Aug 14
Gwinnett Center gets new $18 million name
By: Arielle Kass
Published: Friday, August 14, 2015
The Gwinnett Center, an entertainment complex near Duluth, will now be known as the Gas South District after the Florida company bought the naming rights.
Infinite Energy will pay $18 million over 20 years for the naming rights.
Lisa Anders, the executive director of Explore Gwinnett, said the board voted Friday morning in a conference call. There was no notice made of the meeting.
Earlier this year, the board outlined a master plan for the area that would add a long-discussed entertainment district to the 90-acre complex. The county commission and the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau also approved construction of a large “headquarters” hotel there in April, a Marriott with 290-300 rooms. Other nearby hotels are in the works.
The complex has a 13,000-seat arena where the Gwinnett Gladiators hockey team and Georgia Swarm lacrosse team play that will be called the Infinite Energy Arena. It also has a 50,000-square-foot exhibit hall, which will be known as the Infinite Energy Forum, and a 708-seat theater, called the Infinite Energy Theater.
The eventual plans for the complex include adding seats to the arena, doubling the size of the convention center, building a black-box theater, creating an outdoor lawn and walking trails and adding more access points to help ease traffic.
New signs will come in the fall.