The Atlanta Falcons’ new stadium officially got its name today: Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Falcons owner Arthur Blank announced, as expected, that Mercedes Benz, a corporate newcomer to metro Atlanta, has bought the naming rights to the $1.4 billion stadium under construction downtown.
“We could not be prouder to put ‘Mercedes-Benz’ on our stadium,” Blank said.
Blank and Mercedes Benz USA President and CEO Steve Cannon said the naming-rights deal will run for 27 years but would not disclose financial terms. Cannon called it the largest marketing deal in Mercedes-Benz history.
Mercedes-Benz, a German luxury automaker, announced plans in January to move its U.S. headquarters from New Jersey to metro Atlanta. The company is temporarily housed in an office park in Dunwoody and plans to build a new headquarters campus in Sandy Springs near Georgia 400 and Abernathy Road.
Mercedes’ name on the Atlanta stadium will create an unusual situation because the New Orleans Saints, the Falcons’ division rival in the NFC South, already have the automaker’s name on their stadium: the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
The new stadium – under construction next to the Georgia Dome and slated to open in 2017 — also will be home to a Major League Soccer expansion franchise, named Atlanta United FC, and numerous other events.
source: AJC