Funds for cyclocross events, hiring Parkven Productions
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (Aug. 19, 2019) — Today the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission approved for Experience Fayetteville a $2.3 million grant from the Walton Family Foundation’s Personal Philanthropy Group to host a series of cyclocross races in Fayetteville.
The grant will be used to coordinate and promote a series of cyclocross events in Fayetteville, including FayetteCross later this year, as well as the 2022 Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Cyclocross World Championships.
Also, a third event will be held in 2020. Though details are still being developed, Experience Fayetteville Executive Director Molly Rawn said it will be a “high level, international event.” Up to 21,000 spectators and participants are expected for all three events in the series.
The funds also will be used to contract Brook Watts and Kristin Diamond with Parkven Productions of Longmont, Colo., to manage the events.
“These funds will ensure that the state’s first professional cyclocross events are executed professionally and successfully,” Rawn said. “Also, that they reflect positively on our city and region, bolstering Northwest Arkansas as a premier cycling destination.”
Parkven Productions and Experience Fayetteville will work together to ensure the races have national caliber sponsors, professionally managed ticket sales and are targeted by local, regional and national marketing campaigns, Rawn said.
FayetteCross will be held Oct. 5-6 at Centennial Park at Millsap Mountain in Fayetteville. The deadline to register for FayetteCross is Oct. 1.
Also being held at Millsap Mountain, the UCI world championships is slated for Jan. 29-30, 2022. This will be only the second time the championships have been held in the United States, and the event is estimated to have a total global audience of 52 million viewers, according to UCI.
The World Championship weekend will be part of a multi-day festival for both new fans and diehard cyclo-cross spectators. The race will be the pinnacle of a weekend filled with activities and events that showcase all that Northwest Arkansas has to offer, Rawn said.
More information about FayetteCross can be found at fayettecross.com. More information about the 2022 Cyclocross World Championships can be found at fayetteville2022.com.
About Experience Fayetteville
Experience Fayetteville is the convention and visitors bureau for the city of Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is responsible for marketing the city to visitors and achieving a positive economic impact through tourism. It is the first point of contact for convention and meeting planners, sports tournament coordinators and tour operators. Experience Fayetteville oversees the visitors bureau and Experience Fayetteville Visitors Center, as well as the Fayetteville Town Center, Clinton House Museum and historic Walker Stone House. The Fayetteville Advertising & Promotion Commission is the governing body of Experience Fayetteville. For more information on Fayetteville, visit experiencefayetteville.com.
