Marketplace Roundup

Best Western's Jeff Brown Poses With The "NASCAR Driving Business B2B Award"

NASCAR's B2B Council Thursday awarded its first annual "NASCAR Driving Business B2B Award" to Best Western, NASCAR's official hotel. Best Western generated about $17M in B2B revenue each of the past two years through the NASCAR B2B council, and the hotelier inked a deal with Coors Light at a recent council meeting. Best Western Int'l's Jeff Brown received the award, a trophy that will reside with the winning company each year and will be passed on annually (THE DAILY). Meanwhile, Gillett Evernham Motorsports announced Thursday that the U.S. Air Force (USAF) will be the primary sponsor of driver Reed Sorenson's No. 10 Sprint Cup Series Dodge for four Cup races in '09. USAF will be an "associate sponsor for the remainder of the races" on the car. No other sponsorships for the No. 10 have been announced (SCENEDAILY.com, 11/13).

SB MARKETING: BRANDWEEK's Todd Wasserman reported Salesgenie.com, which advertised during the past two Super Bowls, "will skip" Super Bowl XLIII. Salesgenie.com spokesperson Kelly Loontjer: "We decided not to pursue it this year." Loontjer said that the firm "was happy with the return on investment" from the two Super Bowls, but added that the firm "decided to focus its ad spend elsewhere" (BRANDWEEK.com, 11/13). Meanwhile, the ST. PETERSBURG TIMES reported Tampa Web entrepreneur Russell Bruno on his TampaBayBowlRooms.com site is "selling hotel rooms online for fans coming to Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa -- without mentioning the event's name." Bruno's Web site "has a photo of Raymond James Stadium and the Tampa skyline," and Jones in a press release said the site is aimed at "those planning to attend the big football championship." Bruno said that he is "being careful not to infringe on the coveted trademark" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 11/13).

GOLF AWARDS: The PGA Tour gave out its tournament awards on Wednesday during a ceremony at the Sawgrass Marriott in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. The following lists PGA Tour events that took home awards (Jon Show, SportsBusiness Journal).

AWARD	TOURNAMENT
Best Marketing/Sales Plan	Valero Texas Open
Best Title Sponsor Integration	Viking Classic
Best Main tournament Entrance	Mayakoba Golf Classic
Best Special Event	AT&T National (military initiatives)
Best Promotional Idea	Deutsche Bank Championship (Stop & Shop)
Best Tour Branding and Signage	Travelers Championship
Most Improved event	Wyndham Championship
Most Improved On-Site Presentation	RBC Canadian Open
Best Tournament Media Operations	AT&T National
Most Engaged Community	John Deere Classic
Best in Class	BMW Championship