Players Championship Focus On Charity Helping Maintain Support

Players Championship Marketing Discounted Family Ticket Plan, Reduced Concession Prices

NOT EVERYONE CUTTING BACK: The JACKSONVILLE BUSINESS JOURNAL's Morrison reports Florida-based government health care services company MDI Holdings Inc., which has "enjoyed robust growth for more than a year," has its "eyes on The Players Championship to build on that growth." MDI Chief Administrative Officer Dan Stoll said that his company will "shell out about $200,000 to entertain up to 150 current and prospective clients, as well as some employees, at The Players and other social events planned during the week of the tournament."  Meanwhile, Chicago-based risk management services provider Aon Corp., which has an office in Jacksonville, also "decided this year to increase its presence on the golf course by upgrading from buying daily tickets to a private chalet." Aon Jacksonville Resident Managing Dir Andy Haynes: "It was a good business decision for us" (JACKSONVILLE BUSINESS JOURNAL, 5/1 issue).

ON PAR: Monahan said that despite the economy, the "level of sponsorships and corporate ticket package sales is commensurate with last year's," though there has been "some shuffling as companies work to maintain sponsorship in a high-profile sports event." Monahan, who "declined to say how much event sponsorship packages cost" at the tournament, said, "You've got some companies that have financial challenges that have stepped down a level but still are participating. ... They may have had a traditional marquis on the golf course and instead they're purchasing one of our other products, or a stadium chalet and they're purchasing one of our ticket packages." Several course hospitality area sponsors said that their companies "find value in the investment." Acosta Sales & Marketing Co. Dir of Communications Vilma Consuegra, whose company has a hospitality area this year, said, "As a Jacksonville-based company, we saw this as a wonderful opportunity to help our local charities. We're in a unique situation. We don't have any clients based here in Jacksonville, and this lets us take them to the event" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 5/6).

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