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Home
of the Maple Leafs and Raptors to
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Become
Scotiabank Arena Next Summer
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Scotiabank
and MLSE announce a transformative
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20-year strategic
partnership
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Toronto,
ON – September 2017 / Newsmaker Alert / Scotiabank
and Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment
(MLSE) announce an expanded sponsorship and philanthropic partnership which
will see the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors transformed
into the Scotiabank Arena in July, 2018.
This
20-year strategic partnership also includes new philanthropic opportunities
with the MLSE Foundation, and a digital collaboration between MLSE and
the Scotiabank Digital Factory.
“We
have always sought new and innovative partnerships with the goal of building
strong and enduring communities,” said Brian Porter, Scotiabank’s President
and CEO. “Today’s announcement is an extension of Scotiabank’s unwavering
love of sports and our commitment to help young people reach their full
potential. We believe that MLSE is an ideal partner for Scotiabank to reach
our objectives.”
Scotiabank
supports more than 8,000 Canadian kids’ community hockey teams. This partnership
will enrich that support in the Greater Toronto Area, and will help to
expand community hockey programs for youth across the country. “Scotiabank
is already a proud supporter of the MLSE Foundation and its LaunchPad program.
Today’s announcement builds on our commitment to Canada’s young people,”
said Brian Porter.
“For
the past 18 years, Air Canada Centre has not only been home to the Maple
Leafs and Raptors, it has also hosted hundreds of the most popular concerts
and events in the industry, helping contribute to Toronto’s well-deserved
reputation as one of the top sports and entertainment destinations in the
world,” said Larry Tanenbaum, Chairman of the Board for MLSE. “We are grateful
to Scotiabank for their continued support and this expanded partnership
as we look ahead to what we expect to be 20 of the most exciting years
in Toronto sports and entertainment history.”
“MLSE
is proud to operate one of the top venues in sports and entertainment,
in a world-renowned city backed by some of the best fans and partners in
the industry,” said Michael Friisdahl, President and CEO of MLSE. “This
expanded partnership with Scotiabank will not only support our pursuit
of championships and delivering a world-class experience for our fans,
but it will have a lasting impact on our community.”
As
part of the transfer of the arena naming rights in 2018, MLSE and Air Canada
have also reached an agreement on a long-term partnership renewal that
will see the company continue as the official airline partner of both the
Maple Leafs and Raptors.
“As
Canada’s flag carrier and North America’s Best Airline as ranked by the
Skytrax World Airline Awards, we are proud to continue our partnership
with MLSE as the Official Airline of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto
Raptors,” said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada.
“We congratulate MLSE and Scotiabank as they build on the legacy we helped
establish in 1999 and look forward to celebrating with fans and customers
during our final season as title sponsor of the Air Canada Centre. Air
Canada supports professional and amateur sports throughout Canada and our
global hub in Toronto connects that city to the world, driving both the
economy and communities.”
“MLSE
is extremely grateful to Air Canada for their support as a founding partner
of the Raptors and Air Canada Centre and we look forward to our continued
partnership,” said Tanenbaum.
“Air
Canada has been an integral part of the success of this arena and our teams
over the past 18 years, and with our renewal agreement, we look forward
to continued success with our partnership in the years to come,” said Friisdahl.
Since
opening in February, 1999, Air Canada Centre has hosted more than 50 million
fans over 3,500 premiere events including the 2016 NBA All Star Weekend,
the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and many of the world’s most popular performing
artists including U2, Justin Bieber and Drake. As one of the leading sports
and entertainment venues in the world, Air Canada Centre was named last
year as Canadian Venue of the Year by Canadian Music Week as well as the
third busiest concert venue in North America and seventh-ranked facility
in the world for concert attendance by Pollstar. The venue capacity is
19,800 for basketball and full-house concerts and 18,800 for hockey.
“We
are thrilled that Scotiabank’s name will appear on the side of this iconic
building for the next two decades, and are looking forward to all of the
historic moments to come,” said Scotiabank’s Chief Marketing Officer, John
Doig. “With that said, we are especially pleased to partner with an organization
that shares our values. This partnership is exciting for sports fans across
Canada, and also for the young people and communities our Bank seeks to
support.”
