Nate DeMercurio Portfolio

While many people across the country, and the world, witnessed the final stage of the Amgen Tour of California weave through the streets of Los Angeles on Sunday, the general public had the opportunity to ride the 5-mile closed circuit course before the professional riders took over. Sponsored by Nissan, the Ride Before the Pros was free to participants and allowed anyone with a bicycle the experience of crossing the official race finish line. This appears to be a growing trend for events with streets closures, which can increase participation and exposure while maximizing permitting costs. In this case, the Amgen Tour of California gave spectators a chance to participate in the event at no cost, encouraging people to stay and watch the race which drives higher attendance and greater on-site sponsor value, and generally creates a more exciting event atmosphere. In other cases, participatory events are seeing value in the efficiencies of adding bike tours prior to traditional running ...

Travel and tourism continues to be one of the largest economic impact factors of endurance events, which has led organizations and events to look at ways to capitalize. In other cases, travel companies tied to endurance brands and events are evolving vacations for athletes looking for unique experiences of a lifetime. Star Events  - producers of cycling, triathlon and running events - recently launched a travel division, Star Travel  offering accommodation packages exclusively for Star Events. Benefits for using this event-hosted service is described as accommodation in preselected hotels, private apartments and villas all in walking distance from the start and finish line, insider information for training facilities, cozy restaurants, and attractive sites worth sightseeing. It's not surprising to see an event series branch out and offer it's participants travel packages and could be a likely brand extension for a series like Rock 'n' Roll or Ironman, provided they t...