Anaheim, CA (March 1, 2011) – Honda Center and the Big West Conference jointly announced today an association with ampm, establishing the 1,100-plus location convenience store chain as the 2011 Big West Tournament title sponsor. The agreement will present numerous promotional opportunities, ultimately rewarding students, alumni and fans of the Big West. The 2011 ampm Big West Tournament will take place March 10-12 at Honda Center.
“As the new host of the Big West Tournament, Honda Center is proud to be associated with a well known brand like ampm as the event’s title sponsor,” said
Tim Ryan, President and CEO of the venue. “Together we’re rolling out a number of creative ways for fans to celebrate and experience the excitement of college basketball in March.”
ampm and the Big West have launched a number of all-inclusive programs to reward fans for showing their passion for their school including a dedicated event micro-site and the ampm Big West Tour which visits all nine campuses. In addition, the partnership will see ampm featured prominently on Big West television broadcasts, Anaheim Ducks broadcasts and on-site throughout this year’s tournament.
Bill Fry, President of ampm added, “What could be more fitting for a brand that delivers ‘Too much good stuff’ than a tie-in program with college basketball's most exciting time of the year? ampm is thrilled to work with Honda Center in Anaheim to bring students and fans the exciting Big West tournament.”
In November of 2010, Honda Center officially became the annual home to the Big West men’s and women’s post-season basketball tournament. Each year the winner of the three-day single-elimination playoff receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“The Big West Conference is delighted to bring in a prestigious company like ampm for our 2011 basketball tournament at Honda Center,” said
Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell. “This relationship will not only provide an opportunity for the Big West story to reach a broader audience, but will also provide an avenue for ampm to engage an important demographic constituency on all our member campuses.”
The Big West Tournament is the oldest NCAA Division I post-season basketball tournament in the West, dating back to 1976 when the conference was known as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. The Big West is comprised of nine schools located throughout the state of California. Member schools include: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, Pacific and UC Davis.
Ticket information for the 2011 Big West Tournament is available at hondacenter.com. For additional information regarding the 2010 Big West Tournament, please visit bigwest.org.
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About ampm
The ampm brand was founded in 1978 in Southern California by ARCO. ampm convenience stores have been recognized in the Franchise Times “Top 200” and Entrepreneur’s “Franchise 500.” ARCO-brandedampm stores are currently found in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Arizona; BP-branded ampm stores are located in Chicago, Orlando, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Atlanta.