Octagon has taken an equity position in the Belgium-
and Holland-based sports marketing company Consultants in
Sport (CIS). CIS will continue to operate under its
existing management but will be renamed Octagon CIS and
become part of the Octagon Marketing division. CIS, which
was founded by former U.S. Olympic middle distance runner
Bob Verbeeck in '90, is organized into three groups --
sponsorship consulting, event management and property sales.
The firm's client list includes Unilever and Nike, and the
events it manages include the "Night of Athletics," the
Grand Prix Eddy Merckx of cycling, the Antwerp Marathon and
the All Stars Game of basketball. Octagon's Holland-based
operation will now report to Verbeeck (Octagon).
WOOLF REVVING UP: MA-based Woolf Associates has formed
a new motorsports division, Woolf Motor Sports, headed by
former Bozell Kamstra sports marketing exec Paul Lufkin.
The unit will focus on representation and marketing of
teams, individuals, tracks, circuits and corporations, as
well as sponsorship sales and negotiation. The first client
is the Eel River Racing NASCAR Winston Cup team. Lufkin
will also manage Woolf's established golf division (Woolf).
