Panama City Beach Sports Complex announces advertising partnership with GEICO
PANAMA CITY BEACH — In the wake of a year of booming activity, the Panama City Beach Sports Complex has announced its first new advertising partner since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
According to Jamie Cox, manager of the $40-million facility that opened in 2019, the partnership is with Panama City GEICO, and it is the first in a handful of additional partnerships that also will soon be announced.
Located on 160 acres off Chip Seal Parkway in unincorporated Bay County, the complex features 13 multi-use fields and was built on land donated by the St. Joe Company.
"To be able able to partner with a beautiful, brand new, multi-million dollar complex is a great opportunity, whether its a local establishment or a regional-based business," Cox said. "To have a presence in a facility like this (is) a win-win for everybody."
This partnership and the others that still are unnamed have been in the works for a while, he added. All were significantly delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Cox said that he believes the GEICO partnership is a good one to kick things off since it has strong ties to the local community.
"It feels good for everybody, not just here at the sports park, but for the PCB community and Bay County," he said. "We feel that we're as back to normal as much as we can be in this environment and a lot of that is reflected in these partnerships and sponsorship opportunities coming on board."
Jennifer Koppel, owner of the GEICO agency in Panama City, said the deal stems from an offer from the sports complex that was too good for her to pass up.
Koppel, who said that she also sponsors other local "ball teams," shared she is passionate about youth sports because they provide a healthy outlet for children that helps keep them out of trouble.
"It's a beautiful complex and I'm very excited to have this opportunity and be involved within the community," she said. "I believe any type of advertising is wonderful. I do everything I can get my hands on."
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A press release on the partnership states that along with auto insurance, GEICO offers insurance for boats, condos, renters, motorcycles and RVs.
The release states that more than 1,300 teams participated in tournaments at the Panama City Beach Sports Complex from April to July. The events generated over 60,000 visitors to Panama City Beach.
"There is a significant opportunity for local and national businesses to make sure their brand is noticed," the release states. "Providing a platform for local business owners to inform these guests, many of whom are from out of state, significantly helps increase the positive economic impact within Bay County."
Looking ahead, Cox said the complex's schedule not only will be busy for the rest of the year, but already is filling up fast for the spring and summer of 2022.
He added that some of the major events slated for the remainder of the year include a United States Fastpitch Association softball tournament at the end of October and a Snap Soccer tournament in November. The facility then will close out 2021 with its 2nd annual New Years BaseballFest, which is run by Game Day USA.
"The reason for building a facility like this is to help drive economic impact in the spring and fall, or what we call the 'shoulder season' or the 'offseason,'" Cox said. "We have a beautiful destination and people want to come to the beach, but we can help facilitate bringing addition people to Bay County."
Local businesses interested in advertising partnerships with the Panama City Beach Sports Complex can email Michael Booini, marketing and sponsorship manager for the park, at mbooini@sportsfacilities.com.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City Beach Florida sports complex adds GEICO as ad partner
