David Zenns Cash Easter Trevor Hudson Executive Summary

1. 
   Introduction
   

May 8, 1953 at the Sedgefield Inn near Greensboro, NC

John Swafford since July of 1997

“The Atlantic Coast Conference seeks to maximize the educational and athletic opportunities of its student athletes, while enriching their quality of life. It strives to do so by affording individuals equitable opportunity to pursue academic excellence and compete at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics competition in a broad spectrum of sports and championships. The conference will provide leadership in attaining these goals, by promoting diversity and mutual trust among its member institutions, in a spirit of fairness for all. It strongly adheres to the principles of integrity and sportsmanship, and supports the total development of the student athlete and each member’s institution’s athletic staff, with the intent of producing enlightened leadership for tomorrow” (theacc).

Boston College, Clemson University, Duke University, Florida State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Maryland, University of Miami, University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, University of Virginia, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and Wake Forest University

The Atlantic Coast Conference was founded and the headquarters was established in Greensboro, NC. The institutions were Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina, and Wake Forest. The seven institutions met in Raleigh, NC to create by-laws and where the official name became the Atlantic Coast Conference. The ACC provides quality basketball for Fans all over the country. It has targeted basketball fans all around the country for many years by providing good quality competitive sports.

2. 
   Situational Analyses
   

The men’s ACC tournament is a cultural and nationwide event that draws thousands of people to Greensboro and attracts millions of fans via television and radio. It is one of the most coveted of the men’s NCAA conference tournaments because of the quality of basketball teams that the ACC has and the rich history of the teams. Having had the two previous national champions come from the ACC makes for an even higher knowledge and respect for the conference as a whole and draws even more attention from fans in other areas of the nation. Other factors that contribute to the ACC’s fan base and success include promotion of the tournament through well-known sponsors like Food Lion, Pepsi, AT&T, Geico and Gatorade. These sponsors along with hearsay and the overall interest of fans from all over the country makes the ACC tournament one of the most popular events leading up to the NCAA tournament.

Despite the strengths that are evident, there are weaknesses concerning the ACC men’s tournament on several levels. First, the tournament coincides with several other conference tournaments around the nation and could cause some fans/viewers to be torn between watching ACC games as well as other (potentially) important match ups that are being shown at the same times. Second, the dates and times of the games are usually during the weekdays when most people are working so they may not have an opportunity to watch the particular games they want. Furthermore, with the economy in a recession many fans may be hesitant to buy tickets to the tournament because of the high cost of ticket prices and travel expenses. Fans from northern and southern states must travel hundreds of miles to Greensboro in order to watch their team play, as well as make accommodations to stay in hotels for several nights, make reservations to restaurants and rent a vehicle to travel around in. Although these are some weaknesses regarding fans, the tournament still generates a very high level of income for the city of Greensboro which in turn benefits the economy of North Carolina and its surroundings.
B. External Environmental Analysis: OT

The men’s ACC basketball tournament presents a number of opportunities for expansion, promotion, production and public relations. As the ACC continues to dominate the sport of college basketball with standout teams like Duke and North Carolina, national recognition draws a lot of attention to ACC teams and their sports programs. Teams such as Virginia Tech, Miami and Boston College all left the Big East conference to become a part of the ACC to play tougher schedules and get more attention on a national level. With the popularity of the ACC basketball tournament there is no reason to think that the ACC couldn’t expand their conference further in the coming years. The promotion of the tournament through sponsors and media coverage provides partnerships between successful companies and their products with well known and talented basketball teams. In turn these sponsorships provide fans with opportunities to be aware of the quality products the sponsors are selling and in most cases experience them first hand as part of their sporting experience. Promotions such as Food Lion’s half court shot giveaway of groceries for an entire year is incentive enough for most to recognize the impact of the sponsors. The main purpose of these partnerships is to increase awareness and sales through production of products and the loyalty of the customer which is aided by the excitement of the tournament and the lasting impression of the sponsors themselves. From a public relation perspective, the city of Greensboro will benefit greatly from the large crowds of people that will migrate to North Carolina and spend hefty amounts of money pumping priceless quantities of revenue into the heart of an otherwise ordinary triad city.

