Elk Grove trustees are expected to vote on whether to renew the Bahamas Bowl deal at the same priceMAKERS WANTED BAHAMAS BOWL
Elk Grove Village officials said that the Chicago suburb "received a 40:1 return on investment from its sponsorship of the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl last year, as trustees prepare to make a decision on whether to re-up for this year," according to Christopher Placek of the Chicago DAILY HERALD. Elk Grove paid ESPN Events $300,000 to "sponsor the Dec. 21 college football game in Nassau, Bahamas," and received nearly $12M in "marketing value" according to Chicago-based sports marketing firm 4Front, which helped broker the deal. 4Front said that the 40:1 ROI ratio is "10 times the industry standard." Elk Grove Mayor Craig Johnson, who presented a report on the marketing results last night, said, "That is basically unprecedented in the world of sports marketing." The report comes two weeks before the Elk Grove trustees are "expected to vote on whether to renew the sponsorship deal at the same $300,000 price." Johnson yesterday "put the greatest value of the sponsorship into media coverage received in the lead-up to the game" (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 2/13).
