Finnish technology company UROS has acquired naming rights to the under-construction Tampere Deck Arena in a 10-year deal.
The deal officially renames the arena, which is scheduled to open in 2021, as UROS Live. The arena will have a capacity of up to 15,000 and will host major sporting events and concerts.
The arena complex is also set to include a top-class hotel, an international casino, conference and meeting services and a number of restaurants.
As well as serving as the home of Tampere-based ice hockey teams Tappara and Ilves, the arena will be the main venue for the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) World Championship in 2022.
UROS will develop solutions and services for the arena that will allow stakeholders and guests to create and enjoy new experiences. UROS Live claims to be the first downtown arena in Europe and is designed to enhance the attractiveness of the city of Tampere and the wider Pirkanmaa region.
UROS group chief executive Jerry Raatikainen said: “With this announcement we are excited to share the news of our branching out into the digital experience space, an extension of our commitment to strategically develop smart city solutions.
“We will bring together event stakeholders into one platform and harness the power of AI to create new value for all parties in the ecosystem, transforming the event experience, as we know it today. UROS will digitalise the technology enablers for service providers and UROS Live in Tampere, Finland will serve as the first deployment globally.”
Arena chief executive Marko Hurme added: “The best partners are those who can add value to our visitors. In addition to the naming-rights deal, we are looking forward to working with UROS on a digital platform that will bring together all the services related to the arena experience.
“There is demand for a versatile arena in our modern world; a world in which people are choosing experiences and services over possessions. Even in the digital age, people want to meet each other and experience things together. Through the value created by teaming up with UROS, our arena partners will be able to build a more intense and deeply-rooted connection with arena visitors, and bring fan engagement to a new level. It’s really all about the fans.”
Officials behind the arena last month maintained that the project remained on course after construction company SRV significantly reduced its stake in the venture.
SRV has said it will sell three quarters of its stake in UROS Live, set to be Finland’s largest events arena once complete, to other investor partners in the project, namely OP, Ilmarinen and Lähi-Tapiola.
Images: SRV/Tomorrow AB/Studio Libeskind/Aihio Arkkitehdit
*Preliminary images – subject to change
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