Are Naming Rights Available for the Provo Airport? For as Little as $8 Million, Maybe So.

With a $78 million funding commitment from the Utah County Commission, Utah's Provo City now finds itself just $12.5 million shy of the ~$140 million in monies needed to expand to 10 gates from the 4 gates currently in operation at the Provo Airport.

Presuming that the Utah Legislature and Utah Governor Spencer Cox come through with the $4.5 million in additional funding requested this legislative session, that puts the City a mere $8 million shy of the targeted funding total.

Could this be an opportunity for a Naming Rights marketing partner, or donor, to step forward?

The news this week was quite straightforward: The Utah County Commission has approved $78 million in new funding for Utah's Provo Airport, funding that will drive a significant jump to 10 gates from the 4 gates currently in operation at the Provo Airport.

As noted in the County Commission news release, the $78 million in financial support for the Provo Airport expansion will include

"... $19.5 million in upfront funding sourced from Tourism, Recreation, cultural, and Convention (TRCC) and Transient Room Tax (TRT) revenues. Additionally, the County will contribute $3.9 million annually over the next 15 years to ensure sustained support for the airport's expansion."

According to Nicole Martin, Director of Communication and Marketing for the City of Provo, this latest financial commitment puts Provo and the Airport at ~$127.5 million in secured funds for the expected $140 million cost for the expansion.

And, she explained, if the Utah Legislature approves this year's funding request for an additional $4.5 million (as anticipated), the City and Airport will then be a mere $8 million shy of the total $140 million in monies slated to complete the expansion, probably by 2028.

Martin made it clear to me that the City expects to have the total $140 million in funding locked down before the end of 2025.

But that also got me thinking:

Is it possible the City of Provo would be open to a Naming Rights deal for $8 million?

Just think about it, you Utah-based CEOs and marketing execs, you nascent centimillionaires, you high-flying-SaaS companies looking for BIG TIME visibility on a global basis.

What if people flew into and out of

The Nu Skin Enterprises Provo Airport?

... or ...

The BYU Cougars Provo Airport?

... or ...

The Your-Name-Goes-Here Provo Airport?

Wouldn't that be crazy?!?!? And amazing, at the same time?!?!?!

I promise you, as someone with 4+ decades of award-winning PR, publicity, messaging, and marketing experience under his belt, the "Press" and the "Influencers" would lose their collective minds if this were to happen.

Around. The. Globe.

In fact, they would NOT NOT be able to cover this news and expound upon it ad nauseam!!!

AND ... every time there was a major event in Provo, at Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University, at Sundance Mountain Resort, or any of the bazillion tech companies or multilevel marketing companies headquartered throughout Happy Valley that required a flight in to or out of Provo Airport, there would be additional visibility for Provo Airport's naming partner.

Now, I get that it would not be a forever type of deal.

And TBH, there is NO WAY I would advise Mayor Michelle Kaufusi or members of the City Council to accept anything less than $15 million for a five-year Naming Rights deal, at $3 million annually.

And honestly, I'd probably also recommend a minimum 10-year agreement, which would likely mean a deal in the $25 million or $30 million range.

BUT ... what the heck??? Why not???

For readers unaware, Provo Airport set a new record at 845,000 total passengers in 2024.

Clearly, that's not a ton and represented a modest 5% jump in traffic from 2023; it's also clearly a shadow of the 28.4 million passengers that 2024 brought to/through Salt Lake International Airport.

Then again, Salt Lake International had 73 gates at the end of 2024.

Provo? It had 4.

That's less than 3% of the gates at Provo vs. SL International.

I could go on, but the truth is that no one expects Provo Airport to be SL International. Ever.

{NOTE: As a reminder, commercial flights out of Provo Airport only began in 2005 when its air traffic control tower went operational. Conversely, commercial flights out of Salt Lake began in the early 1930s.}

BUT ... Naming Rights?

Naming Rights?!?!?! Now we're talking.

What do you think?

Personally, I think it's a brilliant idea, if I do say so myself.

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