Farigrounds Coliseum becomes 'Indiana Farmers Coliseum'

Carmel-based insurance company agrees to 10-year sponsorship

INDIANAPOLIS – The recently renovated State Fairgrounds Coliseum has a new sponsor and a new name – the Indiana Farmers Coliseum.

Executives fromIndiana Farmers Mutual Insurance Company and the Indiana State Fair Commission made the announcement Tuesday (Dec. 2) inside the 75-year-old building that reopened last spring following a $53 million facelift.

Headquartered in Carmel, Indiana Farmers has been in business since 1877. It provides auto, home, farm and business insurance exclusively to Hoosiers. The 10-year, $6 million deal for the Coliseum’s naming rights is their biggest step yet in growing their brand and building their business.

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“This is the right opportunity at the right time for Indiana Farmers,” Kim Smith, the company’s chief executive officer, said. “The Coliseum represents the common heritage we all share as Hoosiers, which makes it the perfect facility to carry our name.”

A new sign will not go on the building right away, but the name change is effective immediately. Adjustments are currently being made to the State Fairgrounds web site, event listings, staff uniforms and other communications materials.

“We’ve talked with a lot of companies over the past two years, and I believe we have found the perfect partner,” State Fairgrounds Executive Director Cindy Hoye said. “Not only has Indiana Farmers been around as long as the State Fairgrounds, but both organizations exist for one reason only – to serve Hoosiers.”

One of the Coliseum’s anchor tenants, the Indy Fuel Hockey Club, played a key role in securing the sponsorship with Indiana Farmers and will help execute the terms of the deal. The company name will soon be added to the ice surface around the face-off circle and will eventually join the iconic “Indiana State Fair” sign on the roof of the building. Indiana Farmers’ mascot, comic strip legend Garfield, will also be perched atop the roof.

Indiana Farmers bussed in about 150 of its associates to hear the surprise announcement firsthand. They were overjoyed to find out that their company name would now welcome the fairgrounds’ two million visitors annually for the next decade.

“Our associates take a lot of pride in what they do and the people they serve,” Smith said. “Now they can also feel good about the deeper commitment we’ve just made to one of our state’s most well-known and cherished landmarks.”

 

About Indiana State Fairgrounds

Established in 1892, the Indiana State Fairgrounds is a modern public event facility that annually hosts more than 300 meetings, shows, sports and agriculture events, including the Indiana State Fair. The Indiana State Fairgrounds is one of Indiana’s top tourist destinations annually attracting 2 million visitors to its 250-acre campus in Indianapolis’ Midtown district and adding $124 million to the local economy. Agriculture and food production education are part of the fairgrounds’ core values. The nine-member Indiana State Fair Commission, a quasi-governmental agency, oversees year-round management of the fairgrounds, which operates in a safe and fiscally conscious manner for the benefit of all citizens of Indiana. Additional information is available at www.indianastatefair.com.  

 

About Indiana Farmers Mutual Insurance Company
Indiana Farmers Mutual Insurance Company is an Indiana-based company that writes auto, home, farm, and business insurance. Protecting Hoosiers has been our only mission since 1877. We are different than many insurance companies in that we are a mutual company with no stockholders or investors. We exist only to serve our policyholders.