner for Louisville’s downtown arena opening in 2010. Team Services and Louisville Arena Sports and Entertainment Properties (LASEP), a Learfield Sports entity, have been retained by the LAA as the exclusive naming rights and partnership sales representatives for the $238M arena project.
Louisville’s new 22,000 seat downtown arena is currently being constructed on a riverfront site, which has been selected for its esthetics and central location. The NBA-caliber facility will be home of the nationally-ranked University of Louisville men’s and women’s basketball teams, and will host premier concerts and entertainment events. Featuring more than 100 luxury and junior suites, 10 lounge and restaurant areas, interactive technology, wireless integrations and eco-friendly design elements, the state of the art structure will rival any modern arena.
Despite the challenging economic climate, Team Services created a unique partnership that will deliver valuable marketing solutions and quantifiable return on investment (ROI) for Norton. The Cornerstone agreement will provide community exposure, the opportunity to educate the public about critical health care issues, and the ability to drive incremental revenue. As part of the $10 million partnership, Norton will receive naming rights to the outdoor plaza at the arena entrance, extensive signage in both the Arena and the University of Louisville football stadium, and perhaps most significantly, a retail location for a Norton Immediate Care Center in the arena.
“This is an unprecedented partnership, no where else are partners integrating health care services and education into a mixed-use facility at this significant of a level,” said Team Services Principal E.J. Narcise. “It is truly a “win-win” relationship on many levels, Norton will receive a tremendous platform to market its services and promote health care education, while also supporting the community and this pivotal civic project. Additionally, the surrounding areas will benefit from superior health care availability and Norton will have the opportunity to directly increase revenue.”
The 1,607 sq ft Immediate Care Center will enable Norton to provide convenient access to medical care for tens of thousands of downtown workers. By integrating an Immediate Care Center into the heart of downtown Louisville, prominently placed in front of an estimated one million annual arena patrons, Norton will not only enhance its ability to provide top-quality care to the public, but also create new revenue streams in these challenging times.
Just as significant as the revenue-generating aspect of the partnership was an essential provision Team Services included, which would allow Norton to continue its mission of public health education. Team Services and the LAA have created exclusive access and facility usage allotments, which Norton expects to utilize for Childhood Fitness and Nutrition education or Early Detection and Disease Prevention events.
“An important part of Norton Healthcare’s not-for-profit mission is to expand our services to meet important community health care needs in underserved areas,” said Stephen A. Williams, president & CEO of Norton Healthcare. “We will provide convenient access to urgent care services for people who live downtown and for those visiting our community for conventions, games and shows&We view this as a $10 million investment in our community.”
The Norton Healthcare agreement has set the bar well beyond what skeptics felt arena partnerships could be sold for in this environment. Team Services and LASEP expect to announce additional Cornerstone Partners, at a comparable level, in the coming weeks. In total, LASEP plans to have four to eight Cornerstone Partners in place for the Arena’s scheduled opening in 2010.
