USSTC - Sponsorship

Summary:

BinaryPRO, a technical productions company owned by The Kraft Group (New England Patriots) and others, and directed by Jonathan Kraft will provide a complete video production crew. This crew will produce a professional live video sports event for the United States Short Track Speed Skating Championship. Eric Flaim will be providing the local color. All of the final races plus spots from the heats and feature interviews with athletes will be broadcast on the Internet. The video and related materials can be viewed on the USTeams web site. Links to the web site will be provided by Northeast Speedskating Association on www.Speedskaters.org and by US Speedskating on www.USspeedskating.org and possibly on Yahoo, Lycos, Broadcast.com and others.. This live production will be transmitted directly to the Internet

What this means:

1. for $20,000 the title sponsor will get exposure that ordinarily would cost $50,000 to $150,000 or more.
2. Additional sponsors will get substantial and enduring value for their advertisements
3. Mat and signage advertisers will get exposure they never dreamed possible.
4. Advertisers in our program book will also be included on our web site(s)
YOU now have an interesting story for your friends, family, and potential sponsors. Anyone buying a mat, mat cover or signs to hang on the walls will now reach a national audience and be immortalized on the production videos which we intend to market.
Please do your part and sell at least $100 in ads or tickets; play big and try to have your company or a local company buy a sign or mat ad.

Thank you
For the Finance Committee
Mike McKenna

The Northeast Speedskating Association and the United States Speedskating Association present the United States Short Track Speed Skating Championship Feb. 11, 12, 13 2000 at the Iorio Arena, Walpole, MA.

Short track speedskating is an incredibly fast paced competitive sport where the athletes exceed 35mph and pull more than 3Gs while cornering within millimeters of each other. The winning margins in races are frequently measured in thousandths of a second.

The USSTSSC is the premier domestic event in the Olympic sport of Short Track Speedskating. It is governed by U.S. Speedskating, the national governing body (NGB) for speedskating in the United States, and it is conducted according to the racing rules of the International Skating Union (ISU). The results of this weekend of intense competition will determine, for both men and women:
·The 2000 U.S. Short Track Champion (top point scorer after all 6 events).
·The members of the U.S. World Championship Team (up to top 5 point scorers after 5 events, excluding the “superfinal”). This team will compete in:
·The Goodwill Games in Lake Placid, New York, February 17-18, 2000
·The World Short Track Team Championships in The Hague, March 4, 2000
·The World Short Track Championships in Sheffield England, March 10-12, 2000
·Athletes to be invited to train with the U.S. National Training Team during 2000-2001.
·Junior athletes (under age 19) who will be invited to special camps and competitions during the 2000-2001 season.

BinaryPRO, Northeast Speedskating Association and US Speedskating are presenting a unique and historical opportunity for sponsors. Never before has any video webcast of a speedskating event been available on the internet for mass consumption. Located as a link on www.usspeedskating.org and www.speedskaters.org or directly at www.usteams.net, users connecting to this online event will be presented with live coverage of the Finals for each of the distances. The production will also include continuous live results, athlete interviews, expert commentary, video/audio, highlights from the heat races, chat sessions and pre-produced features.

This platform will allow potential sponsors to gain more exposure and reach more of the sports oriented audience. There are potentially tens of thousands of people already familiar with speedskating who will view this live event each day and millions more who may tune in for the first time. Sponsorship will also continue beyond the event as users can return to view archived footage. The tapes of the event will be distributed and played around the country and may be broadcast on network and cable TV.

Information for Sponsors

Event Title Sponsorship ($20,000) includes:

• Co-branding with all graphics (e.g. SPONSOR presents US Short Track Speedskating Championships” or use of the sponsor's name in the title of the event, e.g. The SPONSOR US Short Track Speed Skating Championship)
• The SPONSOR identity will be incorporated directly into the web page and will appear continuously during the webcast and later when viewers choose to retrieve and view the archived video.
• Prominent placement, integration and promotion on www.usteams.net homepage and Live events page
• Identification on 10 of the protective mats lining the arena; optimum placement for video coverage is assured.
• Feature promotion at Broadcast.com and Yahoo! (pending)
• 8 drop in Ad’s (2 per hour) or on air mentions during the webcast
• Tag line sponsor on every page (e.g. SPONSOR presents US National Short Track Speedskating Championships”)
• Two (2) full page ads in the event program. The event program will be widely distributed in the Boston Metro area and will also be available online for the next year.
• Ten (10) VIP passes and seat at all 3 days of the competition. This includes free access to the buffet service throughout the event.
• Photo opportunities etc. with some of our country's finest young athletes, past, current and future Olympians.
• Mention in all Press Releases

Event Sponsor ($2000) includes:

• Identification (logo etc.) as a sponsor after the title of the event, e.g. The TITLESPONSOR US Short Track Championship brought to you by AssocSponsor1, AssocSponsor2, etc.
• One full page ad in the printed program
• Prominent display on event signage
• Logo/Identity on two protective mats placed for optimum video coverage
• Four (4) VIP passes for the VIP seats and buffet.
• Mention in all Press Releases
• MAT Sponsor ($500)
• Purchase a protective mat with logo and/or text. The mat will be prominently displayed at this and all future events for the life of the mat.

