Virginia Beach venue no longer carries corporate name

It's just the Virginia Beach Amphitheater these days. Not Verizon Wireless. Not GTE.

The concert venue is without a corporate name for the first time since it opened in 1996.

Turns out, finding a company with a lot of dollars to spare in this economy, even for the chance to expose its brand to all kinds of music fans, is tough.

"Everyone is cutting back, and the first thing they'll cut back is marketing and advertising," said Mark Wawner, with the city's development authority.

Verizon Wireless was the title sponsor through 2007, although the amphitheater continued to promote the cellular company in its name until the end of last year. When the amphitheater first opened, GTE, which later became part of Verizon Communications, bought the naming rights.

Verizon Wireless decided to pull all its name and title sponsorships two years ago, said Melanie Ortel, a spokeswoman for the company. The decision was not related to the economy, she said. And the company is still negotiating other sponsorship deals with the amphitheater, she said.

"We're committed to the community," Ortel said.

In its arrangement with Live Nation, which operates the amphitheater, the city gets 5 percent of all sponsorships. In 2009, the city received $53,000, Wawner said.

The city spent $10.75 million to help construct the $17.75 million venue.

The city has collected $16 million in taxes and other fees from the amphitheater since 1996, Wawner said, although recent revenue is slightly down.

The amphitheater isn't alone in losing its sponsorship. The PGA Tour, for example, has lost several benefactors for its events, including General Motors.

"It's just a fact of the economy," Wawner said. "Hopefully, it will improve."

 Deirdre Fernandes, (757) 222-5121, deirdre.fernandes@pilotonline.com