LEWISTON – The Colisee won’t get another name until later this spring, according to city leaders.
The city had planned to open bids for the naming rights to the ice arena on Friday and select a winner by June 10. The winning company’s name will become part of the Colisee’s, and will be included in all Colisee signs, marketing, news releases and promotional items like T-shirts.
Now the city has hired Front Row Marketing Services, a Michigan-based sports marketing firm, to help pick a new name. The city will continue taking bids through May 16, according to City Administrator Jim Bennett.
“We’ve received plenty of bids, but we haven’t opened anything up,” Bennett said. “We’re going to wait until May and then we’ll open all of them together and see what we have.”
The city announced the naming scheme in January. The city wants a company to commit to the Colisee for at least 10 years, for a minimum of $75,000 each year. The Colisee board will consider any company willing to submit a proposal – local, national or international.
The company will also get special use of the facility, including events in the VIP Room, regular complimentary passes to events and Lewiston Maineiacs games, and the ability to use the facility to display products and company information.
The city officially assumed ownership of the former Central Maine Civic Center a year ago, agreeing to take on $4.7 million in debt and to manage the center. That includes day-to-day operations and $2 million in repairs.
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