Twin Cities River Rats Water Ski Show Team SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES 2018 SEASON
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CONTENTS We are The Twin Cities River Rats... 4 What can The Rats do for you?... 5 Your organizations visibility... 6-7 Twin Cities River Rat s History... 8 River Rat Fun Facts. 9 Sponsorship opportunities 10-14 Let s chat 15 Sponsorship agreement.. 16-17 Appendix 18-19 TCRiverRats.com
WE ARE THE TWIN CITIES RIVER RATS Twin Cities Premier Water Ski Show Team The Twin Cities River Rats will embark on their 39 th ski season this coming summer of 2018, and would like to invite you to join them in their upcoming water ski adventure. Putting on thrilling, themed water ski shows is the River Rats main goal as we strive to put on free, premier family entertainment in Northeast Minneapolis. You will find The River Rats on the West Bank of the Mississippi River, between the Broadway and Plymouth Bridge, every Thursday night between Memorial Day and Labor Day. We also perform additional non-thursday shows during the season for special events. Inside this packet, you will find more information about the team, as well as sponsorship package opportunities and pricing. The majority of our income comes from collecting donations, as well as support from sponsors like you! Without these sponsorship opportunities, the Twin Cities River Rats would not be able to continue to perform the best water ski show in the Twin Cities. Last year, our high-energy R.A.T.S Academy theme was a huge hit for all. We continue to excel at both the regional and national level, and would love to invite you to join us in the fun! Sincerely, Alexa Ernst, Marketing and Promotions The Twin Cities River Rats Water Ski Show Team Ski.riverrats@gmail.com 608-931-4503 TCRiverRats.com 4
WHAT CAN THE RATS DO FOR YOU? Sponsorship Impact The Twin Cities River Rats would like to thank you for your interest in supporting our 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your sponsorship helps us achieve our goal of providing free, family entertainment throughout the summer. Our team performs these free shows with just over 100 volunteer skiers and support personnel. Your sponsorship will help support our team in several ways. Some examples include: Gas for boats Boats to pull our skiers Costumes for our high-energy, themed water ski shows Water ski equipment (skis, ropes, etc.) Keeping membership dues low Without your sponsorship we would not be able to achieve our goal of providing free, family entertainment for the Twin Cities. TCRiverRats.com 5
YOUR ORGANIZATION S VISIBILITY Twin Cities River Rats Fan Base Every Thursday in the summer, you can find River Rat Fans filling the banks of the Mississippi. They bring beach towels, lawn chairs, and may even pack a picnic to enjoy the free water ski show. The Twin Cities River Rats have approximately 20 shows each summer, with each show bringing about 2,000 attendees. We also continue to be a spotlight event for Minneapolis Aquatennial, with Aquatennial shows bringing upwards of 7,000 fans per show, Each year, the River Rats perform a total of approximately 5 shows over the Minneapolis Aquatennial weekend. With 20 shows each summer, that means your company could be seen by almost 175,000 local fans (not including individuals that see our show at our regional and national tournaments). Internal Team Exposure The Twin Cities River Rats take pride in each of our sponsors. In addition to the visibility that your organization receives from our fan base, the River Rat Water Ski Team members take every opportunity to use our sponsors for their own needs. The Twin Cities River Rats are composed of over 100 volunteer members, and continuously share our sponsors with friends and family. TCRiverRats.com 6
YOUR ORGANIZATION S VISIBILITY Social Media In addition to our fans on the banks of the Mississippi, we are also followed by several fans from around the world! Our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts pull over 6,000 followers, and continue to grow. Ask us how we can spotlight your organization as part of your sponsorship with the Twin Cities River Rats. Follow us: @tcriverrats Media Impact Each year, we continued to be featured on several local and national media outlets as a great, free show for the whole family. We have also been featured as one of the Top 150 Fun Things to do in the Twin Cities. Local and national media outlets include: Fox 9 News WCCO KARE11 KSTP TV GO 96.3 Twin Cities Live Minnesota Monthly Magazine The Weather Channel TCRiverRats.com 7