The ACC tournament is one of many that will be played right around the same time this March. As mentioned before, a potential threat to the attractiveness of the tournament is the fact that there will be many more being played simultaneously with the ACC. This can cause fan bias that could result in lower television ratings as well as ticket sales for the ACC. Also, it is imperative to not only expand awareness of the tournament but ensure that loyal fans of years before continue to support the ACC and its sponsors through sales and commitment to teams. Avoiding these threats is very important to the success of the tournament and should be considered when planning the agenda for the tournament’s events and outreach to local communities in Greensboro during the days of the tournament. Promotion of the tournament is crucial and should be handled by media relation specialists and marketing analysts to provide optimal success in March.
C. Competitive Analysis

In order to have a successful tournament it is essential to know what the competition is doing to one up other competitors in the field of sports. In regards to media coverage there are set guidelines that all conferences have to abide by and scheduled television stations that will cover the various tournaments. It is very important to acquire media contracts with widely recognized television stations and radio broadcasting stations early on and ensure that there is a maximum amount of exposure for the ACC throughout the tournament’s entirety. Furthermore, many sponsors such as Gatorade will be committed to sponsoring multiple tournaments so it is important to market those products in a unique way to distinguish the ACC tournament from other conferences especially through a fan’s perspective. Other factors such as ticket pricing and packages for traveling could really come in handy when trying to persuade basketball fans to participate in the ACC tournament. The ACC also offers presales meaning that students from ACC schools and various businesses have the opportunity to purchase tickets in advance to ensure seats at the tournament. This is good for both the students and the businesses because of the partnerships that are formed and the satisfaction of the students to continue to support the ACC tournament.

1. Customers for the ACC tournament include a wide range of fans including ACC students, ACC fans and other basketball fans throughout the country.

• 
  FEMALES
  
• 
  COLLEGE GRADUATES
  
• 
  AFRICAN AMERICANS
  
• 
  AFFLUENT CUSTOMERS
  
• 
  MIDDLE AGED Men and women
  
• 
  People with KIDS 0-2/NO KIDS
  

• 
  Youth (kids aged 2-12)
  
• 
  Teens-age 13-19
  
• 
  Young Adults-age 20-30
  
• 
  Older Adults
  

Male 56.6%

Female 43.4%
Attendance: % by Age for 2009/2010 basketball Tournament

18-34 53.3%

35-49 19.9%

50-64 19.1%

Under $25,000 13.3%

$25,000-$49,999 17.2%

$50,000-$99,999 38.6%

$100,000 or more 30.9%
Attendance: % by Geographic Region 2009/2010

Northeast 13.2%

North Central 30.4%

South 37.9%

West 18.5%
3. N/A
4. Most likely Market Segments: Males age 13-34 with an income of $50,000-$99,000 located in the south.

5. The ACC Tournament is scheduled to be held here for the next six consecutive years (except for the 2012 event, which will be held in the Georgia Dome). Basketball fans unanimously agree that ACC Men's Basketball Tournament provides a wide variety target market ranging from youth to the older adult. For the upcoming 2010/2011 ACC Men’s Basketball tournament we hope to market a more diverse target audience that will show enthusiasm to the Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball tournament. We chose these target markets because in past years these markets produced a larger percentage of attendance and viewing than others. We plan on trying to reach a wider variety of target markets but will still pay attention to our specific markets.

3. 
   MARKETING GOALS AND OBJECTIVE
   

A. The main priority of the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament it to provide a quality tournament for all people to enjoy. The first portion of the plan will establish the goals both short-term and long term. According to the marketing theory and practice, it is important to create goals to measure the outcome of the event. The short-term goals will include providing a fun, family-friendly environment while creating an exciting championship atmosphere for the participating student-athletes, and generating high awareness and visibility for the sport.

4. 
   
   
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