VIP Supporter (tickets @ $250 each)

• You can purchase a VIP ticket, which entitles you to special seating throughout the competition and free access to the buffet service throughout the event. Photo opportunities etc. with some of our country's finest young athletes, past, current and future Olympians.

Program Advertiser ($200, $150, $100, $60, $35, or $20)

• You can purchase an advertisement in the official US Short Track Speedskating Championship Program, which will be published on the website and at least 1000 copies of which will be distributed throughout the region. Requires submission of your advertisement in electronic format, preferably encapsulated post script (EPS).
• Back Cover $200
• Inside Front Cover or Inside Back Cover $150
• Full Page $100
• Half Page $60
• Quarter Page $35
• 1/8 Page $20

Send check, payable to "Northeast Speedskating Association" to:
Milton C. Weinstein
50 Princeton Rd
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

Send ad, electronically to shaefer@mediaone.net, or hard copy to the above address.

Organizational Profiles

Northeast Speedskating Association

The Northeast Speedskating Association (NSA) is the official Olympic development organization for speedskating in the MA (east of the CT River), eastern VT, NH, RI and the ME region. Our affiliation with Amateur Speedskating Union (ASU) of the United States entitles our aspiring young skaters to Olympic development coaching and training support. Our local affiliate, the Bay State Speedskating Club (BSSC) is a nonprofit member club of NSA providing recreation and competition opportunities and training in the Boston area. We sponsor training sessions, learning clinics, and races. As a group, we support and encourage people of all ages and skill levels to participate.

United States Speedskating Association

U.S. Speedskating is the national governing body of Olympic-style speedskating. U.S. Speedskating's mission is "To win world and Olympic medals". Every action we take is measured against that mission and every resource we have is devoted to it. Fifty-four Olympic medals makes speedskating the most successful sport in U.S. Winter Olympic history!

In addition to selecting and preparing teams which represent the United States in international competition, U.S. Speedskating is also a membership organization with more than 2,000 registered skaters. The organization manages four national teams, the U.S. National Sprint Team, Allround Team, Junior Long Track Team, and the U.S. National Short Track Team.

Principals Kraft Group Primary owner of BinaryPRO, and represented by Jonathan Kraft. Among the Kraft Group holdings are such content-rich assets as the New England Patriots NFL team as well as the New England Revolution and San Jose Earthquake MLS teams. They also represent a number of international holdings in Israel and South America. They are also partners in such Internet ventures as ThingWorld and other CMGi companies.

Fred Kirsch Co-Founder and COO of BinaryPRO, Kirsch has been publishing magazines and newspapers for over 10 years. In 1994 he started Patriots Football Weekly, the first full-color NFL team newspaper. His complete knowledge of sports publishing and unique understanding of asset management combine to be invaluable when bringing information to the Internet. Specifically, Kirsch has proven experience in the design and implementation of cost-effective, revenue growth Internet solutions. Among his successful Internet projects are FTP media management servers, web sites for the New England Patriots, New England Revolution, and Patriots Football Weekly, as well as being executive producer for the Cyber Sideline and Patriots LIVE! online video shows.

J. Trent Adams Co-Founder and CTO of BinaryPRO, his background includes extensive work in film and broadcast television, both as a producer and special effects designer. Adams was also an early pioneer in web development helping to bring video and multimedia projects online for such companies as Avid Technologies, Renaissance Worldwide, and Fidelity Investments. These skills combined in his work for the Kraft Group and their New England Patriots and New England Revolution teams. He was the first to design and produce a nightly, direct-to-digital, online video show, Cyber Sideline that premiered August, 1997.

Mission Statement

BinaryPRO was founded by Jonathan Kraft, Fred Kirsch, and Trent Adams in order to respond to a clearly defined need for a production company specializing in digital video and audio content specifically created for distribution via the Internet. The corporate mission has been refined to provide content owners with high quality, effective, and budget-conscious Internet strategies incorporating streaming technologies, interactive features, and complete digital media management in a design, production, and distribution partnership.

Using the experience gained while building the online presence for the New England Patriots NFL and New England Revolution MLS teams owned by the Kraft Group, Kirsch and Adams have defined a working model to leverage existing assets into popular and economically successful online content. The strategy begins with a clear understanding of existing client resources, and how they can be effectively incorporated into the project. The design of a unique digital acquisition and presentation methodology must then integrate the client's goals into the framework of available technology. Finally, BinaryPRO is able to bring together various strategic partnerships to develop a comprehensive plan for long-term project development, support, and revenue growth.

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