What Truist Arena does

Truist Arena is a 9,000-seat multi-purpose arena located on the campus of Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Kentucky, 7 miles from downtown Cincinnati. The venue was previously branded as BB&T Arena; naming rights transferred to Truist Financial Corporation following its merger with BB&T. Truist Arena is university-owned and managed by Legends Global (with food and beverage service provided through Legends' SAVOR brand), and is not independently capitalized through venture or private equity funding.

The venue operates on a flexible four-configuration model (In The Round 9,000, End Stage 8,000, Half House 4,500, Theater 3,000) supported by 12 luxury suites, 2 party suites, 3 conference rooms, 4 locker rooms, and 8,000+ parking spaces within walking distance. Technology stack includes Ticketmaster as the exclusive and sole authorized ticketing platform (with barcode scanning for admission), OpenGate walkthrough weapons detection for security screening, and cashless POS across all concessions. Anchor tenants include the NKU Norse Men's and Women's Division I basketball programs and the Kentucky Barrels professional arena football team (AF1).

Revenue is generated across five streams: ticket sales (via Ticketmaster.com, the Ticketmaster app, and on-site Alice Sparks Box Office), premium experiences (multi-year annual suites, single-event suites, and VIP upgrades), food and beverage concessions (Legends Global/SAVOR, with Pepsi and Anheuser-Busch as pouring partners), sponsorship and advertising (Truist naming rights, plus Pepsi, Darling Ingredients, St. Elizabeth Healthcare), and private event rentals (conferences, weddings, trade shows, graduations, banquets, and corporate meetings). Go-to-market combines a digital channel (official website, email newsletter) with Ticketmaster's e-commerce platform and a direct sales function covering group sales, premium experience sales (led by Director of Booking & Marketing Regina Hensley), corporate sponsorship, and private event booking. Customer segments span sports fans/entertainment consumers, corporate event planners, social event hosts, and educational institutions.

Name

Truist Arena

Legal name

Truist Arena at Northern Kentucky University

Website

https://thetruistarena.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Truist Arena is a 9,000-seat multi-purpose venue at Northern Kentucky University hosting concerts, NKU Norse basketball, Kentucky Barrels arena football, weddings, and corporate events for the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi-Purpose Event Venue

NAICS

Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711), Spectator Sports (7112), Other Spectator Sports (711219)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Arena & Stadium Operations (Large-Capacity Venues) (MPAGALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arenas & Indoor Sports Centers (MPAKAEAB), Venue Food, Beverage & Hospitality Operations (Concessions, Catering, Premium Seating) (MPAGALAN), Concession & Stadium / Arena Catering (THAFAIAG), Sports & Arena Event Venues (Stadiums, Arenas) (THAHAAAF)

Keywords

• Multi-purpose event venue
• Arena venue rental
• Live entertainment hosting
• Premium hospitality suites
• Corporate event hosting

Headquarters

HQ city

Newport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from sale of tickets to events including concerts, sports (NKU basketball, Kentucky Barrels arena football), and private events. Tickets sold via Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster app, and on-site box office. Group discounts available.
2. Premium Experiences: Annual luxury suites provide 16 tickets per event with premium amenities. Single-event luxury suites (16-20 tickets) and party suites (32-50 tickets) available for purchase. VIP upgrades offered for select shows.
3. Food and Beverage Concessions: Exclusive food and beverage services provided by Legends Global and SAVOR. Traditional arena fare including hot dogs, pretzels, popcorn, nachos, Pepsi products, and Anheuser-Busch beers. Arena is cashless - accepts credit cards, debit cards, and mobile payments.
4. Sponsorship and Advertising: Corporate partnership opportunities including permanent venue signage, permanent venue displays, video display board advertising, in-game sponsorship, event sponsorship, naming rights, and website advertising. Customized marketing plans provided to maximize exposure.
5. Private Event Rentals: Venue rental for conferences, trade shows, corporate meetings, weddings, receptions, banquets, holiday parties, high school graduations, and proms. In-house catering available. Event services team assists throughout planning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Truist Arena is a 9,000-seat multi-purpose venue located on the Northern Kentucky University campus that hosts concerts, sporting events, family shows, conferences, trade shows, weddings, banquets, and graduations. The venue offers flexible seating configurations ranging from 2,000 to 9,000 capacity, premium luxury and party suites, exclusive food and beverage service, and serves as home arena for NKU Norse basketball and Kentucky Barrels arena football.

Product overview

Truist Arena is a flexible 9,000-seat multi-purpose arena at Northern Kentucky University offering venue rental for concerts, private events, and sporting events. It serves as home to the NKU Norse basketball teams and Kentucky Barrels professional arena football team. The venue provides premium experiences including Annual Luxury Suites (16 tickets per event with concierge service), Single Event Suites (16-50 tickets), and VIP Upgrades. Additional services include Ticketing via Ticketmaster, Food & Beverage by Legends Global, Group Sales, and Private Event hosting for conferences, weddings, and trade shows.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Truist Arena Venue Rental
• Private Event Hosting
• Annual Luxury Suites
• Single Event Luxury Suites and Party Suites
• Ticketing and Box Office Services
• Food and Beverage Services
• Kentucky Barrels Arena Football Home Games Hosting of professional arena football home games for the Kentucky Barrels (AF1 league) with dedicated ticket portal through Ticketmaster.
• NKU Norse Basketball Home Games Hosting of Northern Kentucky University Men's and Women's basketball home games for the NKU Norse Division I program, with dedicated ticketing portals (My NKU Tickets).
• Corporate Sponsorship and Advertising Customized corporate sponsorship packages including permanent venue signage, video display board advertising, in-game sponsorship, event sponsorship, naming rights, and website advertising developed by the marketing team to meet client marketing objectives.

