Munich’s new arena will be known as SAP Garden following the conclusion of a naming contest.
The campaign #NameGameOn has been run by the arena’s naming rights partner, software company SAP. Between February 14 and March 4, over 10,700 name suggestions were submitted via the www.namegameon.com website. A total of 5,433 sports fans from 127 different countries participated in the process.
Following the submission phase, a jury consisting of representatives of German Ice Hockey League (DEL) club Red Bull München and Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) outfit FC Bayern München, along with SAP, selected a shortlist of three possible identities. A final public voting phase saw SAP Garden gain 45.3% of the votes ahead of SAP Park (44.8%) and SAP Live (9.9%).
“We are very pleased with the naming of the new sports arena, which we wanted to create as a digital experience,” said Christian Klein, chief operating officer and member of the executive board of SAP.
“The #NameGameOn campaign has exceeded all our expectations, both in terms of overall response and public perception, as well as the many creative suggestions and, of course, the winning name. This fits perfectly with our corporate image and at the same time lives up to the historic area of the Olympiapark.”
Danish architectural firm 3XN was last month chosen to develop the new arena at Olympiapark. 3XN will lead the project in association with landscape architects Latz + Partner after initially being shortlisted as one of two contenders for the contract in November.
Located southwest of the Olympiastadion, the 11,500-seat venue will be the new home of Red Bull München and FC Bayern München. The design choice was made by energy drinks giant Red Bull, which is financing the project, FC Bayern München and SAP.
Depending on the construction and approval process, the laying of the foundation stone for the arena has been set for this winter. The opening of the venue is planned for the late summer of 2021.
Klein added: “The creative name suggestions inspired us. We would now like to take this spirit into the technical design of the arena. As an innovation and technology partner, we are aware of our responsibility and will set new standards in stadium technology in Munich.”
