Korean automotive manufacturer Kia has acquired naming rights to a new 5,000-seat show court at Melbourne Park, home of the Australian Open tennis tournament.
The venue will be known as Kia Arena, with official signage to be unveiled later this week ahead of the start of the 2022 Australian Open on January 17.
Kia’s multi-year agreement provides the company with external and internal signage at the arena, along with digital signage on totems outside the entrance. Twenty Kia-branded flagpoles will also be erected around the arena.
Kia is an existing sponsor of the Australian Open. More than 130 Kia vehicles will make up the Australian Open fleet for this year’s tournament, including 10 brand-new EV6 all-electric cars.
Craig Tiley, Australian Open tournament director, said: “Kia has been on the Australian Open journey with us for the past 21 years and worked with us side-by-side to grow the event exponentially during that time.
“The naming of Kia Arena today is another example of the strength of our partnership and provides a year-round platform for Kia to showcase the great relationship between Kia and the AO. Kia Arena is a spectacular new asset and provides another premium space for our fans to enjoy great tennis in January.”
Artur Martins, head of Kia’s global brand and customer experiences, said: “The past two decades have been an incredible journey for Kia at the Australian Open, and we are excited to continue our partnership with the world’s most exciting tennis grand slam. In line with our brand belief that ‘movement inspires ideas’, we hope to see many memorable moves unfold at the Kia Arena.”
The Australian Open is set to go ahead at full capacity after the state of Victoria eased COVID-19 restrictions back in November. The state moved to phase D of its COVID-19 plan after reaching a 90% vaccination rate.
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