Because there is no single, unified amateur fishing league, the current state of fishing tournaments is extremely broad and diverse, says Dale Ward, Morehead City’s Sport Fishing Marketer. In both freshwater and saltwater fishing competitions, it is common for one specific type of fish to be the target. The team that captures the largest fish, which can include both the size and weight, is considered the winner. Another type of fishing tournament is based on different categories of fish. Anglers divide into categories based on the breed of the fish. Whoever catches the largest of the certain type of fish wins for that category. If a winning fish was to tie with another of the same weight, the angler who weighs his or her fish first is the winner. There are also tournaments that are based on how many fish are tagged and released. Whoever tags the most of a specified type of fish wins. Typical tournaments can involve anywhere from 30 to 500 boats.
While sport fishing does not have a defined league with consistent requirements, a few rules do appear continuously in different tournaments. Tournaments include certain boundaries to fish, which are marked by longitude and latitude. There is often a minimun weight limit on fish that are caught and kept. Also, anglers are limited to catching a certain number of fish if the type is rare and has a threat to becoming endangered. Other tournament rules include bringing caught fish to the weigh-in stations and signing a certificate, which affirms the specifics of his or her catch, which is made in agreement with tournament rules. Entry fees for the anglers, it is nonrefundable and can range from as little as $10 to as much as $2,000 per person. Some entry fees include the rod, reel, bait, tackle and license coverage.
Every
coastal state from Texas to Delaware has a coastal recreational fishing license
except North Carolina. However, the Coastal Recreational Saltwater
Fishing License is trying to pass a house bill that would require an annual
$15 license fee to fish off the coast of NC.
The current cost of a saltwater recreational fishing license in South
Carolina is $5.50 for residents and non-residents, but the price is likely
to be raised to $10, which is the cost of a freshwater fishing license. The average cost of a saltwater recreational
license in other coastal states is approximately $12 for residents and $32
for non-residents.
Depending on the amount of the entry fee and the financial support of the sponsors, the tournament prizes can range in worth. Some are awarded with cash, which can be in the low hundreds or in the hundreds of thousands. Trophies, boats, rods, binoculars and other fishing equipment are other types of prizes. Many of the tournaments donate a percentage or all of the winning money to a charity.
We were able to identify a target audience and demographic set for a sport fishing event with the use of Simmons Market Research data for the category of saltwater fishing. Research indicates that 5,421,000 American males have participated at least one time in saltwater fishing in the last 12 months (Simmons 1994). Caucasian saltwater fishermen outnumber African-American and other racial groups combined 7 to 1. Fishermen 35-49 years of age are 11% more likely to participate in sport fishing than the average saltwater fishermen. Education level also influences participation. Those who attended college are 22% more likely to saltwater fish than the average saltwater fishermen.
Geographic location within the United States plays a major role in determining saltwater fishing participation. Fishermen living in the South are 38% more likely to participate in saltwater fishing than the average fishing population. Furthermore, the number of saltwater fishermen in the South is only 400,000 less than all of the other U.S. regions combined.
Entry fees for tournaments are often very high; therefore the sport limits itself to middle to upper class audience. Because there are 1,327,000 saltwater fishermen in the U.S. with household incomes greater than 75,000, tournaments easily find participants willing to spend large amounts of money to compete.
“Your State’s Pride is on the Line.”
In order to participate in the tournament, teams from both states must submit an application along with a $100 fee to their state’s selection committee by a specified deadline. This application covers a 3-man team. The application will provide information on the applicants’ prior tournament experience, which will be the prime factor in the selection process. The selection committees will select fifty teams from each state as representatives in the tournament. The selected teams must provide their own boat, which must meet tournament guidelines, and their own transportation to the tournament location.
The North/South Challenge is a four-day tournament that is held from Thursday through Sunday. On days 1 and 2, all teams will fish to accumulate points. A cut will then be made to narrow the field to the top 10 teams in each state. Essentially, teams are competing within their own state to avoid elimination during this first round. On days 3 and 4, the point totals are cleared, and the top 10 from each state compete to accumulate points for their respective states. At the end of the final day of competition, the point totals of North and South Carolina will both be calculated, and a winner will be declared. The winning state earns the right to host the next year’s tournament in their state. Possible sites in North Carolina would include Morehead City and Nags Head. A cash prize will go to the team in each state with the highest point totals, as well as the heaviest catches in each fish category.
The tournament is based on a point system incorporating 11 different categories of fish, whereas most tournaments today focus on only one type of fish (see Appendix). This approach will create a strategic element in the competition, because the different types of fish require different types of bait, tackle, and equipment. The fish also vary in level of difficulty. Tournament teams could create strategies based on their personal skills. Teams could also work together within their states to develop strategies that maximize capabilities.
§ Each boat will be manned by a tournament official. The tournament official will be responsible for upholding the rules as well as documenting points earned by the team.
§ Each 3-man team is permitted to have up to four mates (deckhands) on board for assistance with navigation and equipment.
§ ONLY the designated anglers on each boat may hook fish, or touch the rigs while lines are in the water. A deckhand touching restricted equipment will result in point deduction and possibly disqualification.
§ Due to marine conservation issues, some fish will be on a “catch and release” policy. Unrestricted fish may be brought in at the angler’s discretion. The North/South Challenge strongly supports “catch and release” fishing.
§ Lines may not be in the water before the designated start time, or after the designated finish time. Violations will result in loss of that day’s point total.
