Des Moines’ largest gathering place for concerts, sports and other events is now officially Casey’s Center.
The change in the name of what since its 2005 opening had been Wells Fargo Arena took effect Tuesday, July 1, as Casey’s took over the naming rights for the nearly 17,000-seat venue.
Crews have labored over the past few weeks to change signage and make other modifications in preparation for the shift.
Casey’s, the nation’s third-largest convenience store chain, is paying $18.3 million to hold the naming rights for 10 years.
As part of the change, arena concessions stands will offer Casey’s snacks and pizza. A Casey’s Grab & Go location will open outside section 124 across from the stairs at the south entrance to the arena.
Name change is second this year at Iowa Events Center
The arena is part of the Polk County-owned Iowa Events Center complex. The center’s main exhibition space, Hy-Vee Hall, likewise underwent a name change in January, becoming the EMC Expo Center when the West Des Moines-based supermarket chain’s naming rights ran out and Des Moines-based EMC Insurance Co. purchased them.
Adam Flack, director of marketing for the Iowa Events Center, said that in each of the past three fiscal years, the now-Casey’s Center has staged more than 126 events. In addition to concerts by major acts such as Shania Twain, Eric Church, Cage the Elephant and Jason Aldean, the arena annually hosts rodeos, monster truck, Arenacross and other competitions as well as ice skating shows and statewide high school sports tournaments.
It’s also home to the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League, the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G-League and the Iowa Barnstormers arena football team, and will for the fourth time host the NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball tournament’s opening rounds in 2028.
The arena wasn’t the only one to see a change in its name as San Francisco-based Wells Fargo, one of the Des Moines metro’s largest employers, lets naming rights expire. Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center will become Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sept. 1.
Casey’s CEO Darren Rebelez in June called the renaming of the Des Moines’ arena for his Ankeny-based company “a huge moment for Casey’s, our team and our community,” adding, “We are thrilled to see Casey’s Center becoming a reality and can’t wait to see fans enjoying Casey’s pizza, and the next level fan experience for years to come.”
Philip Joens covers retail and real estate for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184 or pjoens@registermedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Name change of Des Moines’ arena becomes official: it’s now Casey’s Center
Reporting by Philip Joens, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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