Mercedes-Benz Stadium

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ATLANTA -- Falcons owner Arthur Blank officially announced Mercedes-Benz as the naming-rights partner for the new stadium set to open in 2017.

 

The financial terms of the agreement, which runs through 2042, were not disclosed. But Mercedes-Benz president and CEO Stephen Cannon said it is the richest marketing deal signed by his company.

 

The Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with the capability to expand to 83,000 seats, will be the home of the Falcons as well as the Atlanta United, a new Major League Soccer team. Blank also plans to bid for the Super Bowl in 2019 or 2020.

 

"Mercedes-Benz fits all the criteria we set out in finding a naming-rights partner," Blank said. "Their reputation fit the iconic image of the building: they are committed to excellence in customer service and experience; their values mesh with those of the Falcons, Atlanta United, and the rest of our business; and they are a company that embraces the communities in which they do business."Mercedes-Benz Stadium is scheduled to open in 2017 and will have the capability to expand to 83,000 seats. 

 

Mercedes-Benz also owns the naming rights to the Superdome in New Orleans, the home of the Falcons' division rival Saints. Cannon said his company and the Superdome are in the middle of a 10-year contract that expires in 2021, meaning there will be an overlap of three to four years in the partnerships with Atlanta and New Orleans, depending on the month the Superdome contract expires. Mercedes-Benz did not disclose the actual contract expiration date.

"During the overlap period, we're going to do justice to both," Cannon said. "It's kind of like I've got multiple kids and I try to give them time and attention and love them all. So, the way I look at it is we've got two stadiums obviously in the same division. There's a big rivalry there. So, that just makes the storyline a little bit more interesting.

 

"But the bottom line is, we started with New Orleans and we're going to obviously honor that contract. We're going to be active and present there. As we begin to build our presence with the stadium in Atlanta that won't open until 2017 -- the dimension that we have here that we don't have in New Orleans is a Major League Soccer team as well. So, that brings another component as well, which is not competitive at all to what we've got going on in New Orleans."

 

Mercedes-Benz is in the process of moving its headquarters from New Jersey to Atlanta, Cannon said. The company is temporarily set up in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

 

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed also spoke at Monday's announcement. The question was raised about the names "Atlanta" or "Georgia" not appearing in the stadium, with so much fan association to the Georgia Dome since it opened in 1992.

 

"Don't lose sight of the fact that this is all part of our World Congress Center complex, the Georgia World Congress Center complex," Deal said. "I think there will certainly be adequate reason for them to know that this is in the capital city of Atlanta, and it is in the state of Georgia. If they don't know that, we'll give them a map."

 

Falcons stars Matt Ryan and Julio Jones also attended Monday's event.

 

"Obviously an exciting day for Mr. Blank and for Mercedes-Benz," Ryan said. "I think it's great for the city of Atlanta. I'm excited about when you see the unveiling of the pictures, I'm excited about seeing that place get finished up and calling that home two years from now. It's just a fun day, a fun day to be a part of it, and I'm happy for everybody involved."

 

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/13500805/mercedes-benz-named-sponsor-atlanta-falcons-new-stadium

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