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Crews work on the streets near the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas, December 2, 2024.<\/p>\n
Tom Fox\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n
Dallas\u2019\u00a0expanded convention center could one day bear a corporate name, much like AT&T Stadium and the American Airlines Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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While city officials have been busy revamping the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, they have also been trying to figure out how to pay for the project.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Selling naming rights could help.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Putting a company name on a building can bring in between $7 million and $15 million a year in revenue for stadiums. American Airlines paid $150 million<\/a> three decades ago to stamp its name on the current home of the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars.\u00a0<\/p>\n For local officials facing tight budgets, these deals present an opportunity to fund buildings \u2014 like the convention center \u2014 that struggle to cover all its maintenance and operating costs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now with an expanded facility, Dallas officials hope to lure big events from top cities, such as Chicago and Las Vegas.<\/p>\n The convention center redevelopment is projected to\u00a0cost up to $3.8 billion, with $2 billion funded through bonds. The city must rely on other sources to cover the rest.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A portion of the funding \u2014\u00a0about $665 million<\/a> \u2014 is expected to come from selling assets and naming rights and getting loans from the state. When it came up in January, council member Gay Donnell Willis sought details about what share the naming rights would make up.<\/p>\n Assistant City Manager Robin Bentley said a \u201clarge percentage\u201d would come from selling the name.\u00a0<\/p>\n The center was named in 2013 for former U.S. Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Republican and the state’s first female senator.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n It is unclear whether a naming-rights deal would remove the Hutchison’s name from the convention center or incorporate it into new branding. Now retired in Dallas, Hutchison didn’t return emails seeking comment.<\/p>\n Why naming rights?<\/p>\n Dallas tapped venue management company Legends Global last year to study naming rights opportunities, public records show. Officials didn’t respond to questions about the findings of the study, and they have not said how much money the city could charge.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n But there are several ways the effort could work.\u00a0<\/p>\n A new name could cover the entire convention center. Or, rights could be parceled out by meeting room or exhibit hall space.\u00a0<\/p>\n In recent years, the city has agreements with\u00a0philanthropic groups and corporate entities for\u00a0Halperin Park<\/a> and the city\u2019s planned police academy<\/a>.<\/p>\n