The San Diego Sports Arena will be renamed Valley View Casino Center, announced representatives of the well known Valley View Casino & Hotel located in North San Diego County and AEG Global Partnerships, who negotiated the multi-year accord. The agreement was approved by the San Diego City Council and will go into effect on November 1. Terms of the multi-year agreement were not released.
“We are thrilled to partner with the longstanding tradition of top quality sports and entertainment that the San Diego Sports Arena has established throughout its legendary existence,” said Bruce Howard, general manager at Valley View Casino & Hotel. “We look forward to working closely with the City of San Diego, the Hahn family and AEG, the most recognizable name in the sports and entertainment industry, to grow both the Valley View Casino Center and Valley View Casino & Hotel brand.”
Valley View Casino & Hotel’s marketing efforts have been consistently strong throughout San Diego and of late throughout the entire Southern California region in conjunction with a new hotel addition opening on November 19. The property will now market the Valley View Casino Center alongside its casino and hotel brand, and will now also be able to provide its loyal casino guests with premium tickets for all events at the center.
“We look forward to the opportunities that this new venture will provide, including developing a great relationship with the City of San Diego,” said Joe Navarro, president/CEO of the San Pasqual Development Group, Inc., the San Pasqual tribe’s gaming corporation. “Since our casino’s inception we’ve been consistently looking for growth opportunities, expanding our casino, building our hotel, and now partnering with the finest sports and entertainment venue in San Diego County.”
The arena, managed by AEG Facilities, has recently undergone a multi-million dollar renovation which included the addition of a new 6,500-square foot VIP hospitality space, “Club 3500”, new lower level seats, LCD televisions throughout and an upgraded concourse and arena entrances. Since its inception in 1966, the 15,000-seat multi-purpose venue has become a must-play tour stop for major artists such as Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and U2, as well as world-class sporting events and family shows, welcoming more than 600,000 guests annually. Recent performances and special events have included sold-out concerts featuring Carrie Underwood, Michael Buble, Shakira and the Black Eyed Peas. In November, the arena will host the 2010 Fed Cup Final between the U.S. and Italy, marking the first time the Fed Cup has been played on U.S. soil since the U.S. won their 17th Fed Cup title in 2000.
“This is a great partnership for the Arena and Valley View Casino & Hotel, San Diego’s favorite casino,” said AEG Facilities’ Ernie W. Hahn II, senior vice president and general manager of the venue. “With Valley View Casino & Hotel as our partner, we will continue to raise the entertainment experience and number of shows while still being the busiest and most centrally located arena in San Diego. We are excited to have such a great marketing partner to showcase our recent improvements and help make us better moving forward.”