Two-time Masters Champion Bubba Watson was the star performer when Provision Events (PVE), one of the world’s leading sports activation agencies, provided a simulator for sports performance brand Oakley at the recent PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando.
Oakley turned to PVE to engage passers-by, boost visitor numbers and promote brand awareness – with particular emphasis on the new Priszm glasses, which enhance colours to fine-tune a golfer’s vision on the course.
The simulator attracted a steady stream of visitors to the stand across the three-day show, but the biggest crowd, unsurprisingly, gathered when Watson appeared. He hit shots to a ‘nearest-the-pin’ target on the simulator and anybody getting inside his six-foot attempt was entered into a draw to win Oakley prizes.
He also held a long driving clinic and answered questions during a session in our simulator.
PVE events manager Ben Stubbington explained: “Having a big name like Bubba Watson on the stand is always a big draw, even at a trade event such as this. But, at other times, the combination of a market-leading brand and a state-of-the-art simulator – which showed, for the first time, internal hole imagery – still proved a big attraction for thousands of visitors.
“It was also a great opportunity for those of us present representing PVE to meet many of our existing customers and, hopefully, many future clients.”
Oakley’s US field marketing manager, Ryan Evert, added: “We hired the Provision Events team because we heard they were good – but they exceeded the recommendation and were great to have on board for the golf activation. From the first contact through to the execution of the event they were truly professional and fun to work with. We are looking to use PVE for more activations throughout all sports at Oakley. I thoroughly recommend them.”
PVE, which is headquartered in the UK with storage in the USA and UAE, is the market leader in providing ‘fan zone’ experiences at major sporting occasions, with the 13-year-old company expecting to provide its 1,000th event during 2017.
Working primarily in golf and tennis, PVE offers brand experience strategy; planning and creative; event production; storage and logistics and delivery, all with a ‘get the job done no matter what’ ethos as the company established itself as the ‘go to’ expert in providing ‘fan zones’ at sporting events.
PVE has provided activations for one-day events, week-long championships, and even year-round roadshows, for clients as diverse as multi-national blue chip companies and local sports clubs.
Its impressively extensive client list includes, among others, Barclays, BMW, Emirates, Google, Shell, Stella Artois, Volvo and Exeter Squash Club. And, in golf itself, the client portfolio is no less impressive, featuring the likes of Callaway Golf, the European Tour, Nike, the PGA Tour, the R&A and TaylorMade.
Provision Events www.provisionevents.co.uk