Posted: Nov. 29, 2004
The Phoenix Suns have entered into a partnership agreement with Continental Promotion Group (CPG) which will have the company and selected CPG clients serve as a Game Night sponsors for seven Suns home games during the 2004-05 season, as announced today by Suns president and chief operating officer Rick Welts.
CPG, which is owned by Suns Legacy Partners investor Sam Garvin, will designate one of its clients for each of six games as a game night sponsor, and a seventh game will be sponsored by CPG. The sponsor will receive special recognition throughout that night’s game through public address announcements, messages on the new center-hung scoreboard at America West Arena (AWA), exposure on AWA’s new 900-foot long LED messaging ring in addition to other benefits.
“Sam Garvin’s involvement in Suns Legacy Partners has opened up new avenues for the Suns in creating new corporate partnerships,” says Welts. “CPG has a well-earned reputation of leadership in marketing and promotion and this is an example of bringing CPG innovation to another industry - major league professional sports.”
Garvin commented, “I saw a great match here where we could bring the excitement and benefits of corporate partnership with the Suns to some of CPG’s most valuable clients. It’s definitely a program we can build on in the future.”
Game presenting sponsors will be directly associated with all aspects of a Suns game. Activities will include everything from signage to on-court involvement during pre-game and halftime, and each sponsor will entertain employees and clients in a suite complete with visits from Suns legends, executives and celebrities like The Gorilla and the Suns Dancers.
The sponsor will also get exposure on Suns telecasts leading up to and during the designated game. Fans attending each of the games included in the program will get a special offer from that night’s sponsor.
Garvin founded the Scottsdale-based CPG in 1989, and has grown the business to over $1 billion in annual gross revenues and attracted over 500 blue chip marketers worldwide. Today CPG employs over 1,200 employees and contractors worldwide handling consumer and trade promotions in 26 countries and six languages.
Garvin recently donated a record $60 million to the Thunderbird School, which is now know as Thunderbird - The Garvin School of International Management.
He joined the investment group led by Robert Sarver that purchased the Suns for an NBA-record $401 million in July, and he is a member of the Management Committee of Phoenix Legacy Partners, the entity that owns the Suns.