Sponsor Opportunities
The Nature Valley Bicycle Festival is a ten-day celebration of cycling that takes place in cities around Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. Its marquee event, the Nature Valley Grand Prix, is one of the top three professional stage races in the country and attracts racers from all over the World. Other activities include velodrome racing, stunt rider demonstrations, lifestyle expos, live music, family fun and great food.
Velodrome Racing
June 11-13: The Festival will open with the Minnesota Fixed Gear Classic at the National Sports Center Velodrome. This is an Olympic sport that features riders competing head-to-head on a steeply banked track using bicycles that have one gear and no brakes.
Road Racing
June 16 - 20: The Nature Valley Grand Prix, the top race on the National Racing Calendar, will include five events that showcase professional bicycle racing to crowds totaling over 50,000 passionate fans:
Wednesday - Downtown Saint Paul Criterium
Thursday - Cannon Falls Road Race
Friday - Minneapolis Uptown Criterium
Saturday - Menomonie Road Race
Sunday - Stillwater Criterium
Audience:
Cycling is an enormously popular sport, with over 60 million adults self-identifying as cyclists in the US. Bicycling has broad appeal to both genders, with 52% male and 48% female. Participants are affluent, with median incomes of $95,000, and are overwhelmingly well educated.
Advertising:
The Festival pursues an aggressive campaign that includes a mix of television, radio, display ads, distribution of collateral and promotional events that reaches audiences throughout the upper Midwest. Festival sponsors and host cities are featured in all of these efforts.
Media:
The Festival is the focus of extensive media attention that garnered 50 million media impressions in 2008. Highlights included 33 segments on TV news programs, 32 newspaper placements and a full hour TV program that aired regionally and nationally.
Charity:
The Festival supports Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, which serves families across the upper Midwest. We build awareness of the unique programs and philosophy of care of this important charity throughout our communications efforts. The Festival leadership donates our time so that Children’s can receive 100% of our profits.
Sponsorship:
Promoting the business goals of our sponsors and host cities is the number one priority of the Midwest Bicycle Festival. We take the time to learn each client’s goals and then create a customized sponsorship package which addresses those goals directly. Each partnership is unique, providing a position that differentiates each client from our other partners and provides a maximized return on investment.