On Oct. 16, Concordia held its first Presenting Night with the Anaheim Ducks, where the Ducks fell to the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1.

However, this night was seen as a win for Concordia. The night included a student section, a section for CONCORDIAserves community partners and advertising for the university throughout the game.

Senior Ariana Rosales, who was in attendance, said, “The atmosphere was very fun and different from other sporting events I have been to. It was cool to see all the Concordia advertisements and see a lot of people I know from Concordia there.”

On Oct. 7, Concordia was officially announced as the official education partner of the Anaheim Ducks, under contract through the 2036-2037 NHL season. This deal is an extension of Concordia becoming a founding partner of OCVIBE, an up-and-coming district in Orange County. The perks of the partnership include advertisements around Honda Center, two Presenting Nights every season and opportunities for Concordia students.

George Allen, Vice President of Marketing & Strategic Communications, and Taylor Detviler, Director of University Events and Partnership Programs, were huge contributors to making the partnership and the Presenting Night possible with the Anaheim Ducks.

Detviler said, “I think it went really well. I loved having the students there.”

She added, “It's a great opportunity for us. For marketing exposure and having this partnership with the Ducks and OCVIBE, but ultimately all of it is to serve the students, so it was really cool to have our first Presenting Night be so centered on our students.”

Allen said, “Somebody commented to me during the game that it would be hard for anybody in

attendance tonight to come away not knowing about Concordia. That was very much a sign of success.”

Allen added, “Concordia was everywhere. And not just in the graphics and the marquee signs and the LEDs and the videos, but in the seats. Not only did we have our 50 students in the plaza section, but I saw at least a few different sports teams that were all there together in Concordia gear, and we had groups of other faculty, staff and alumni who bought tickets all throughout Honda Center. Many of them were wearing Concordia gear and hyped to see Concordia so prominently represented.”

One of the biggest driving factors for this partnership was how both sides take pride in growing the community. Detviler said, “I hear a lot about deep investment in the community from them [OCVIBE]. I think there are a lot of ways this is going to be very profitable in the future. That sense of commitment to community comes through so strongly from the Ducks, OCVIBE and the Samueli family. I feel like there's a deeper sense of purpose to it, and Concordia obviously operates with a deeper sense of purpose.”

The partnership has an opportunity to help Concordia become more of a household name. Allen said, “When people think about a faith-based option for education, I want them to think about Concordia.”

“If 17,000 people left Honda Center last night having a positive impression of Concordia, that's what's in it for me,” added Allen.

The next Concordia Presenting Night for the Anaheim Ducks will be on March 18, 2026. Look out for details next semester for ticket opportunities.

Tags: Concordia Serves, community, sports, event

---

About Luka Brancato

More articles by Luka Brancato