Calgary and Edmonton’s electricity supply giants are invading each other’s turf in a big way, trying to lure the competition’s customers in Alberta’s deregulated energy market.

Edmonton-based EPCOR is in final negotiations on a multi-million-dollar sponsorship deal to attach its name to the Calgary Performing Arts Centre, sources told Business Edge.

The agreement is expected to be announced Thursday, when EPCOR has invited reporters to a “special media opportunity” in front of Calgary’s showcase for theatre, music and dance.

Calgary-based ENMAX is pursuing similar high-profile sponsorships in Edmonton and other Alberta communities where the company has expanded since electricity deregulation began on Jan. 1, says ENMAX spokesperson Tony McCallum.

“It’s primarily a function of the relative newness of electricity as a competitive business,” McCallum says of the intensifying battle for name recognition and market share.

“Companies are always looking for high-profile ways to enhance their presence and profile in communities where they do business.”

Officials at EPCOR and Calgary’s performing arts centre would neither confirm nor deny that a name-sponsorship deal is imminent. Thursday’s invitation to reporters, however, comes on the day of EPCOR’s annual general meeting.

It’s no secret that EPCOR has been running radio and billboard advertising campaigns in Calgary and is aggressively pursuing opportunities to raise the company’s profile and expand its market, says Dianne Allen, director of corporate marketing for EPCOR.

“Certainly going after a property to name is one way of doing that, if you can get the right property,” she says.

EPCOR has 600,000 customers across Alberta, including natural gas customers in Calgary and more than 130 employees in the city, Allen notes. “It’s a logical place for us to build a presence quickly.”

Attaching EPCOR’s name to Calgary’s performing arts centre would be a bold statement to make in competitor ENMAX’s backyard, advertising experts say.

It would also be a good fit with EPCOR’s brand image and current community sponsorship programs.

“They (EPCOR) are trying to get some top-of-mind awareness so that they’re a household name,” says Gary Makar, vice-president of advertising at fwj, an advertising and public relations firm in Calgary. “They’re creating their brand image before they start advertising” for customers, he notes.

The performing arts centre, which draws more than 400,000 visitors annually, is a popular venue with Calgarians and attracts a desirable target audience. If EPCOR attaches its name to the centre, “it will be on signage we all drive by,” Makar says.

EPCOR is already identified with support for arts and culture in Edmonton. The company has sponsorship programs with the Citadel Theatre, the Fringe Festival, the International Street Performers Festival and the Edmonton Space and Science Centre.

“We certainly are committed to still maintaining our presence in the Edmonton market,” Allen says. “But we also have to look to expand outside of that.” ENMAX says its competitor’s interest in linking its name with Calgary’s cultural centre doesn’t come as a surprise.

“We have heard about it. We looked at the opportunity some time ago and decided not to pursue it,” McCallum says.

“Calgary is a hugely important market for ENMAX, but we are the incumbent here,” he says. “We do have substations all over town in addition to our head office, so we already have a lot of public presence in the city.”

ENMAX, which distributes electricity, is getting in EPCOR’s face in the capital city, running media ads and direct mail campaigns to homes.

Similar campaigns are being waged in Red Deer and Lethbridge, where ENMAX has landed contracts to supply power. In Lethbridge, the company received naming rights for the city’s sports arena, now called the ENMAX Sportsplex.

The competition over sponsorships is good for business, consumers and, providing the EPCOR-Calgary Performing Arts Centre deal is confirmed, local culture lovers, Makar said. “Dollars like that go right to the bottom line of supporting arts in our city, which is a good thing.”