Capri Events is seeking sponsors for the 2009 Chicago Triathlon, an event it owns and produces. And according to yesterday's Crain's Chicago Business, the search isn't exactly a cakewalk.
Crain's lists banks and financial service firms as "out of the running" (pun presumably not intended) for sponsorship due to the current financial crisis. The airline and auto manufactuing industries are also suffering and carefully re-examining where they direct marketing funds, which has resulted in a tougher climate for athletic events looking to score corporate partners.
Capri Events president Jan Caille told Crain's that the triathlon will take place next August, with or without a title sponsor. Though the event costs an estimated $50,0000 to $80,000 per race, Caille said that registration fees can help offset some of that expense. If landed, a title sponsorship would bring in a six-figure amount that Caille declined to specify.
