Team Caribbean has selected Track Marketing

Team Caribbean Selects Track Marketing
for Sponsorship Representation to Corporate America

St. Thomas, USVI-August 25-Officials of Team Caribbean announced today that the syndicate has selected Track Marketing of New York City to promote its sponsorship opportunities to U.S. corporations on the mainland. Track Marketing is a leading event marketing firm whose experience with and access to corporate decision makers is particularly attractive to Team Caribbean.

The U.S. Virgin Islands-based team selected Track because the marketing firm has an excellent corporate network established over the past 12 years. Track Marketing, behind the leadership of Stephen Dessau and Lee Heiman, works closely with companies that employ sports and event sponsorship as part of their overall marketing programs. By representing Team Caribbean's bid to win the America's Cup, they are presenting potential sponsors with the opportunity to be involved in an international sporting event unlike any other in terms of its length, traditions, technology, and competition.

"Track Marketing will put us in front of more than 100 of the Fortune 500 companies over the next few months," said Steve Morton, Team Caribbean's vice president of marketing. "Track recently packaged a substantial deal for the U.S. Virgin Islands Bobsled Team, so they know the terrain. We know that what we represent and what we're trying to do with our challenge is very appealing to corporate image makers. Track gives us the opportunity to tell our story to people who we believe will be receptive to it."

Among the Track Marketing staff taking that story to Corporate America is Jim Pepe, the Director of Entertainment Marketing. His experience includes four years at the venerable William Morris Agency, where among other responsibilities he ran the Corporate Sponsorship division.

"Team Caribbean's story is unique," said Pepe. "It is their inaugural America's Cup effort after all these years, although sailing is as popular in the region as anywhere in the world, perhaps more so. Therefore, the talent base is outstanding. What's more, our corporate marketing partners will experience first-hand the pride and effort required to create a legitimate challenge for the America's Cup. We're not talking about merely slapping a logo on the boat. We're talking about the sheer excitement of contributing to a unified effort in pursuing the Cup, something that will resonate within an entire corporation and out to its business associates and consumers. Team Caribbean is attractive to the media and has a skipper and design and technology team that is second to none. Team Caribbean competing for the America's Cup is a natural and we relish our assignment of securing marketing partners for this prestigious happening."

Team Caribbean is the first Caribbean-based challenge for the America's Cup, the only challenge to have ever originated from a U.S. territory, and the only challenge ever made official by a woman commodore. The team has signed several regional sponsors over the last 18 months, including Knight Quality Stations, Red Hook Agencies, Little Switzerland and Crown Bay Marina. Other major sponsors include Topa Equities, Ritz-Carlton of St. Thomas, the San Juan Star group of newspapers and GANT USA.