Student blog posts from the Great VCU Bike Race Book

van Leeuwen, Victoria

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VCU Scholars Compass

Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVCU Scholars CompassGreat VCU Bike Race Book Student Blog Posts Great VCU Bike Race Book2015Event Planning and Promotion, Blog 5Victoria van LeeuwenVirginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow this and additional works at: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/bike_studentPart of the Higher Education CommonsThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA4.0) License.This Blog Post is brought to you for free and open access by the Great VCU Bike Race Book at VCU Scholars Compass. It has been accepted forinclusion in Great VCU Bike Race Book Student Blog Posts by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass. For more information, pleasecontact libcompass@vcu.edu.Downloaded fromhttps://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/bike_student/66https://rampages.us/manika/author/vanleeuwenvj/ Victoria van Leeuwen  Self-Assessment   October 7, 2015  |    vanleeuwenvj  |    1 Comment Throughout the entirety of this course I have been able to increase my education in planning and promotion, specifically for large events such as the UCI World Championships.  I completed many business classes during high school where the topics of planning and promotion were touched on, but never in this much detail.  This course allowed me to see how much effort is required to put on an event so vast in size.  Weekly blog post gave me the chance to analyze and process varying ideas and ways to put together an event and gather sponsors.  The presentation Lee Kallman gave to the class allowed for me to visualize how necessary it is to make the event itself seem intriguing to those who will attend but also the sponsors – ranging from large to small businesses.  When I visited the Fan Fest at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, it was plain to see that many sponsors were very willing to devote their time and money towards the bike race.  Not only was it clear that the bike race was an interesting and a once-in-a-lifetime event in our area, but it also showed how much Richmond had to do in order to be prepared.  Even though I was one of the students who dreaded the thought of Richmond being overly crowded with practically no way to move around for a period of nine days, I am glad I took the time to take part in this class.  I gained exposure and education in an area that I would not have been able to if I would have fled the scene. Are there any other topics of planning and promotion you with to have been covered throughout this course?   UCI World Road Championships – Group 7   October 7, 2015  |    vanleeuwenvj  |    1 Comment Victoria van Leeuwen and Sean Moore During one of the last weeks in September of this year, the UCI Road World Championships came blowing through Richmond, Virginia.  This bike race is known around the world and runs for a period of nine days.  This race is held annually in an international city with it being held in its hometown every five years.  A few years ago, the non-profit company Richmond 2015 won the bid for the race to be held in the United States for the first time in decades.  Through listing to Lee Kallman, a member of Richmond 2015, and his presentation to our class regarding the race, it was clear that this opportunity was not one to skip.  All that could be done to promote the city and support businesses would be done.  With Richmond being the host for the bike race this year, it allowed for people around the world to view for themselves how amazing our city truly is. Sponsors from near and far traveled to the city in hopes of gaining one thing or another out of attending this event.  As most sponsors, many likely aimed at expanding their company through exposure of their brand.  There were companies along the roads selling personal products and food as well as sponsors located inside the Richmond Convention Center to participate in FanFest 2015.  To discover more about why these companies made the decision to spend their sponsorship money on this company, we interviewed a few at the FanFest.    ChildFund International – Dream Bike was first of the sponsors we spoke to at FanFest.  The individuals stationed at this table were two women who were active participants of the alliance. To prepare for the sponsorship, the company had to put out a search for individuals that have an active roll in the company to support through giving of their time.  ChildFund’s main goal of attending the event is to create awareness for children in need – specifically girls in India that are in need of bikes.   When asked who the companies specific group of individuals they wished to gain support from, their target market, they did not have any criteria.  They are simply looking for support in any way possible from any person that is willing to help the cause.  Being that this ChildFund is already established as an international company, they did not have a need to spread internationally.  By previously being established as an international company, they have been able to gain support from those around the world before this event.  Another positive aspect of having their company international before the race is that tourist from foreign countries may already recognize the logo or name of the brand making them more inclined to support the cause now that the company is in front of them rather than on a television or radio advertisement.  To support ChildFund’s Dream Bike campaign, one can donate twenty-eight dollars a month towards a  girl in India in hopes of helping her receive a bike.  By receiving this bike, the young girl will have the ability to travel to school and other locations she has not been able to access easily up to that point.  The company has set up the program to be a one-on-one connection between a donator and the recipient – the donator is updated on the child’s well-being throughout the process.  By establishing this connection for those who donate, it allows those to feel a more personal connection rather than simply knowing you’re sending money and not knowing the rest.  The women felt that the exposure of being present at the world championships was positive and were very hopeful of more donations to be coming their way.  The next sponsor we spoke with was Live the Life promoting tourism to Virginia Beach, Virginia. The man at this station was employed by the company focused on the marketing and promotion aspect.  The preparation for sponsorship of this event took months due to signing up for the Fan Fest and determining when and where they would be sponsoring, but the immediate preparation for the table at the Fan Fest took only a few days.  Live the Life’s core goal of attending the UCI World Road Championships was to support the community of Richmond, Virginia while also attempting to increase tourism to their own community.   We were told there was a sponsorship budget built into the companies total budget per year.  Due to the vast amount of people from all over the Unites States and even further, the company did not think twice when it came to sponsoring this event.  Though the company was interesting in recruiting tourist that were already in the states, they have no interest in expanding internationally.  The cost of advertising over seas is not worth the money they would have to spend due to their expectations of not recovering all the money plus more in the end.  