Atlanta, GA – Atlanta-based MELT, a fully integrated sports and entertainment marketing agency, has been named the sponsorship procurement agency of record for the LakePoint Sports Community, the largest and most comprehensive sports vacation destination in the world.
Located in Emerson, GA, north of Atlanta, the 1,400+-acre development will feature state-of-the-art venues for 29 of America’s favorite youth sports and 5 million square feet of mixed-use development. Along with sports, LakePoint will include approximately 25 on-site hotels, restaurants, retail shops, office space and several other entertainment venues.
“We started out with three major tenants, Perfect Game USA, America’s #1 baseball scouting organization, LB3 Lacrosse, one of the nation’s premier organizers of Lacrosse camps, clinics and tournament travel teams, and North Atlanta Soccer Association (NASA), the largest youth soccer organizations in the Southeast. And now, we are being asked to build facilities to accommodate tournaments and events for more than 29 different sports, as well as some of America’s favorite retailers, restaurants and entertainment companies,” said LakePoint Sports Development Partner, Judy Sparks. “Our business model is based on having long-term agreements with the top youth sports organizations in America.”
LakePoint has also attracted some of the world’s most recognized brands and sports personalities. In addition to being the exclusive beverage provider, The Coca-Cola Company will build its first POWERADE Sports Safety and Hydration Lab at LakePoint. The lab will use interactive technology to educate young athletes, their coaches and parents on critical sports health issues, including proper hydration, heat illness and concussions.
Bass Pro Shops, America’s most popular outdoor store, will open a 104,000 square foot Bass Pro Shops Outpost® store at LakePoint. Designed for sustainability, durability and injury prevention, LakePoint will be the largest installation of synthetic sports surfacing in the world. Shaw Sports Turf, the leader in the synthetic turf market, will build a showcase turf testing facility.
LakePoint development partners include former Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox, Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost, and current Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez.
“We felt MELT was the right fit for LakePoint,” said Judy Sparks, who also serves as President of LakePoint’s Marketing Agency of Record, Smartegies, LLC. “Their success in the sports marketing space, particularly in youth and collegiate sports and their proven success with sponsorship procurement for properties like ours made them the clear choice to help us with this massive initiative.”
“We are honored to assist LakePoint and Smartegies in this revolutionary project,” said MELT CEO Vince Thompson. “LakePoint will become the leader in youth sport destinations, driving continued participation of youth sports in America, as well as becoming another marquis sports and entertainment attraction for the Atlanta metro area.
MELT will assist in the development of long-term corporate partnership opportunities for LakePoint and the sales and implementation of key category sponsors.
About MELT
Founded by CEO and President Vince Thompson in 2000, MELT, LLC, is an Atlanta based fully-integrated sports and entertainment marketing agency offering clients advertising, original content development, digital, social media, event and experiential marketing, retail and consumer promotions, brand strategy and sports property evaluation and activation. Check us out at www.meltatl.com, on facebook.com/MELTatl, or on Twitter @MELTatl.
About LakePoint
Bartow County and the City of Emerson will become the unparalleled sports destination in the US with the development of LakePoint Sporting Community. The development will include a 300+ acre sports complex at the center of a 1,400+ acre commercial, retail and mixed- use community.
The privately-funded project, will host tournaments, showcases and other youth sports events year-round. The development will also include a 200,000 SF indoor facility. To learn more about LakePoint Sporting Community, please visit www.lakepointsports.com. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/lakepointcommunity.