Fiserv Forum Opens in Milwaukee After Naming-Rights Deal Signing
The arena will be home to the Milwaukee Bucks and Marquette University’s Golden Eagles men’s basketball teams.
Fiserv Forum has officially opened its doors in downtown Milwaukee, Wisc., debuting a new naming-rights agreement for the new home of the National Basketball Association’s Milwaukee Bucks.
Fiserv announced the deal on July 26, and the arena held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 26. The 730,000-square-foot venue has 17,500 seats for basketball, 18,000 seats for concerts, 34 suites and three clubs. The company did not disclose the financial terms for the 25-year agreement.
The arena also boasts more than 300 distributed antenna systems and 16 wireless access zones for high-speed connectivity, as well as 31 concession stands, over 12,000 square feet of video displays and more than 800 high-definition flat screen televisions. It has the largest equilateral centerhung scoreboard display in the NBA, according to the Milwaukee Bucks.
“We are excited to partner with the Milwaukee Bucks to create an unprecedented opportunity to elevate our brand as one of the world’s leading providers of financial technology and payment services,” Fiserv President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Yabuki said when the naming rights agreement was announced. “We also expect this arrangement to further differentiate our brand in support of our purpose of delivering value and excellence to our clients every day.”
Fiserv Forum will also be home to Marquette University’s Golden Eagles men’s basketball team.
In addition to basketball games, it plans to host more than 200 events a year, including concerts, family shows and other sports and entertainment events.
“We’re confident Fiserv Forum will lead to new development in adjacent and nearby neighborhoods,” Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said. “We have already seen new activity at the Brewery, along Old World Third Street and in Haymarket. Bronzeville to the north and neighborhoods to the west will also see a positive impact.”
Last week’s ribbon-cutting ceremony occurred next to a world-record-breaking welcome mat that said “Welcome Home.” It measured 92 feet long by 24 feet wide, and was verified by a Guinness World Records judge as the largest vinyl floor mat, according to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Several credit unions have also signed big naming-rights deals in the last 12 months, including San Diego County Credit Union, West Jordan, Utah-based Mountain America Federal Credit Union, Align Credit Union in Massachusetts, Michigan’s Frankenmuth Credit Union, Chubbuck, Idaho-based Idaho Central Credit Union and Public Service Credit Union in Lone Tree, Colo.