Live the Life was not present at the convention center the entire week, they were only present from the 24th through the 27th, but they seemed to be in high hopes of recruiting tourist from the United States and specifically Richmond to visit their area in the future.  Our group did speak to more sponsors while at the Fan Fest and were advised to contact them with the interview through email due to the “right” individuals not being present at their table when we were visiting.  After contacting those individuals multiple times, we sadly received no reply which has left us with interviews from only two sponsors. What did you gain from speaking to sponsors in person?  Do you believe they do a better job advertising their brand through television, radio, print advertisements or in person discussions? An Event I Would Like to Sponsor   October 6, 2015  |    vanleeuwenvj  |    Leave a comment The event I would wish to plan if given the opportunity would be one surrounding awareness for children with special needs.  As one who cares for and is involved in caring for children with special needs in my hometown, this topic means a lot for me.  Many individuals are aware of the well-known disorders and syndromes but do not have a clue about what goes into the daily lives of the one with the disorder or their family and friends. I feel that if more awareness is raised regarding the daily lives of these children, in and out of school, that many more people will be willing to support and give towards necessary treatment. To raise awareness, I would do so through a horse show taking place at a therapeutic riding center that caters to children with special needs.  My event would span over a weekend most likely in the spring so that weather is not too cold nor too hot – making more families and individuals more inclined to attend.  In my hometown, there are two therapeutic horse-back riding centers that are strictly for children with special needs.  I am hoping that I would be able to host this event at either of their establishments or another that is able to run it’s company as smoothly as the ones I am acquainted with.  Not only will there be a horse show to show attendance how much the riding has allowed the children to grow but there will also be speakers and presentations on the core aspects of many special needs. I would hope to have sponsors from the surrounding area and those focused on raising awareness for special needs.  By having sponsors from the area, this will show that the community supports the cause and hopefully entice customers of the companies to come to the event.  My team and I would aim to recruit sponsors that are willing to provide incentives for customers to travel to our event. Why do you think it is that many individuals do not reach out and educate themselves about special needs?                    Lee Kallman Presentation   September 14, 2015  |    vanleeuwenvj  |    Leave a comment Lee Kallman, vice president of marketing and development at Richmond 2015, spoke to our class this past week about the UCI Road World Championships coming to Richmond next weekend.   Kallman explained difficulties faced by himself and the company he works for when it came to acquiring sponsors for the bike race.  One of the main points he made was the difficulty faced due to cycling not being a well-known sport in the United States.  While cycling is not large in our country, it is very popular in the Netherlands and other foreign countries.  He also explained that many people are not so much fans of the sport but rather fans of the country they are supporting. An example of this is seen when the World Cup occurs – people who are not soccer fans still become excited due to the unity of their country.  Another difficulty faced was recruiting sponsors so far in advance.  Kallman said that timing is key when it comes to finding sponsors.  When his company won the bid years ago, they began planning right away.  The difficulty around that was that companies were not able or were not focused on something occurring three or four years down the road while Richmond 2015 was.   Though there were difficulties when finding sponsors, there will be a large pay off in the end.  The race is supposed to generate 158 million dollars and double the population of Richmond for the week that the race is occurring.  With this vast amount of people traveling to Richmond from both far and near, this is a prime time for companies to choose to be a sponsor.  Kallman spoke of ways to gain sponsors – one being to focus on the community and not simply traditional tactics used to gain sponsors.  Local companies and the city will benefit from this due to their ability to spread their name across the world.  As individuals, such as cyclist, have traveled through the city they have pointed out how beautiful the area is and also how unique everything in the area has become.  Question:  Kallman explained that companies you think would sponsor the bike race are not sponsors, such as Nike and Underarmor.  Do you think that they should have been sponsors due to the amount of people that will view this event or do you agree that it will not be worth it for their company? Fit Construct in Sponsorship   September 7, 2015  |    vanleeuwenvj  |    1 Comment Due to the large amount of sponsors an event tends to have, many do not question why it is that a company having nothing to do with that event choose to spend their money to be a sponsor. According to “Explaining and Articulating the Fit Construct in Sponsorship” many studies have been conducted on the subject to show the rational behind the action. The first reason that comes to the mind of many when wondering why a company chooses to sponsor an event is to expose their brand to more eyes.  Say there is a new burger chain opening in every state nationwide – if the company puts there name on signs and commercials that occur throughout an event, one will be more likely to stop for a bite when they pass by.  This can also be used in relation to clothing such as Nike or Under Armor.  If a sports team you are a fan of wears a specific brand of athletic ware then you, as a supporter of the team, will be more likely to go towards that section of a store rather than another when shopping.  Another reasons a brand may support an event out of their industry is to reach their target audience.  A provider of healthy, after workout supplements and snacks would rather attend an event such as a bike race rather than a carnival where fatty and junk food are served.  By reaching out to people attending a bike race, they are reaching individuals who will have a greater interest in purchasing a product to assist them after a workout.  Companies such as Gatorade, Advocare, Muscle Milk, and Whey are some sponsors you may see around athletic events such as a bike race.  These reasons and many more allow for companies to spread their image and what they wish to promote at a faster rate due to the large amount of people that attend and watch events such as the UCI Championships.  Being a sponsor for an unusual event for a company can only help. Question:  Can you think of any reasons as to why a company would be against sponsoring the UCI Championships?  If so, why and what would they prefer to sponsor?  

Event Planning and Promotion, Blog 5

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Event Planning and Promotion, Blog 5

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