By Shawn Slaght
Mosaic Place will be getting temporarily rebranded as of Aug. 31.
The naming rights sponsorship agreement between the City of Moose Jaw and the Mosaic Company expires at the end of the month, while the naming agreement for the curling rink with Moose Jaw Ford has already expired.
The building will be known as the Moose Jaw Events Centre until a new naming sponsor can be found, while the curling rink is now known as the Moose Jaw Curling Centre.
According to city administration, there will be no major signage costs associated with the temporary rebrand as it is mainly digital.
“Centre ice doesn’t have the logo. It has Moose Jaw Events Centre across the top. Everything else is going to be digital web-related,” said Mosaic Place general manager Ryan MacIvor.
“There will be some signage that will be on some temporary coroplast signs or stuff like that but nothing really more permanent or structural within the facility.”
The transition away from the Mosaic Company branding at the facility continues. In an update to city council on Monday night, it was shared that most of the signage around the building has been removed including the large sign on the front of the building.
Meanwhile, the search for a new naming sponsor continues. City administration told city council that the Naming Rights Committee has been reviewing and expanding the search for naming rights partners.
During the June 13 city council meeting, councillors voted in favour of contracting Performance Sponsorship Group to find a new sponsor at a quoted cost of $29,000 and a one-time commission of 20 per cent.
“We want to work over the summer to see if we could make any headway with certain parties, and then we’ll be able to come back to council early in the fall and have a further discussion,” said city manager Jim Puffalt.
“As you know, we also have a third-party contractor that is waiting if we’re not successful, and so we want to get that back in front of council as soon as possible.”
During the next meeting, city council voted to postpone the contract as there was public interest in helping the Naming Rights Committee find a new sponsor without having to put up money for a third-party contract.