By Brian Murphy and Brett Kneese, WRAL

Signs for Lenovo were being installed at the Hurricanes’ arena in Raleigh on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. The computer manufacturer is expected to become the new naming rights sponsor of the Raleigh venue, which is home to the Carolina Hurricanes and the NC State men’s basketball team. (Photo: Brett Kneese/WRAL)

Signs for Lenovo, a global computer manufacturer with a nearby headquarters, are being installed at the Carolina Hurricanes’ arena in Raleigh, one day before the authority that owns the venue is set to vote on a new naming rights agreement.

PNC Bank held the naming rights to the arena since 2012. Its deal expired at the end of August.

The name Lenovo Center was unintentionally revealed in a trailer for EA Sports’ NHL 25.

Crews were placing external signage on the arena, which has been stripped of its PNC logos. The signage was covered, but the wind revealed the Lenovo branding on the outside of the arena. Inside the arena, some walls have been painted purple and the Lenovo logo is visible on at least one wall.

Lenovo has a corporate headquarters in Morrsiville, about 13 miles from the Raleigh arena. The company has been in the state for nearly two decades. It has about 2,500 employees in the state. The Chinese company makes desktops and laptop computers, including the ThinkPad, along with tablets, smartphones, data storage devices and televisions.

Lenovo has had its logo on the Hurricanes’ helmets since 2021.

The Centennial Authority, which owns the arena, is scheduled to meet Thursday morning to approve a new naming rights contract. Money from the building’s naming rights are shared between the Centennial Authority, the Hurricanes and NC State, which plays its men’s basketball games at the venue.

The arena was originally known as the Entertainment & Sports Arena, before RBC purchased the naming rights in 2002. When PNC Bank bought out RBC in 2012, the name of the arena changed.

On Wednesday, the Hurricanes released renderings for the first phase of redevelopment around the arena set to begin in December 2025. Two parking structures will be built first.

Source: wralsportsfan.com