LAS VEGAS Holiday Inn owners attending the Bass Hotels & Resorts global investors conference here at the Bellagio hotel are getting a kick out one program to build local business, according to John Merkin, director of field marketing. In an effort to drive filler business, particularly on weekends, his division targeted youth sports, which led him to soccer, and now Holiday Inn has become the official hotel sponsor of U.S. Youth Soccer.
U.S. Youth Soccer currently represents 3.3 million children, 800,000 adult coaches and volunteers, and close to 1,000 sanctioned tournaments each year. This translates into an estimated 900,000 room nights a year, said Merkin. That means this association could be as important to us as our top 10 corporate accounts.
Holiday Inn s sponsorship will allow the brand to be promoted exclusively on the U.S.Youth Soccer website and linked to the Holiday Inn/U.S.Youth Soccer meeting site. In addition, we re branding their tournament sanctioning form, which goes to every tournament director, as well as branding their travel and tournament manual, which has the rules of the association that every team has to follow, said Merkin.
In January, Holiday Inn also will be launching a customized soccer catalog to tie in with Priority Club Worldwide. Teams will be able to redeem club points to get exclusive merchandise. Merkin said 300 hotels have signed up so far. (10/3/00) Stefani C. O Connor