Ireland’s semi-state energy supplier Bord Gáis has signed a deal to sponsor the Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin’s Docklands for the next six and a half years. The deal, agreed with the theatre’s management company Live Nation, involves the venue changing its name to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre.
The arrangement will see Bord Gáis becoming the main supplier of electricity and gas to the theatre, and the nearby O2 concert venue, across the river Liffey, also run by Live Nation.
Bord Gáis said the company would be offering free and discounted tickets, as well as priority booking, to its one million-plus customers as part of an upcoming rewards scheme. The company will also have private use of the theatre for events three nights a year.
The issue of corporate sponsorship of Dublin venues used by the public is a topical one. In the wake of insurance firm Aviva axing almost 1,000 jobs in Ireland in October, there have been calls for the removal of the name “Aviva” from Ireland’s principal rugby stadium.
Situated in the affluent Ballsbridge district on the city’s south side, the former Lansdowne Road rugby stadium was demolished in 2007 and, after a major construction project, was reopened as Aviva Stadium in 2010.
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