My experience at the Daytona Beach 1/2 Marathon

Yesterday I had the pleasure of being a volunteer at the Daytona Beach Half Marathon on behalf of Full Sail University. The marathon took place at the International Speedway in Daytona and was put on by the Central Florida Sports Commission. One of my career interests is event planning and management, so I figured this would be an excellent opportunity to see just how it all works. I have also never attended a marathon so this was a first for me! Besides arriving at 4:30 in the morning and it being a bit chilly my expectations were met! Here are some things I learned from this experience:

1.) ALWAYS have a back up plan (contingency plan). Because of the NASCAR races taking place throughout the weekend they had 4 different routes for the runners in-case of weather or race issues such as crashes. Luckily, they were able to stick with the original route.

2.) It's better to have TOO much than NOT enough! The food choices were great, there was everything from Papa Johns, Jimmy Johns, Krispy Kreme doughnuts and coffee to bagels from Panera and even protein bars and fruit! There was PLENTY of food leftover but there was one problem... a shortage on beer! For runners that seemed to be a BIG problem. On the runners bibs they had a free beer coupon and after running over 13 miles they did not get their free beer. Needless to say without a back up plan there were some pretty upset runners!

3.) Medals! I learned that one of the biggest motivators for runners is the medal they get when completing a marathon... oh and beer!

Overall, the experience was exceptional! They even offered a VIP breakfast for runners to meet and take pictures with 2013 Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson (who also ran for his foundation). There was also a race for the little ones which was something I've never seen before. With sponsors like Sports Authority, Champion and Cocoa Cola this marathon makes for great success year after year! Just don't forget the beer!!

One of my favorite ideas EVER!!!

Talk about sponsorship activation! Bud Light brings you the Bud Light Hotel this year for the Super Bowl! This year Bud Light will use a Norwegian cruise ship as a hotel near Met Life Stadium. Not only will attendees be aboard one of the most luxurious cruise ships around but there is also four days leading up to the Super Bowl of jam packed performances including big names such as Run DMC, Jake Owen and Foo Fighters. This is an absolute ideal way to engage fans and there's no doubt that the attendees will be leaving with the Bud Light brand on the mind! With the snow and cold weather surrounding this years Super Bowl, being a guest of the Bud Light hotel gives you the "hottest" spot to stay in and stay warm! Love this idea of marketing through sports and you will too! Check it out at http://www.budlighthotel.com/

All photos property of Budlighthotel.com

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Activating a Sponsorship

For one of my assignments in Sports Marketing I was able to further better my skills in Photoshop as well as use my imagination on how to activate a sponsorship. I chose the Miami Dolphins to partner with Guy Harvey. I chose this partnership based on the fact that a sponsorship should be accepted by the fans. One way to do this is to make sure fans are comfortable and familiar with the brand as well as making sure it is relevant. Being as the Miami Dolphins are based out of South Florida and the Guy Harvey brand is very familiar to Florida and even more to South Florida I figured it would be an excellent match. We were to come up with three different ways to activate as well as raise awareness as if this partnership actually took place. I came up with a South Florida fishing tournament presented by the Miami Dolphins and Guy Harvey. During this fishing tournament contestants will have the opportunity to fish with former and current Dolphins players and also have the chance to win prizes such as a Miami and Guy Harvey wrapped boat. The entree fees for this tournament will be given back to the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation which helps to preserve marine life. Those who also chose to attend the tournament can enter to win prizes just by simply checking in to the tournament or tagging photos through social media. I believed this was a great way to activate this sponsorship as well as actively engage fans with a memorable experience.

This is a mock advertisement. This photo was made by Khristina Stackpole using PhotoShop. The boat or the tournament is not real.