Jul 9, 2013, 1:24pm PDT

See inside SAP Center, the new San Jose 'Shark Tank'

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SAP AG

A rendering of the new SAP Center in downtown San Jose. The target date to actually hang the new SAP sign is September.

Click above to see more images of the arena and Tuesday's ceremony.

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Lauren Hepler

Economic Development Reporter- Silicon Valley Business Journal

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SAP Center has arrived.
Software giant SAP AG and the National Hockey League's San Jose Sharks have cemented an $8 million deal to rename the former HP Pavilion and implement SAP technology into team operations.
The new name won't adorn the outside of the arena until September, but top brass from team ownership group Sharks Sports and Entertainment, the city of San Jose and SAP on Tuesday laid out the vision for a partnership on Tuesday.
At the event, SAP Founder and Sharks Majority Owner Hasso Plattner said the opportunity to take over the arena naming rights first arose from a conversation he had with HP CEO Meg Whtiman.
After asking why HP secured the rights to the arena, "She said, 'Do you want it?'" Plattner recalled. He said from there, SAP's c-suite deliberated whether the move made sense for the company.
It was a good call, according to SAP Co-CEO Bill McDermott.
"We're a force to be reckoned with," McDermott said. "This center is also a force to be reckoned with."
He added that the company's ultimate goal is to be a "market leader" in the sports and media field, starting with new in-stadium and scouting technology SAP will provide for the Sharks, as the company has also done with the San Francisco 49ers.
At SAP Center, look for efforts to increase fan engagement with alerts and social media sharing tools, plus mobile services to buy concessions and merchandise.
The city of San Jose, meanwhile, will reap some of the financial benefit of the deal, according to Mayor Chuck Reed.
"This is a really important building," Reed said. "It runs as cash positive for the city, which you can't say about many public buildings."

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Lauren Hepler covers economic development, sports, and hospitality for the Silicon Valley Business Journal. She can be reached at 408.299.1820

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