I. Annapolis and sailing - strong
- NOOD (274 boats)
- Opti - Team (182 boats)
- College - America Trophy - 18 Mid-Atlantic teams
- Maryland Heritage Waterfront Festival
- Boat shows
- Annapolis High School - Severn High School to Nationals
- Rolex Women's Keelboat Championship

II. Boating community should think of Annapolis as:
- Destination
- Good time
- Good racing
- Best events
- Hassle free
- Good value (very important)

III. Who are Sailors?
- Outdoors
- Competitive (even cruising)
- Social - well connected
- Technical
- Affluent (work hard)
- People who pay attention (maximize life)
- Goal oriented
- Versatile, good at other things

IV. Nothing easy about selling sailing
- It takes a long time - persistence pays
- Sailing/boating is often a new concept
- Hard to get to decision maker
- You: have to get business
- Use third party endorsement and referral
- No substitute for "in person" sales call
- Olympics - only one spectator boat (even this had trouble)

V. Use Incentives
- Access to water
- view better from water - easier to understand
- clean sport
- include water and shore side activity
- good team and morale building

VI. NY Times
- JFK - "ask not" who wrote?
- Makes me think - what does the Annapolis Business Community put back into things?
- This VOR only works if there is a two-way street
"all take - no give" will kill it

VII. How to Help?
- Contribute to organizer
- Sponsor local event
- Invitee people here (look for groups)
- Don't allow rip-off
- Be positive - enthusiastic
- Don't rely on others to promote
- Everything done in high quality

VIII. How to take advantage of VOR
- Sell more product - start promoting this Fall
- Use logo - to promote - allow signage
- Hospitality opportunity
- Assign liaison with event from your company
- Look for cross promotion opportunities
- Support media
- Use both Chesapeake venues (different audiences)
- Read materials - talk to people about ideas
- Attend important events

IX. Using Sailing to Promote Products

A. An event must be highly visible and be newsworthy. Good press coverage does not happen on its own. Use a non-volunteer to work with the press. A simple story has the best chance of being published.

B. An attractive venue is important. There must be a good location on site for showing sponsor's product. Sampling and sales gets consumers involved with their product.

C. Develop a plan for achieving your sponsor's goals. Communicate early with event organizer in writing and during pre-event planning meetings.

D. The event should match the quality of a sponsor's product.

E. Beautiful, unique, big or fast boats always make events work. A unique format of racing helps interest. Lead changes, close racing and high drama are key. The press always understands a winner.

F. Sponsor's logo (signage) must show up clearly on television and for spectators who are present. (Black and white is best on video)

G. Create a local tie-in between organizer and sponsors. The organization running the event must have a good reputation. Check the credentials of the organization closely before signing on. Remember the deal between the event and sponsor is a two-way street. Both must work together.

H. Events thrive on big name competitors who the media can identify with. Competitors must cooperate with media, sponsors and event organizers. Sailors should be media trained and briefed about sponsor's goals prior to an event.

I. A television (and now internet) sport is different than a spectator sport. The hardest thing in television is getting on the air. Television coverage is the most important media because of the large number of viewers. Event must cooperate with television production.

J. It helps to include celebrities, community leaders and elected officials at opening ceremonies or prizegivings.

K. The added bonus reaching beyond the traditional sailing audience.

L. Budget 25% of the funding to go back toward fulfillment.

X. Long Term Goals
- Enhance Annapolis' reputation as sailing center
- Bring community together
- Attract other events - think big
- Big opportunity
- Improve water access
- transportation - high speed ferry
- easy use of boats
- international access - repeal Jones Act here
- use Naval Station (Taylor) property
- dredge channel
- easy place to visit
- Establish National Sailing Hall of Fame
- Bob Burton proposal - "free trade zone"
- tax benefits
- tariff relief
- Recruit business to base here
- great for me - over 28 years (easy travel, strong work ethic)
- people like to visit
- maritime heritage
- Important to preserve past - Maritime Heritage Museum