BECU enters 3-year partnership with AEG Presents for annual Marymoor Park Concert Series

If attending any concerts at Marymoor Park in Redmond this summer as a BECU member, expect to receive some perks.

BECU, one of the country’s largest community credit unions, has entered a 3-year partnership with AEG Presents, one of the world’s largest live entertainment companies, to become a presenting partner for the Marymoor Park Concert Series.

The Marymoor Park Concert Series takes places annually at Marymoor Park in Redmond. According to Rob Thomas, Vice President of AEG Presents Pacific Northwest, this year’s concert series is the first full season since 2019—prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The schedule this year is legendary and historic,” said Thomas, who described how he’s excited to share it with BECU members. “There’s absolutely something for everybody there.”

This year’s artists include Barenaked Ladies, Khruangbin, Caamp, The Decemberists, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, My Morning Jacket, Phoebe Bridgers, Leon Bridges, and Bikini Kill, among others.

As the presenting partner, BECU will have a significant presence for the concert series, including large-scale branding through marketing and onsite signage. Members of BECU will have the opportunity to receive “BECU Member First Experiences,” which include artist meet and greets, fly away promotions, backstage tours, and dinners, among others. BECU members can also access presales for concert tickets, prior to the tickets being available to the general public.

“Onsite, to increase that experience for them, we’re able to have an entrance that’s dedicated to BECU members so all they have to do is just show any of their BECU debit or credit cards, and they’ll be able to go through this separate line, which the goal is that it’s shorter and quicker and a much better experience,” said Molly Middlekauff, BECU’s Senior Manager of Affinity Sponsorship.

Additionally, BECU signage will be displayed at the Showbox and the Showbox SoDo venues, which are properties of AEG

While looking into partnerships, Middlekauff brought up how BECU focuses on the long-term, and that brand integration and awareness takes time.

“I just think when you’re entering into a partnership like this, year one is where you learn,” said Middlekauff, who explained how the following years are focused on member feedback and creating improvements where needed. Middlekauff believes the three-year term with AEG Presents will allow BECU to maximize the improvements each year.

Thomas believes the partnership is a natural one, with each companies’ goals aligning through serving the community in different disciplines.

“They’re a huge part of the community and we really view our obligation as to provide the community with entertainment and music and a way to unplug for a couple hours of the day,” said Thomas.

The planning process for the BECU x AEG Presents partnership took about three months, where shared values and potential impact was recognized. It was also during the planning process where maximizing brand exposure and ways of giving back to the community were developed.

Middlekauff mentioned how BECU is constantly looking for ways to increase brand awareness for younger audiences and partnering with AEG Presents assisted with achieving that goal due to young concert goers.

She also explained how BECU has a partnership with KEXP, a Seattle-based radio station, where members can receive a KEXP debit card. According to Middlekauff, for every KEXP debit card transaction, BECU donates to KEXP.

“What we’ve realized is at Marymoor there’s a crossover, so KEXP artists are also playing at Marymoor, and so then our ability to be able to kind of increase awareness of a local radio station, our local brand, and then be able to incorporate that give-back to the community is just, it was kind of perfect synergy,” said Middlekauff.

Regarding the partnership, Middlekauff is most excited about giving back to the community through the BECU membership concert perks. As for Thomas:

“It’s one of the best concert experiences I think you can have. Being in the park is amazing, being surrounded by enormous 100-plus year trees is just an incredible experience,” said Thomas. “There’s a lot of effort behind the scenes and what gets pulled off is always so much fun.”