It's official: ShoWare Center at Kent is the name of what was formerly the Kent Events Center.

The Kent City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a naming-rights agreement with ShoWare by VisionOne, Inc., a company based in Fresno, Calif. ShoWare offers box-office services, including online ticket selling and distribution for events at sports arenas, concert clubs, casinos, theaters and performing arts centers.

ShoWare will pay the city $3.175 million for 10 years at slightly more than $300,000 per year, for the rights to have the center in its name.

In return, the city will pay for and install the ShoWare Center name and logo above the front entrance and on the upper left facade of the events center. The name also will be placed on the ice sheet and arena scoreboard as well as used in all marketing materials.

Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke congratulated Ben Wolters, city economic director; Tim Higgins, general manager for SMG, the operator of the arena; and Colin Campbell, vice-president of the Seattle Thunderbirds hockey team, for their work on the contract with ShoWare.

"I want to thank you for securing naming rights in this economic climate," Cooke said at the Council meeting.

The $84.5 million events center will be the new home of the Thunderbirds, who now play at KeyArena in Seattle. The 6,025-seat arena is under construction at West James Street and Fifth Avenue North.

The city also will use the ShoWare ticketing system for Thunderbirds games and all other events at the arena.

Kent Reporter Courts, government reporter Steve Hunter can be reached at shunter@kentreporter.com or 253-872-6600, ext. 5052.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in the PNWLocalNews.com community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. So keep your comments:

• Civil
• Smart
• On-topic
• Free of profanity

We ask that all participants own their words by registering for an account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and drive-by commenters.

As a community site, we ask that the community help by using the "Flag" button on each comment if they feel the comment has violated the rules. You can also use the up and down arrows on each comment to voice your opinion about that particular comment.

Want to tell us something but you don't want it to be public? Talk to us privately.