Race respite business opportunity for some

TEAMING TOGETHER: Martha Parker, owner and founder of Team One Newport, is planning a live feed from the racing village to the store in Newport. / PBN PHOTO/?MICHAEL SALERNO
TEAMING TOGETHER: Martha Parker, owner and founder of Team One Newport, is planning a live feed from the racing village to the store in Newport. / PBN PHOTO/?MICHAEL SALERNO

Hotels, restaurants and stores are gearing up to welcome the thousands of visitors who will flood Newport from May 5-17, for the Volvo Ocean Race and the race stopover. Teams competing in the race, a journey of some 40,000 nautical miles making 11 port stops on five continents, will be in the City by the Sea, the sole North American race stopover. While some businesses haven’t finalized their branding and entertainment plans, others are ready to make the most of the opportunity.

AT FORT ADAMS

The race village at Fort Adams State Park will provide free admission, up-close racing, live musical performances, an international food court, the Heineken Docks Beer Garden, marine education exhibits, a kids’ zone, free sailing tours and water shuttles from downtown.

Assuming warm, sunny May days, Brad Read, executive director of Sail Newport/Volvo Ocean Race Stopover, said, “I could see … 100,000 people through the village, and we’re preparing for that. … It’s immense, the size of the production coming to Rhode Island.

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Partner-level sponsors (Cox Communications, 11th Hour Racing, Heineken, SCA – a leading Swedish paper company – and Sunsail), hotel sponsors (Hotel Viking, Hyatt Regency Newport, Newport Marriott and The Newport Harbor Hotel & Marina) and suppliers (Discover Newport and Newport Restaurant Group, among others) are all engaged in this initiative.

Sponsors will use the Ocean Race Club for hospitality, branding or for having a presence on-site, says Read. Sunsail’s interactive tent structure will showcase boat- chartering opportunities around the world, and the exploration zone, an interactive oceanic and environmental structure, has support from SCA and 11th Hour Racing.

DOWNTOWN NEWPORT

Eager to collaborate with Volvo Ocean Race sponsors, Bowen’s Wharf is giving Volvo “the ability to have a presence … on the wharf and to promote the event and use our welcome center,” said Bart Dunbar, Bowen’s Wharf Co.’s founder and president. “It’s really important for people on this side of the harbor to be fully invested.”

David Ray’s Clarke Cooke House jumped on the bandwagon early: As sailors arrived in each Volvo race port, its menu included cuisine local to that port, and featured a magnetic map that tracked the sailboats’ movements.

Team One Newport sells sailing gear from many of the race teams to both sailors and fans. Martha Parker, Team One Newport’s founder and owner, plans a live feed from the race village to the store so shoppers can follow the sailing action. Additionally, customers will get their preordered race sailing gear delivered to their hotels by Team One Newport.

Island Outfitters sells Holebrook sweaters, which are made in Sweden not far from Volvo headquarters, says owner Greg Hall, who is planning private events for his customers. While Hall isn’t certain where Island Outfitters’ Rhode Yacht, a wholly retrofitted Aerostream, will be sited, he anticipates using it in conjunction with race events. “We will be aggressive in helping promote [the race] on Thames Street.”

Newport Harbor Corp., whose properties include Newport Restaurant Group and Castle Hill Inn, plans extensive social media and e-communication initiatives to generate race-related enthusiasm among NRG’s 65,000 loyalty members, says Kerri Quinn Jaffee, NHC’s chief marketing officer. Volvo executives staying at the Castle Hill Inn may observe in-port sailing on May 16 from front-row seats. On May 17, everyone may watch the race and enjoy al fresco dining and drinking on the inn’s lawn. Smoke House is in negotiations to be the hospitality lounge for a currently unidentified team, says Jaffee, though the restaurant will remain open to the public.

Several organizations, including the Newport Chamber of Commerce, Discover Newport, Sail Newport and Volvo, created incentive programs and storefront/window competitions to promote the race. Companies participating in incentive programs offer customers discounts or incentives of their choice. Businesses participating in the competitions can display pennants, posters and flags; winning businesses will receive race- and/or Newport-themed prizes. In addition, maps and information about downtown Newport venues will be widely distributed throughout the race village.

PROVIDENCE IMPACT

Robin Crawford, executive director, corporate affairs, Volvo Trucks, N.A., initially doubted that Newport, given its small size, could effectively manage race logistics but now is a believer: “It’s a big challenge, but it’s an opportunity … let’s take advantage of Rhode Island’s smallness.”

The Hotel Viking, in Newport, the Providence Biltmore, the Omni Providence Hotel and the Renaissance Providence Downtown Hotel are hosting race visitors and sponsors. In addition to hosting several client events at Newport and Providence venues, Volvo will sponsor a WaterFire on May 16, said Kristen Adamo, vice president of marketing, Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Extensive signage throughout downtown Providence will promote the race and welcome visitors, Adamo says, and different artistic/theatrical venues may offer special promotions, though plans aren’t yet finalized. •

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