Tulsa’s convention center will soon have a new name.
Known as the Cox Business Convention Center for the past 11 years, it will be called the Arvest Convention Center beginning March 1.
Arvest Bank will pay about $300,000 per year for a total of $3.4 million over 10 years for the naming rights, said Keller Taylor, vice president of the convention center and the BOK Center.
“Cox has been a phenomenal partner,” he said. Arvest, he added, “was a natural fit with their commitment to the community.”
The city owns both the convention center and the BOK Center; Oak View Group, of which Taylor is also vice president, manages both.
“This partnership with Arvest Bank is an exciting milestone for the City of Tulsa and our convention center,” Mayor Monroe Nichols said in a statement.
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“With Oak View Group’s management of the facility and Arvest’s deep commitment to our community, we are confident that this collaboration will help us take the convention center to new heights,” he said.
While based in Arkansas, one of Arvest’s largest markets is Tulsa and northeastern Oklahoma, bank spokeswoman Tara Muck said.
Established in 1961, Arvest has more than 200 locations throughout its four-state footprint, including more than 75 in Oklahoma.
The bank has more than $26 billion in assets; its Wealth Management Division has more than $15 billion in assets.
“We’re fortunate and blessed to have this opportunity to really continue to be a presence in Tulsa,” Kirk Hays, Arvest’s Tulsa region president, told the Tulsa World.
“This really solidifies our commitment to Tulsa, and we are super excited about it,” he said.
Arvest marked its 17th year of sponsoring Tulsa’s Winterfest, where an ice skating rink, a new ice slide, and a plethora of holiday trees and decorations are located next to the BOK Center each winter.
Last year, it also announced naming rights for the 32-story, 412-foot Bank of America Center at 15 W. Sixth St., which will be known as the Arvest Tower.
The 288,776-square-foot high-rise was built in 1967 and is the fifth-tallest building in Tulsa and ninth-tallest in the state, officials said.
Cox will still be the internet provider for both the convention center and the BOK Center.
“Arvest is one of many amazing businesses that Cox is proud to call a close partner, so we are excited for them to carry the torch going forward,” Cox spokesman Olin Ericksen said in an email to the Tulsa World.
“How we showcase our brand is always evolving, but our commitment to our community never changes as seen through our impactful community giving, dedicated volunteering, and major investments to expand high-quality and affordable internet throughout all of Oklahoma. Cox is still powering the venue with fast and reliable connectivity and providing state of the art management and services.”
Money for the convention center’s new naming rights will be put into a capital reserve fund for long-term improvements to both it and the BOK Center, Taylor said.
The convention center has been a cornerstone of Tulsa’s event scene since it opened in 1964.
In 2020, it underwent a major renovation as part of the Vision 2025 initiative, with a $55 million investment that brought much-needed upgrades to the facility.
One of the key changes was the transformation of the 9,000-seat arena into the Grand Hall, a 41,000-square-foot multiuse event space with 36-foot ceilings, now the largest of its kind in Oklahoma.
The center now has more than 275,000 square feet of event space.
Plans for a new, adjacent 650-room convention center headquarters hotel “will further elevate the convention center as a premier destination for large-scale events,” Oak View Group said in a news release.
“This investment is a key step toward attracting even larger events and ensuring the venue continues to grow as a central hub for Tulsa’s tourism and economic development.”
A news conference about the new name, with renderings of its new signage, will be held after the formal name change on March 1, officials said.
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