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, major and minor.

• Legends GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegends Global is the management company for Truist Arena and serves as the exclusive food and beverage service provider through their SAVOR brand. They provide comprehensive venue management including operations, hospitality, and premium services. Legends Global manages employment, privacy notices, and overall venue operations.
• SAVOR Food & BeveragecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSAVOR (part of Legends Global) is Truist Arena's exclusive food and beverage service provider. They offer traditional arena fare including hot dogs, pretzels, popcorn, nachos, Pepsi products, and Anheuser-Busch beers. In-house catering available for private events.
• TicketmastercoreTechnology or IntegrationTicketmaster is the official ticketing service and only authorized secondary market partner for Truist Arena. Provides online ticketing platform, mobile app, venue page integration, and bar-code scanning for admission. TicketExchange enables verified secondary market transactions.
• Northern Kentucky University (NKU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTruist Arena is located on NKU campus. NKU Norse Men's and Women's basketball teams are anchor tenants. Arena serves the university's 15,000+ students and 2,500+ faculty/staff. Partnership provides consistent sports content and university community audience.
• Kentucky BarrelscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional arena football team (AF1 league) plays home games at Truist Arena. Dedicated ticket portal (My KY Barrels Tickets) through Ticketmaster. Team provides recurring sports content and engages local fan base.
• Truist Financial CorporationflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerTruist is the naming rights partner for the arena. Provides financial stability and brand recognition. Truist branding appears throughout venue. Truist ATM located on main concourse.
• PepsimajorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial beverage sponsor of Truist Arena. Pepsi products served at concession stands throughout venue. Logo displayed in sponsor section of website.
• Darling IngredientsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of Truist Arena. Logo displayed in sponsor section of website alongside other partners.
• St. Elizabeth HealthcareminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHealthcare sponsor of Truist Arena. Logo displayed in sponsor section of website alongside other partners.
• OpenGate SecuritycoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides OpenGate walkthrough security detection screening system for automatic weapon screening of guests. Expedites entry process - guests enter without divesting personal items. Visible security presence includes uniformed police officers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Broadmoor World Arena: ~7,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Colorado Springs, CO hosting concerts, sporting events, and family shows. Comparable mid-size market arena with similar capacity tier and multi-use concert/event programming.
• KFC Yum! Center: 22,000-seat arena in Louisville, KY operating as a multi-purpose concert and event venue. Comparable mid-size market regional arena competing for touring content and premium-suite business in the broader Kentucky/Ohio region.
• Heritage Bank Center: 17,000+ seat multi-purpose arena in downtown Cincinnati hosting concerts, family shows, and sporting events. Directly comparable mid-market regional arena competing for the same touring acts and corporate event spend in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky metro.
• Memorial Coliseum (Allen County War Memorial): ~10,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Fort Wayne, Indiana hosting concerts, sporting events, family shows, and conventions. Comparable mid-size regional arena with similar capacity tier, public ownership, and mixed-use event programming.
• E.A. Diddle Arena (Western Kentucky University): ~7,500-seat university-owned multi-purpose arena in Bowling Green, KY hosting WKU Hilltoppers basketball, concerts, and events. Comparable university-affiliated mid-size arena with similar anchor-tenant model and regional touring-act positioning.
• Big Sandy Superstore Arena: ~9,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Huntington, WV hosting concerts, sporting events, and conventions. Closely comparable mid-size regional arena with similar capacity tier, mixed-use event programming, and adjacent mid-tier market positioning.
• Fifth Third Arena (NKU): ~9,400-seat on-campus arena at Northern Kentucky University that historically hosted NKU Norse basketball before Truist Arena was built. Direct same-campus peer in terms of university-affiliated sports venue serving the NKU basketball program.
• Rupp Arena: 23,000-seat arena in Lexington, KY operated by the Lexington Center Corporation hosting concerts, UK basketball, and events. Comparable regional arena competing for the same Kentucky touring-act routing and corporate entertainment dollars.

Regional players

• Huntington Center (Toledo): ~8,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Toledo, OH hosting concerts, Walleye hockey, and events. Comparable Ohio/regional mid-size arena competing for touring acts at similar capacity tier.
• Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse: ~19,000-seat NBA arena in Cleveland operated by the Cavs/Gateway complex. Comparable Ohio/regional competitor for touring content and corporate events but operates at larger capacity and NBA-anchor scale.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thetruistarena
• Facebookfacebook.com/thetruistarena
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/truistarena

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Truist Arena