[Edaily Kang Gyeong-rok Travel Reporter] Naver has secured the naming rights to the 15,000-seat large-scale performance venue at the Inspire Entertainment Resort, a mixed-use resort on Yeongjong Island in Incheon. Starting this December, the “Inspire Arena”—one of South Korea’s leading large-scale performance venues—will welcome guests under its new name, “NAVER ARENA at INSPIRE.”
Naver, which has established an unrivaled position in the online search and platform ecosystem, has embarked on a major project to attach its brand name to a large-scale offline cultural hub—which attracts more than 600,000 visitors annually—and integrate its technology into the venue.

On the 26th, Inspire Entertainment Resort announced that it had signed a naming rights and strategic partnership agreement with Naver. The naming rights will take effect in December and remain in place for three years. In accordance with the agreement between the two companies, specific terms—including the naming rights fee—were not disclosed.
This agreement goes beyond a simple sign replacement or brand exposure. It represents a strategic partnership in which Inspire focuses on its core business—attracting and operating facilities—while enhancing the venue’s brand value through external capital, and Naver utilizes this offline hub, which attracts large crowds, as a “test bed” for its online-to-offline (O2O) technology.
Naver plans to seamlessly integrate its platform technology throughout the entire audience experience—from venue entry to payment and wayfinding. Specifically, the company is considering ticketless entry via “Facesign,” Naver Pay’s facial recognition technology, as well as the introduction of smart maps and navigation services. Additionally, it will establish a system to attract loyal online customers to offline venues by linking exclusive benefits for Naver Plus Membership members.
The core objective of Naver’s business is to expand the user experience of its services—which had previously been confined to the online realm—to mass-market offline touchpoints. This is a strategic move to naturally integrate the foot traffic at performance venues into Naver’s payment, authentication, and membership ecosystem.

Inspire Arena, which opened in December 2023, has quickly established itself by hosting over 100 events, including K-pop concerts and performances by major international artists visiting Korea. This year, the cumulative annual attendance is expected to exceed 600,000. Additionally, the nature of the integrated resort—which combines three hotel buildings with 1,275 rooms, a casino, a water park, and shopping and dining facilities—means that concertgoers tend to stay longer and have a significant ripple effect on spending, which was a major advantage for Naver.
Lee Han-na, Chief Marketing Officer at Inspire, stated, “This partnership is significant in that it combines the country’s top-tier arena operational capabilities with the technological and service capabilities of Korea’s leading platform company to explore new entertainment experiences.” She added, “Through our collaboration with Naver, we will further enhance the overall customer experience—from performances to attendance—and create the unique value that only Naver Arena at Inspire can offer.”
Lee Jae-hoo, Head of Naver’s Entertainment Services Division, said, “We will establish Naver Arena as a flagship landmark that comprehensively showcases Team Naver’s branding, technology, and services while providing a differentiated cultural experience.” He added, “By integrating Naver Plus membership benefits and innovative technologies such as FaceSign, we will actively target a global user base.”
Meanwhile, even after this agreement takes effect, Inspire will continue to retain the authority to host performances and sporting events, as well as manage the overall operation of the facility. The two companies plan to sequentially unveil detailed plans for digital service collaboration in time for the official adoption of the new name this coming December.