Food concessionaire also advised Sacramento Kings on arena naming rights | The Sacramento Bee

The company that will operate food concessions at the new Sacramento Kings arena has also consulted with the team on the arena’s naming rights and other sponsorship opportunities.

Legends Hospitality said on its website that it worked with the Kings earlier this year on sponsorships for the $477 million facility, which is under construction at Downtown Plaza. The firm “examined the naming rights, founding partners and overall revenue potential of the arena,” Legends said. “The study was developed to aid with the financing of the arena.”

The company that wins naming rights will have its name affixed to the arena. Founding partners are corporations that pay to have their names attached to specific areas of the building, such as an entrance or concourse.

Laura Braden, a Kings spokeswoman, said no timeline has been set for announcing the naming-rights partner.

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Industry experts have said naming rights could be worth several million dollars a year to the Kings. The new building is set to open in October 2016.

Legends, a sports food-service company founded by the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys, was unveiled Friday as the lead food and beverage concessionaire for the building. Legends said it will work with area restaurants, farms, breweries and wineries to give the arena a distinctly Sacramento feel.

Legends also offers marketing and consulting services to sports teams and other clients. It marketed the premium seating at the 49ers’ new Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, for instance, and handles team merchandise sales at Yankee Stadium and the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium. It was hired to operate the observation deck atop the new tower at the World Trade Center in Manhattan.