The South Korean automobile manufacturer, Kia has acquired the naming rights of the new 5,000 seat show court at Melbourne Park, which is the home of the Australian Open tennis tournament.
This reflects the 21-year long-standing partnership between the two entities as both Kia and Australian Open have worked side-by-side to grow the event. The new seat show court will be known as Kia Arena and it was the third stage of the Melbourne Park redevelopment, which also saw a new conference and events venue in Centerpiece at Melbourne Park, as well as two additional courts and logistics hubs.
Adding to it, Kia’s multi-year agreement with the Australian Open provides the automobile manufacturer with both externally and internally signage around the Kia Arena, along with digital signage on totems outside the entrance. While 20 Kia-branded flagpoles will be surrounding the new arena.
Speaking on the occasion, Craig Tiley, director, Australian Open, said: “Kia has been on the Australian Open journey with us for the past 21 years and worked with us side-by-side to grow the event exponentially during that time. The naming of Kia Arena today is another example of the strength of our partnership and provides a year-round platform for Kia to showcase the great relationship between Kia and the AO. Kia Arena is a spectacular new asset and provides another premium space for our fans to enjoy great tennis in January.”
Artur Martins, head of Kia’s global brand and customer experiences, added: “The past two decades have been an incredible journey for Kia at the Australian Open, and we are excited to continue our partnership with the world’s most exciting tennis grand slam. In line with our brand belief that ‘movement inspires ideas’, we hope to see many memorable moves unfold at the Kia Arena.”
The Australian Open is all set to take place from January 17 and end on January 30. It will go ahead at full capacity as the state of Victoria eased COVID-19 restrictions after reaching a 90% vaccination rate.