Pond Vs. Arena: Name Issue on Ice : Negotiations: Disney and Ogden officials still can’t agree on Anaheim venue’s official moniker.

The dispute over what to call the city’s new arena continued Tuesday after officials met and failed to agree on “the Pond in Anaheim,” “Anaheim Arena” or any other name.

At the end of the meeting, officials from the Walt Disney Co. were still calling the building the Pond, while the city and its partners, Ogden Corp., stuck to their preferred name.

“Suffice it to say, there is a difference of opinion,” said Tony Tavares, president of Disney Sports Entertainment.

City Manager James D. Ruth said: “We made some suggestions and the Disney people listened. Nobody’s mad or angry, we just want to work this out.”

The naming of the arena became an issue in March when Disney Chairman Michael Eisner unexpectedly announced that Disney’s expansion hockey team--the Mighty Ducks--would be playing in the Anaheim Arena, which he was renaming the Pond in Anaheim.

Eisner said his wife suggested the name and he liked it.

“I know that some of you think that’s silly, but think about it: all over the world, they’re going to say ‘Where is the Pond?’ Everybody will say, ‘Is it in St. Louis, is it in Minneapolis, is it in Dallas? No, it’s only in Anaheim,” Eisner said at the time. “If it was called the Coliseum or the Forum or the Arena, you wouldn’t know where it is.”

But the Pond was not warmly received by city and Ogden officials, all of whom said they needed time to study the effect the name would have on attracting corporate sponsors.

Tavares said the city and Ogden on Tuesday “expressed concern over the name the Pond and we expressed our concern over the name Anaheim Arena.” Tavares said that different proposals discussed at the meeting would be presented to Eisner, who is out of the country.

Under an agreement signed by Disney, the city and Ogden, Disney has the right to name the $103-million facility, but Ogden must agree to the name. Until that time, both sides say they will stick by their own names.

Recently, Disney and Ogden ran competing newspaper advertisements side by side in local newspapers. Disney billed its events at “The Pond,” while Ogden marketed the “Grand Opening Night at the Anaheim Arena.”

At the root of the name problem is money. Ogden and city officials say they are concerned that calling the building the Pond will inhibit their ability to attract a corporate sponsorship for the building, and their ability to lure events other than hockey into the complex.

“Our concern is that there may be a loss of revenue and we don’t want to see that happen,” said John James Nicoletti, the marketing sales manager for Ogden.

A corporate sponsorship, as with the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, could mean $1 million or more in revenue, city officials have said.

Nicoletti said he hoped the name issue would be resolved soon because “there is obviously a lot of things going on.”

Ogden is preparing for the ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 17 and printing brochures, ads, logos and other material that still refer to the building as the Anaheim Arena. “We would like to have a name for this facility mainly so the public knows what to call their brand new arena,” Nicoletti said.

Neither Ruth, Nicoletti nor Tavares would discuss the name proposals made Tuesday. Disney, the city and Ogden will meet again in two weeks.