The largest entertainment venue in Salina has entered into a partnership with one of the largest manufacturers in Salina. The Tony’s Pizza Event Center has entered into a deal with Great Plains Manufacturing.

At a media conference Tuesday morning officials made the announcement.

The 10 year deal includes a naming rights sponsorship for Heritage Hall. It will now be known as Great Plains Manufacturing Convention Hall. The deal also includes a luxury suite and branding throughout the entire facility.

The renaming is part of a new 10-year, $500,000 agreement with a long-time local Salina business, Great Plains Manufacturing. The partnership agreement and name change took effect January 1, 2020, with all-new facility branding to be in place by June 2020.

The Hall is approximately 18,000 square feet and is used as a multi-purpose room within the facility to host conventions, private events, and meetings.

Tony’s Pizza Event Center General manager Susan Trafton said at the media conference “to attain and grow convention business for Salina we need to make every event here a great experience, our goal is to elevate Great Plains Manufacturing Convention Hall and our other meeting spaces to the same level of professionalism and to make them as aesthetically pleasing as the rest of the center, a first class experience on every level.”

Linda Salem from Great Plains Manufacturing said “a big part of the Great Plains culture is around supporting our community, so we have always been active in the communities in which we live and operate in”. Salem added that she hopes the sponsorship and support will help the City of Salina continue to bring many events and guests to the community where they will seek out events and businesses.