Backgrounder
This
agreement encompasses both sponsorship and philanthropic opportunities
for Scotiabank and MLSE.
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Exclusive
naming rights of 40 Bay Street (Air Canada Centre)
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Scotiabank
continues to be the Official Banking Partner of the Toronto Maple Leafs
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MLSE Incubator
at the Scotiabank Digital Factory – A digital centre of excellence to help
drive fan/customer engagement programs
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Scotiabank
and the MLSE Foundation will expand their partnership focused on helping
young people in the GTA, changing lives through the power of sport
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Scotiabank
and MLSE will collaborate with SCENE to develop fan-centered promotions
for sports and entertainment enthusiasts
Scotiabank
and MLSE would like to thank all of those involved in making this agreement
possible, and a special thank you to Scotiabank’s Sponsorship Agency, MKTG
Canada, who played an invaluable role throughout the negotiation process.
About
Scotiabank
Scotiabank
is Canada’s international bank and a leading financial services provider
in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America, and
Asia-Pacific. We are dedicated to helping our 24 million customers become
better off through a broad range of advice, products and services, including
personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking,
corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of more
than 88,000 employees and assets of over $906 billion (as at July 31, 2017),
Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE:
BNS). For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com
and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.
Investing
in Young People
Scotiabank’s
focus on young people reinforces a commitment to communities that began
185 years ago. Such investments are an important part of how we create
a better life for the people that we serve around the world. In 2016 alone,
Scotiabank contributed CAD$70 million in donations, sponsorships and other
forms of assistance to communities around the world.
Scotiabank
Hockey
Scotiabank
is the Official Bank of the NHL®, NHL Alumni™, CWHL, Vancouver Canucks®,
Winnipeg Jets®, Toronto Maple Leafs®, Ottawa Senators®, Edmonton
Oilers® and the Calgary Flames® whose home arena is the Scotiabank
Saddledome. The Bank also supports the Montreal Canadiens®. Scotiabank’s
Community Hockey Sponsorship Program supports over 8,000 minor hockey teams
in communities across Canada. To find out more about Scotiabank’s hockey
programs, please visit www.scotiabank.com/the5thseason.
About
MLSE
Maple
Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd (MLSE) is Canada’s preeminent leader
in delivering top quality sport and entertainment experiences to our fans.
MLSE is one of North America’s leading providers of exceptional experiences.
It is the parent company of the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple
Leafs, the National Basketball Association’s Toronto Raptors and Major
League Soccer’s Toronto FC. MLSE operates many of the venues its teams
play and train in, including Air Canada Centre, BMO Field, MasterCard Centre
for Hockey Excellence and Kia Training Ground. MLSE also provides fans
in Toronto incredible live music and entertainment events.
MLSE
Foundation
MLSE
Foundation believes all kids should have access to sport and the opportunity
to develop lasting dreams on the playing field. With the support of MLSE’s
teams, the Foundation funds the refurbishment of local athletic facilities
and programs that support kids through sports and recreation. Set to open
in 2017, MLSE Foundation’s latest project, MLSE LaunchPad, will be the
first collaborative space in North America to leverage sport, education
and research to promote social change. Since launching in December 2009,
MLSE Foundation has invested more than $24 million into our community.
For more information visit mlsefoundation.org,
or follow @MLSEFoundation.
About
Air Canada
Air
Canada is Canada’s largest domestic and international airline serving more
than 200 airports on six continents. Canada’s flag carrier is among the
20 largest airlines in the world and in 2016 served close to 45 million
customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to
64 airports in Canada, 57 in the United States and 95 in Europe, the Middle
East, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and
South America.
Air
Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world’s most comprehensive
air transportation network serving 1,300 airports in 191 countries. Air
Canada is the Official Airline of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens,
Ottawa Senators, Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver
Canucks. Air Canada Jetz is the official carrier for all seven Canadian
teams of the National Hockey League (NHL). Air Canada is the only international
network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according
to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax, which also named Air Canada
the 2017 Best Airline in North America. For more information, please visit
www.aircanada.com.
Media
Contact:
Dave
Haggith, Sr. Director, Communications
MLSE
416-450-1681
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