Media Contact:

Mike McAfee at 812-355-7720 or mike@visitbloomington.com

Laura Newton at 812-355-7721 or laura@visitbloomington.com

Sponsors Sought to Assist with Hosting

Drum Corps International 2008 World Championships

The opportunity to host this spectacular three-day event will result in thousands of visitors in the area.

BLOOMINGTON, IN -- Bloomington is preparing to host the 2008 Drum Corps International World Championships, August 7-9 at Memorial Stadium on the Indiana University campus. From modest beginnings more than three decades ago, Drum Corps International has developed into a powerful, nonprofit, global youth activity with far-reaching artistic, educational and organizational influence. Drum Corps International provides entertainment to millions through live performances and nationally-televised events. Due to unforeseen circumstances, this spectacular World Championship event has recently been moved from the original location in Indianapolis to Indiana Memorial Stadium, giving Bloomington the opportunity to host thousands of DCI fans.

The Bloomington community has a long history of involvement with Drum Corps International. Star of Indiana, a corps created by Bill Cook with a grant from Cook Group Incorporated, was based in Bloomington. The Star of Indiana earned the World Championship title in 1991, and finished in the top three for the next two years until they ended their competitive career. The award-winning Broadway show Blast! evolved from the Star of Indiana experience.   

The Bloomington/Monroe County Convention & Visitors Bureau is dedicated to showcasing the local community, not only to the 30,000+ attendees that will attend the 2008 World Championships this summer, but also for years to come as loyal families, fans and participants travel back to Indiana for the competition, scheduled to be held in Indianapolis for the next nine years. This fan base is extremely enthusiastic and often builds a vacation around the championship event, meaning they could become return visitors to the Bloomington area for years to come.

Hosting an event of this magnitude will be a community-wide effort and many resources are needed to produce a successful championship. Several levels of sponsorships are available to local business owners to showcase their businesses to the thousands of fans that will visit Bloomington, August 7-9.

Some of the benefits available to sponsors include having information available at the Visitor Information booth during the event and distributed on shuttle busses transporting fans from downtown Indianapolis, company logo placement on banners at the Bloomington Visitors Center and on the downtown kiosks during the event and a web presence on the DCI section of www.visitbloomington.com. Bloomington area businesses interested in Drum Corps International sponsorships should contact Mike McAfee or Laura Newton at 812.334.8900 or 800.800.0037.