The agreement includes renaming the Mandalay Bay Events Center to Michelob ULTRA Arena. The 12,000-seat sports and entertainment venue hosts the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces and regularly features big-name concerts and sporting events.
Matt Davis, Head of U.S. Sports Marketing for Anheuser-Busch, said, “Las Vegas is one of the world's most exciting sports and entertainment destinations, and Mandalay Bay is regularly in the midst of all of that excitement. As the world returns to traveling and enjoying entertainment, we look forward to all of the events to come at the Michelob ULTRA Arena.”
Anheuser-Busch will have sponsorship opportunities at on-property special events.
The announcement comes a day after MGM reported its fourth quarter 2020 earnings, which saw revenue fall 53% year-on-year to $1.5bn.
MGM President and CEO Bill Hornbuckle expressed confidence that visitation to Las Vegas will improve as more people are vaccinated.
Hornbuckle said he believes Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak may roll back Covid-19 capacity restrictions in March. That could allow for sizable crowds to attend sports games and concerts.
Such events are a key tourism driver for Las Vegas, but they are still largely on pause. Next month, NASCAR is expected to allow fans to attend races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which would mark the first major sporting event to include fans in southern Nevada since March 2020.
