Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air has submitted a trademark filing for Allegiant Stadium, but the firm says it is not necessarily related to a Las Vegas naming-rights agreement with the soon-to-relocate Raiders.
The Raiders are currently slated to spend one more season in Oakland before moving to a new Las Vegas stadium in 2020. No announcement of a naming-rights agreement related to the upcoming venue has surfaced yet, but Allegiant Air stirred up some intrigue by submitting a trademark filing on March 29 for the name Allegiant Stadium.
Although the company has confirmed that it filed the trademark, it is not specifically tied to Las Vegas stadium naming rights. Representatives from the Raiders and the airline stated that they have engaged in discussions about sponsorship opportunities relating to the upcoming stadium, but both emphasized that there is no naming-rights agreement in place. More from the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
“Allegiant filed an application with the U.S. Patent Office earlier this year,” the company said in a statement. “The purpose was to protect the trademark of Allegiant Stadium for any future uses, should we need it.”
Although Allegiant said the stadium trademark is not tied to the Las Vegas stadium, it did confirm it has had talks with the Raiders about sponsorship opportunities.
“While we had conversations with the Raiders about a variety of sponsorship opportunities, the trademark application is unrelated to those discussions,” the statement said. “It’s an extra layer of protection for our brand, as we are constantly exploring sponsorship opportunities in the communities where we do business.”
Raiders president Marc Badain confirmed that Allegiant and the NFL organization had conversations regarding sponsorship opportunities tied to the stadium, but said the naming rights process is ongoing.
Allegiant would be an intriguing naming-rights partner in theory as a Las Vegas-based company. However, as an airline that specializes in low-cost flights, it would not necessarily be the strongest candidate in a stadium naming-rights derby that figures to draw high-profile suitors.
Still, a sponsorship deal of some type between Allegiant and the Raiders could very easily become a reality, especially since Allegiant is already engaged in sports marketing opportunities as a sponsor of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights and the official airline of Minor League Baseball. The upcoming Las Vegas stadium is being built for $1.8 billion, and should offer plenty of exposure to its prospective naming-rights partner through an events schedule that includes Raiders and UNLV football home games.
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