Corporate sponsorship sales at The International golf tournament are up 15 percent this year over last, despite the loss of Qwest as a patron and increased competition for local sponsorship dollars from the LPGA’s U.S. Women’s Open.
“We’re having a successful year,” tournament director Greg Vickers said. “Everything we’ve got is occupied.”
The PGA Tour event runs through Sunday at Castle Pines Golf Club. Its presenting sponsors are First Data, Great-West Healthcare, StorageTek, ADT Security Services and Ciber. Coors Brewing Co. is a second-tier sponsor.
Noticeably absent from the lineup is Qwest, The International’s former title sponsor, which chose not to renew its five-year contract when it expired last year.
“You have to look at your marketing strategies and resources and prioritize,” said Rich Karlis, director of sponsorships and events for Qwest. “We’re very opportunistic, and we were looking to take care of some of our other markets.”
Roughly 50 corporations signed up to sponsor The International this year, while 100 corporate patrons supported the U.S. Women’s Open at Cherry Hills Country Club in June.
Qwest shared a corporate hospitality tent with Chase at the LPGA tournament.
“There was really a lot of excitement about that event,” Karlis said. “It was very successful for us.”
Corporate-sponsorship packages for the four-day International tourney ranged from $30,000 to multimillion-dollar deals, which came complete with television rights, opportunities to play in Wednesday’s Pro-Am tournament and membership amenities at Castle Pines.
Coors ponied up to sponsor both the U.S. Women’s Open and The International “because this is our home market, and we like to be involved in all of the major events here,” spokeswoman Aimee Valdez said.
Sponsorships are on the rise nationally, with spending by North American companies projected to increase by 8.8 percent this year – to $12.1 billion, according to the IEG Sponsorship Report, a Chicago-based newsletter that tracks corporate sponsorships.
“Sponsorships have gained more importance in the marketing mix in the past few years because of the declining effectiveness of traditional media,” said IEG senior editor William Chipps.
Greenwood Village-based Ciber, an IT consulting company, is in the fifth year of its seven-year International contract and plans to renew when the agreement expires.
“Because this is televised overseas and nationally, it plays into our business model,” chief executive Mac Slingerlend said.
Ciber spends more than $1 million annually on its International sponsorship and plans to entertain more than 1,200 clients this week at its chalet and three luxury skyboxes, Slingerlend said. The company did not sponsor the U.S. Women’s Open.
Of the more than 110,000 spectators expected to visit Castle Pines this week, roughly 50 percent will use corporate tickets, Vickers said.
“Golf has become a walk-up ticket buy,” he said. “People want to see what the weather is going to do, what marquee players are coming. So you try to get as many corporate sales in the can as possible.”
Staff writer Julie Dunn can be reached at 303-820- 1592 or jdunn@denverpost.com.
First on the tee
Sponsorship levels at The International golf tournament are up 15 percent over 2004, with more than 50 companies teeing up tens of thousands for the use of luxury skyboxes and chalets at Castle Pines Golf Club. The six largest sponsors:
First Data, Greenwood Village
Great-West Healthcare, Greenwood Village
StorageTek, Louisville
ADT Security Services, Boca Raton, Fla.
Ciber, Greenwood Village
Coors Brewing Co., Golden
Source: The International
