ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands – For the second consecutive year, the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism and Economic Development Authority were featured as key sponsors of the Black Enterprise/Pepsi Golf & Tennis Challenge. As the premier African American networking and sporting event in the United States, the Black Enterprise/Pepsi Golf & Tennis Challenge attracts high-profile and VIP individuals within the African American community.
The Challenge took place at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California over this past weekend (September 2-6) in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Black Enterprise magazine.
For five days, a series of networking events, golf and tennis matches afforded the Department of Tourism and the Economic Development Authority the opportunity to build new professional relationships and promote the Territory to an audience of celebrities, innovators across multiple industries and other high-profile executives.
The Department of Tourism and the Economic Development Authority co-sponsored the golf and tennis registration point, which saw more than 1,000 guests during the Challenge.
Representatives from both organizations engaged guests and disseminated marketing materials featuring the “no passport required” messaging and information on the Territory’s business and commercial advantages of tax benefits.
“We recognize the tourism opportunities that exist among the African American segment, as evidenced by the many targeted initiatives we’ve put in place over the past few years,” said Commissioner Nicholson-Doty. “Our second annual sponsorship of the 17th annual Black Enterprise/Pepsi Golf & Tennis Challenge continues to grant us exposure among a diverse, professional pool of potential business and leisure travelers to the Territory.”
As a Challenge sponsor, the Territory benefited from the following exposure:
A USVI logo on Black Enterprise magazine’s website in a section dedicated to Golf & Tennis Challenge news, which links visitors back to www.visitusvi.com
An advertisement in the Event Journal, distributed to all attendees
A booth at the Sponsor Exposition, where the Department of Tourism sponsored a USVI vacation sweepstakes featuring hotel accommodations at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas
Special invitations to various sponsor/celebrity VIP activities and receptions for networking opportunities
A complete list of event attendees provided for post-event direct marketing
Corporate identification on event signage
Corporate identification in Black Enterprise magazine’s national promotional PR campaigns
Representation in the daily newsletter, The Daily Challenge
Opportunity to include promotional material in the final mailer to all registered attendees, including a survey question to be included with the post-event attendee survey packet
The event is expected to attract significant press coverage from local and national media outlets, including the Miami Herald, USA Today, Advertising Age, and Golf Magazine.
In addition to sponsoring the co-branded Black Enterprise/Pepsi event, the Department of tourism has, over the last year, continued targeting the African-American community with advertising in African American-owned & targeted publications including Black Enterprise and Black Meetings & Incentives.
The DOT also targeted this segment in key markets for the Territory with insertions in publications such as Miami Times, Westside Gazette, South Florida Times, Orlando Times, Central Florida Advocate, Florida Sun, Charlotte Post, Atlanta Daily World, Atlanta Inquirer, Atlanta Tribune, Atlanta Voice, African-American News & Issues – Metroplex-North, Texas Edition, Dallas Examiner, Dallas Post Tribune, Dallas Weekly, La Vida News -The Black Voice – Ft. Worth Edition, L.A. Watts Times, Los Angeles Sentinel, Our Weekly, Wave Community Newspapers, Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group, Times Weekly, Chicago Defender, Crusader Group, Windy City Word, New York Amsterdam News, New York Beacon, Daily Challenge, Philadelphia Tribune – Metro Edition, Philadelphia Observer, New York Carib News, New American and Afro Times.
