Castle Rock – Don’t let the bare feet and shorts worn by Sun Microsystems account executive Joe Pizzuti fool you.
Pizzuti is entertaining client Bart Alvarez, vice president of enterprise server services at Union Bank of California, who has just finished playing a round of golf with pros warming up at The International golf tournament at Castle Pines Golf Club.
The two are lounging at a three-floor vacation-style “cottage” from which they can watch Phil Mickelson and other golf greats on the Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course.
But this is all about business.
Pizzuti, with about 300 other salespeople from Sun, will wine and dine customers over the next four days of The International golf tournament.
Sun, which makes computer storage and networking devices, is among the corporate sponsors with a strong presence at the event. Others include First Data, Great- West Healthcare, ADT Security Services and Molson Coors Brewing Co.
Santa Clara, Calif.-based Sun, which has a campus of more than 3,000 workers in Broomfield, is expected to spend as much as $5 million on the event, Pizzuti said.
In return, Sun gets TV rights; opportunities to play in the Pro-Am event, as Alvarez did; membership amenities at Castle Pines, including the cottage; and an additional 50 hotel rooms for salespeople at the Inverness in nearby Greenwood Village, Pizzuti said.
“I think it’s money well-spent, and we get a lot of work done,” Pizzuti said. “If you have 200 to 300 customers together, away from their work, they learn a lot from each other.”
Don Hinchey, vice president of communications at the Bonham Group in Greenwood Village, a sports-marketing firm, says companies believe a golf sponsorship confers great benefits.
“Putting prospects in an environment where they feel comfortable and in an environment where they can interact with the corporate sales reps, it’s very difficult to measure what that’s worth,” Hinchey said. “From an anecdotal impact, they believe strongly that it has an impact on their sales.”
Playing with the pros and talking about it later is “worth a huge amount of money,” Hinchey added. “It’s an experience that can be leveraged in the course of other sales presentations and in their networking.”
For example, two executives at JaniKing commercial cleaning service in Texas paid $24,000 for a one-day hospitality tent and four passes, which gave them the opportunity to, among other things, play golf with pro Corey Pavin, said Kevin Laura, director of business development for The International.
“It’s very much like having your own skybox at a football game or a private tent,” Laura said.
Spending by companies that sponsor events like The International is on the rise nationally, according to the IEG Sponsorship Report, a Chicago-based newsletter that tracks corporate sponsorships. Close to 40 percent of current corporate sponsors said they will increase spending this year, according to an IEG report from March. Another 44 percent will continue at their current level.
Staff writer Beth Potter can be reached at 303-820-1503 or bpotter@denverpost.com.