TWIN CITIES RIVER RATS HISTORY Established in 1979 Originally part of the University of Minnesota Water Ski Club, the team first skied on Lake Independence as part of the U of M s Recreational Sports program. 1985 Began performing exhibition shows (no costumes and no theme) throughout the Twin Cities 1990 Moved to Buffalo Lake to perform several shows during the summer featuring an announcer who developed a storyline, costumes for each ski act and continued development of the skiers 1992 Competed and hosted the first ever Minnesota State (now known as the Midwest Regional) Show Ski Tournament on Phalen Lake in St. Paul Mid-1990 s Performed regular shows during the summer, while continuing to improve themes, costumes and the difficulty of skiing 1996 Moved to a ski site on the Mississippi River and create the name, Twin Cities River Rats 1999 Won the Midwest Regional Show Ski Tournament, and attended the National Show Ski Tournament for the first time 2007 Hosted a benefit show for the 35W Bridge collapse with all proceeds going to the US Red Cross. In just one show, we raised over $35,000! 2013 Reached over 100 members and attended the National Show Ski Tournament for the first time in 9 years. The jump team won 3 rd Place at the tournament! 2014 Record number of crowd attendance and the team won 1 st Place at Midwest Regionals 2015 and 2017 Won 1 st Place at Midwest Regionals and 9 th Place at The National Show Ski Tournament 2018 On-going growth and visibility throughout the Twin Cities TCRiverRats.com 8
RAT FACTS River Rats Fun Facts The River Rats have competed at the National Show Ski Tournament a total of 7 times. There have been over 15 weddings throughout the years from members who met on the team. We have 70+ water-skiing members and 30+ non-skiing members helping behind-the-scenes. Our shows wouldn t be possible without the sound crew, concessions team and award-winning boat-driving team! The team currently boasts a fleet of 6 towboats, 3 pontoons, 1 large front dock, and a jump. The longest any of our members has been a part of the team is 24 years! We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit team. We make our own costumes, and write our own themed-shows. A couple of our skiers have represented Team USA at the World Show Ski Tournament in 2014, 2016 and 2018! We use over 50 miles of rope in each ski show! That s a lot of rolling ropes and possible knots! Some of our members have water-skied professionally around the world in places such as Tommy Bartlett Show in Wisconsin, Sea World in Texas, Universal Studios in Japan, and LEGOLAND Florida. They ve also water skied in countries including: Australia, China, Germany, Jamaica, Lebanon, and the UK! TCRiverRats.com 9
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES In the next few pages, you will find sponsorship packages for the summer of 2018, and opportunities to agree to a three year contract. Our three year contract allows you to lock in your price for the next three years! We invite you to use our shows as your visibility, and hope to be included in your upcoming advertising strategy. We look forward to working with you, and thank you for your support! TCRiverRats.com 10
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES STANDARD PACKAGES Main Dock PACKAGE DETAILS* Logo on main dock Logo on team t-shirt Logo & company name on website Quarter page artwork in program On-shore banner (set-up at all home shows) Boat sponsor (side) Opportunity to set-up display/table at shows Base Tier Second Tier Top Tier Tow Boat Jump (side) $700 $1250 $1500 $2000 $2500 $3000 Dedicated show to promote your company** ** Boat sponsor (bow) Logo placed on side of the jump *Appendix includes further details and pictures on each package opportunity. **Jump sponsorship receives 2 shows. TCRiverRats.com 11
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES CUSTOM PACKAGES Other advertising opportunities may be available that are not listed in this proposal. The Twin Cities River Rats are happy to customize a sponsorship package that best fits your organization. How can we help you create the best possible advertising opportunity? Feel free to ask us about other ways we can show off your company! Let us know by sending an email to Ski.RiverRats@gmail.com outlining your perfect package. FRIENDS OF THE RATS What better way to show your support of the Twin Cities River Rats than becoming a Friend of the Rats? A donation of just $25 will get your name in our program for the 2018 ski season. We are a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization with tax-exempt status. Anything you give us is tax-deductible! Please let us know if you would like a receipt. TCRiverRats.com 12
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM SPONSORSHIPS Not interested in one of our standard packages, or customizing your own? Allow us to advertise your company in our yearly program! Everything will be printed in full color for our 2018 summer program. All advertising over $500 will include your logo on our team t-shirt. PROGRAM ADVERTISING SIZE Eighth page (4 ¼ W x 2 ¾ L) Quarter page (4 ¼ W x 5 ½ L) Half page (8 ½ W x 5 ½ L) Full page (8 ½ W x 11 L) Inside front cover (full page) Inside back cover (full page) Back cover (full page) PRICE $150 $250 $450 $850 $1250 $1250 $1500 TCRiverRats.com 13
