Event Marketing and Sponsorship: Lessons Learned From the Tour de Georgia Cycling Races

In this chapter, we introduce an overview of event marketing and sports sponsorships with a focus on a compilation of their consumer research in the context of a professional cycling event.

Even in difficult economic times, sponsorships continue to grow at a remarkable pace that far exceeds the growth of other integrated marketing communications (IMC) methods (International Events Group [IEG], 2009). In fact, each year there are approximately 40,000 sponsored events in the United States alone. Of those sponsored events, approximately two thirds are sporting events (“Marketing Fact Book,” 2008).