Bell County Expo Center starts process to select who will receive naming rights

BELTON, Texas (KWTX) - Bell County and Bell County Expo Center, known for its several events and visitors, will begin the process to select a potential sponsor who will receive naming rights of the facility in hopes that the sponsor will help grow and improve the facility.

Proposals for the sponsorship closed Tuesday at 2 p.m.

A committee of county and expo members will interview potential sponsors in August.

The committee required applicants to review and turn in a 48-page proposal document.

The documents explain what the county expects from the county as well as how the sponsors can benefit from the county.

It shows the sponsor’s annual fee would be a projected $261,000.

The document reminds applicants of the advertising and name recognition opportunities a sponsor could gain from the rights.

The executive director of the Bell County Expo Center, Tim Stephens, said money from the sponsorship will go toward operating the facility.

“I think people appreciate the fact that we’re trying to add to our revenue to offset our operations so that we can be somewhat self-sustaining operationally,” Stephens said.

With the purchasing of the naming rights from the selected sponsor, Stephens hopes the added revenue will allow the center to grow with the community and help the community grow.

“The main two reasons we exist, is for quality of life and economic impact,” he said. “I think we do very well at accomplishing both of those. And that’s always our goal. That’s what our business is based around. But at the same time, while we’re doing those things, we try to generate as much revenue as we can to pay for ourselves and where we can pay for our operations and that kind of thing.”

He also hopes this sponsorship will be a great way to keep up with other similar venues around the state. The Expo is in the process of adding an additional arena right now. A sponsorship like this will help them expand and accommodate even more events.

The committee is expected to make a decision on the potential sponsor, or sponsors, by the end of August.

The proposal documents say the sponsor can pitch a new name for the facility, but the committee must approve it.

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