Valley of the Sun Bowl Foundation Retains Front Row Marketing Services to provide Analytics, Sponsorship Consulting, And Naming Rights Entitlement Acquisition

PHILADELPHIA, June 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Front Row Marketing Services, one of the world's largest and fastest-growing sports and entertainment marketing firms, today announced an agreement with Valley of the Sun Bowl Foundation to handle the title sponsorship sales for the former Insight Bowl in Tempe, Ariz.  Front Row is a subsidiary of the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment firm Comcast-Spectacor that specializes in selling and evaluating commercial sponsorships as well as securing naming rights related inventory.  Additionally, Front Row will evaluate and consult on all aspects of Valley of the Sun Bowl Foundation.  This is the first time Front Row has been retained to secure a naming rights deal for a college postseason bowl game.

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"Front Row Marketing Services continues its rapid growth as a leading company in securing naming rights and sponsorships for international and national leading sporting events," said Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko. "The former Insight Bowl has taken notice of the outstanding services (Front Row President) Chris Lencheski and his team at Front Row Marketing Services are able to provide them."

"We continue to increase our consulting and sales platform in the intercollegiate athletic space, and are very proud to be working with Valley of Sun Bowl Foundation on the former Insight Bowl," said Chris Lencheski, President, Front Row Marketing Services and Front Row Analytics.  "The work that has gone into expanding the offerings and opportunities for the former Insight Bowl will make it one of the more attractive brand activation platforms available in the college space, especially for those companies targeting the heartland of the country.  We are looking forward to exposing a new slate of companies to all the game and surrounding events have to offer." 

"This partnership demonstrates Valley of the Sun Bowl Foundation's ongoing commitment to bringing elite college football games to Tempe and to enhancing the value of the game," said Steve Whiteman, chairman of the Valley of the Sun Bowl Foundation.

First played as the Copper Bowl in Tucson on New Year's Eve in 1989, this bowl game has enjoyed significant growth and change since its inception. In May 2010, the bowl announced that it had improved its selections from both the Big Ten and Big 12 Conferences, annually among the national leaders in attendance and television ratings. After previously picking sixth, the bowl now features the third selection from the Big 12 and the third or fourth selection from the Big Ten after Bowl Championship Series teams are determined.  Oklahoma defeated Iowa 31-14 in the 23rd Annual Insight Bowl on December 30, 2011 in Tempe.

About Front Row Marketing Services:

Front Row Marketing Services®, a Comcast-Spectacor subsidiary headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and its sister company Front Row Analytics®, a proprietary sponsorship evaluation company, operate on a global to local platform in sports, entertainment, stadia, venues, consumer engagement and municipalities with divisions in the specific practices of College Rights, Municipal Rights, Digital Film and TV Rights, Venue and Team Rights and Social Media.  We are a collection of veteran sports and entertainment executives operating on four continents with offices in 35+ cities whose portfolio of clients, present and past, stretches from professional sports teams in the NFL (Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans), MLB (Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals), NHL (Philadelphia Flyers), NBA (Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, New Jersey Nets, Detroit Pistons), MLS (Seattle Sounders, Philadelphia Union), AFL (Philadelphia Soul) and AHL (Abbotsford Heat, Portland Pirates, Adirondack Phantoms, Hershey Bears); to venues (Wells Fargo Center, XFINITY Live! Philadelphia, The Greek Theatre, Singapore Sports Hub, Iowa Events Center, Budweiser Events Center, Miami Beach Convention Center, Rose Garden); to motorsports (Sam Schmidt Motorsports, Pocono Raceway, Dover Motorsports); to golf (PGA, LPGA); and to college (Temple University, University of South Carolina, the University of North Dakota, Saint Cloud State University, Drexel University, James Madison University, Colonial Athletic Association).  More information can be found at http://www.frontrow-marketing.com/ and http://www.comcast-spectacor.com/.

Comcast-Spectacor (comcast-spectacor.com) is the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment company which owns the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL), the home arena for the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers, the Wells Fargo Center, and four Flyers Skate Zone community ice skating and hockey rinks. In addition, Comcast-Spectacor is also the principal owner of Global Spectrum, the fastest growing firm in the public assembly management field with more than 100 facilities throughout the United States and Canada; Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage service provider; New Era Tickets, a ticketing and marketing company for public assembly facilities; Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company; FanOne, a digital fan marketing company; and Paciolan, the leading provider of venue enablement, ticketing, fundraising and marketing technology solutions.

SOURCE Front Row Marketing Services