WILMINGTON — Do you have millions of dollars and the desire to see your name (or company name) on top of the City of Wilmington’s North Waterfront Park? Well, for $3 million, the City of Wilmington is ready to sell the naming rights to the planned Live Nation amphitheater and park.
Wilmington is expecting thousands of visitors to the park annually and is pitching sponsorship as a viable marking program.
“Sponsorship of the park will significantly increase awareness and visibility of your brand among park and concert attendees as well as visitors to the park and concert venue’s social platforms. The park is expected to attract an estimated 500,000 visitors annually, which amounts to around 1,400 visitors per day,” according to the city’s sponsorship program brochure.
The naming rights campaign and sponsorship drive were announced earlier this year when the city discovered it needed more money to complete the park to the higher standards it had planned.
Related: North Waterfront Park design firm tells Wilmington leaders costs need to be cut
If $3 million is a bit too pricey, there are still several other options for sponsorship:
SPONSORSHIP LEVELS
According to the city, each sponsorship level will receive permanent signage and website recognition. There are several levels below the $3 million “Oceanic” level, which gets a park named in your honor.
Seaside — There are several options in the $200,000 to $500,000 range, including naming rights to various parks of the lawn, the park’s entrance, and – of course – the VIP area.
- $500,000 – Great Lawn (Lawn seating used during event programming)
- $300,000 – Lower Lawn (Area for seating used during event programming)
- $300,000 – Nutt Street Promenade (Main pedestrian entrance used during event programming and in park mode)
- $200,000 – VIP Seating (Elevated seating used during event programming)
Riverview — If the Seaside options are still too rich for your blood, but you do have $100,000 to $175,000 spend, there are still several naming-rights opportunites. Take note, the park’s planned water feature has been pushed to a future phase of design and construction due to budget constraints, so before spending $100,000 for the naming rights, it’s advisable to check with the city on the water feature’s status.
Other mid-range options include rights to the central plaza and side entrance.
- $175,000 – Central Plaza (Walkway/plaza, art, point-of-sale area during event programming)
- $150,000 – Cowan Street Entrance (Pedestrian entrance, stairway, wall)
Bayside — The city is also offering several options for those whose budget is more five-figured that six-figured (or seven-figured).
- $75,000 – Coastal Landscape (Vegetation, trails, benches, interpretive signs, entrance from Riverwalk)
- $50,000 – Program Rooms (Designated softscape space for organized programming – 4 available)
- $35,000 – Urban Gardens (Gardens, benches, art)
- $35,000 – Play Area (Children’s play equipment)
Cascades — For those looking for a more humble way to emblazon their name – or corporate logo – in the park, the Cascade options are a thrifty solution. For example, for only $50, the city will give you naming rights to a shrub.
- $1,000 – Water fountains
- $500 – Benches
- $500 – Bike racks
- $500 – Pet stations
- $300 – Specimen trees
- $100 – Pavers
- $50 – Shrubs/Grasses/Flowering plants
- Cost varies – Lighting (by type)
Donations — Lastly, the city is accepting donations, and will recognize each donor on a wall in the park.
Interested parties should contact Wilmington’s Parks and Recreation Department at 302 Willard St., Wilmington, or by calling 910-341-3237.