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES THREE-YEAR SPONSORSHIP AFFILIATION Commit to a three-year sponsorship for the Twin Cities River Rats and receive the following: Be locked in to this year s pricing rate for the sponsorship packet of your choice for the next three years! Our rates go up year after year, but with the three-year sponsorship, your rate will stay the same. Be a partner of the best free, family entertainment in the Twin Cities for the next three years, and reserve your sponsorship spot for all three years. Receive an invoice for your sponsorship before the end of each calendar year. Keep your sponsorship stickers/artwork from year to year (if applicable to your sponsorship packet; i.e. sticker for the side of the boat, banners, or on the front of the dock). TCRiverRats.com 14
LET S CHAT! We re excited to talk to you about the best opportunities for your organization. Let s start the conversation today! Contact us regarding your interest To discuss your options in detail, please contact: Alexa Ernst Marketing and Promotions alexa.ernst10@gmail.com 608-931-4503 We will contact you soon about your interest in supporting the Twin Cities River Rats. Ready to commit now? Fill out the sponsorship agreement. The 2018 sponsorship agreement can be found on page 16 of the sponsorship packet, or you may email Alexa Ernst, Marketing and Promotions, for a copy. TCRiverRats.com 15
SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT 2018 Twin Cities River Rats Sponsorship Contract (page 1 of 2) Business name: Contact Name and title: Address: City: State: Zip: Email Address: Phone: SPONSORSHIP PACKAGE SELECTION Please check the type of sponsorship that you wish to purchase. Sponsorship packages Sponsorship type Price Main dock $700 Base tier $1250 Second tier $1500 Top tier $2000 Tow boat $2500 Jump (side) $3000 Custom package Varies PAYMENT METHOD* Check being mailed Invoice needed Check enclosed (if mailing in sponsorship agreement) Page size Program advertising only Price Eighth page $150 Quarter page $250 Half page $450 Full page $850 Inside front cover $1250 Inside back cover $1250 Back cover $1500 THREE YEAR CONTRACT? Yes No HIGH-RESOLUTION LOGO/ARTWORK Electronic copy attached Will email to ski.riverrats@gmail.com Disc enclosed (if mailing in sponsorship agreement) *Please make checks payable to: Twin Cities River Rats STICKER NEEDED? (i.e. on boat, jump, dock, etc.) Yes** No **When applicable, the sponsor agrees to pay (in full) the charges for stickers or banners. This is in addition to the cost of the sponsorship package listed above. TCRiverRats.com 16
SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT 2018 Twin Cities River Rats Sponsorship Contract (page 2 of 2) BUSINESS NAME: CONTRACT AGREEMENT The Twin Cities River Rats Show Team is authorized to create and run a sponsorship ad for the party named above. The named party has the option of providing the team with a camera or computer-ready sponsorship ad, which will be subject to content review. The team has the right do decline any sponsorship at any time. When time permits, proofs will be sent as pages in the ad book are completed. Corrections can be made at that time. The sponsor agrees to pay (in full) the amount indicated in this contract, and where included, to pay for printing charges for stickers or banners. BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVE Business representative name (please print) Business representative signature Date TWIN CITIES RIVER RATS MEMBER REPRESENTATIVE TCRR representative name (please print) TCRR representative signature Date PLEASE RETURN COMPLETED SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT BY: MARCH 31 ST, 2018 Forms can be submitted via: Email (preferred): Mail: Alexa Ernst Twin Cities River Rats Ski.Riverrats@gmail.com c/o: Sponsorship Team P.O. Box 582163 TCRiverRats.com Minneapolis, MN 55458-2163 17
APPENDIX DOCK SPONSORSHIP The dock is placed front and center, and is one of the most seen pieces of equipment. The dock remains in the water even when the Rats are not practicing, or performing shows. On top of the 2,000+ spectators at shows, this allows for a lot of advertisement to the hundreds of runners and walkers that pass the ski site during the summer. TEAM T-SHIRT All sponsorships over $500 will receive their company logo on the back of our team t-shirt. BANNER At each show, banners are placed along the River Bank for spectators to see. If you are a sponsor of one of our shows, we will place your banner next to our stage for that particular show. TCRiverRats.com 18
APPENDIX BOAT (side) The River Rats wouldn t be able to ski without our boats. Your company s logo will be placed on the side of one of our boats. BOAT (bow) Your company s logo will be displayed on the bow of one of our boats all summer. JUMP Have your company be front and center of all the high flying action as skiers perform flips and jumps during our jump act of our shows. TCRiverRats.com 19
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