The North/South Challenge will be held on the weekend of August 8-11, 2002. This weekend was chosen so as not to conflict with other major fishing tournaments in Charleston and in the Southeast, as well as major events in Charleston, such as the Spoleto Festival.
The location of our event is the Charleston Harbor Marina in Charleston, South Carolina. This is the largest marina in the state of South Carolina, with more than enough spaces for our 100 boats. We will also use the facilities around the marina to host nightly social events after each day of fishing that will draw the public to our event and allow our title sponsors to sell their product. On Friday night, the night of the first tournament cut, we will have our major social event, with live entertainment, food and beverages provided by sponsors. On Sunday night, there will be an awards ceremony where the winning state will be named and the teams with the highest point totals will be recognized.
Both the logo and theme of “Your State’s Pride is on the Line” illustrate the intrastate rivalry between North and South Carolina. We urge participants to prove the dominance of their state with their fishing skills in the theme, poster, and print advertisement.
Because of the great cost of putting on a fishing tournament, we will look to many different types of sponsors to help cover the cost of planning, production, and prize money. Our title sponsors for the event reflect the competition our tournament sets up between North Carolina and South Carolina. Palmetto, a beer brewed in South Carolina, and Carolina Blonde, a North Carolina beer, illustrate the tournament’s inter-state rivalry. Research shows that men 35-49 are most likely to participate in sport fishing. Beer companies were chosen as title sponsors because this age group is also a prime target for beer manufacturers, being 9% more likely than the rest of the population to consume domestic beer. There is a popular association between beer and fishing. Furthermore, beer manufacturers are typically willing to sponsor fishing tournaments, so we felt secure in our selection of a title sponsor. By choosing two competing local beer brewers, we worked to differentiate their sponsorship from the common beer-sponsored tournament.
In addition to a title sponsor, our event will include sponsors from these major categories: hotel, restaurant, fishing equipment, health and beauty, and local tourism. Not only will sponsors be chosen with the fishing participants in mind, but also to target the wives and families that may accompany the fishermen.
The Hilton Charleston Harbor Resort will be our primary hotel sponsor because of its close proximity to the tournament location. The cost of lodging will be included in the entry fee for one room per team. Any additional room reservations and costs will be the responsibility of the team. Participants will be able to choose to have a separate room if they plan to bring family along. By including the cost of lodging in the entry fee, all participants are encouraged to stay at our sponsor hotel in order to increase the value of their sponsorship.
Participants will also find a welcome package in their rooms upon arrival. This package will be provided by the North/South Challenge and will include an agenda for the weekend, brochures by each sponsor, t-shirts, local maps, and a set of Carolina Blonde and Palmetto beers. Furthermore, a 20% discount for future vacationing at the Hilton will be found this packet. The discount will be valid of up to one year in order to encourage participants to return to Charleston. The information packet will include details of the hotel and the surrounding Charleston area.
One advantage of choosing Charleston for our tournament location is the availability of restaurant groups. We selected a popular restaurant group to sponsor our events so that there can be a different sponsoring restaurant each night of the tournament, yet we will only deal with one company. Each night a private room will be reserved for participants and drink and dining specials will be offered at that particular restaurant to encourage participants to dine there. These restaurants will also be asked to provide hors d'oeuvres each afternoon when the boats arrive at the marina.
Both Croakies and Coleman will be sponsors of the tournament and provide welcome gifts for the participating teams. For the fashion merchandizing item, each team member will receive a Croakies sunglass holder with the printed tournament logo. Each state will have a designated color for their Croakies. Participants and spectators will be encouraged to wear their state’s color to heighten the rivalry. Coleman will provide both of the non-fashion merchandising items—a divided cooler to hold both fish and beer, and beer can coozies that suction to the side of a boat. These items will also feature the tournament logo and theme. Croakies and Coleman will set up a merchandising tent at the entrance of the marina so that every spectator and participant will have to walk past their displays to enter the event.
To target spouses of the fisherman participating in the tournament, Best of Charleston, a tourism firm, will plan and guide activities throughout the daytime hours. Best of Charleston will provide discount passes to Charleston attractions such as Middleton Place, Patriots Point, and Old South Carriage Company, along with other Charleston favorites. We will invite Best of Charleston to have several tour guides at the Hilton each morning to guide the families of the fishermen around the city. There will be a small fee to cover the cost of transportation and services provided.
The Carolina Salon & Spa will be another sponsor targeting women. In the participant’s welcome package, the women will find a 20% discount for a morning of relaxation and pampering at the spa. Each woman will be responsible for notifying the spa if they plan to participate. The spa will provide transportation to and from the event.
Palmetto and Carolina Blonde will have the opportunity to leverage their sponsorships in many ways, including internal promotions, consumer promotions, and advertising. The Palmetto and Carolina Blonde North/South Challenge will be used as a motivational tool for the salespeople of each company to increase sales. Each sales representative will compete for the opportunity to take part in the tournament, if they choose. The top five sales people in each company will be chosen to form a team that will take part in the tournament. The two teams will be allowed to compete with the participants for the first three days of the tournament and take part in all nightly festivities. Each sales team will receive a boat and crew to use for the length of the tournament. Teams will also receive a complimentary suite at the sponsor hotel for the length of the tournament.
Not only will this sponsorship work to leverage the companies internally, but also as advertising in the marina. Each company’s boat will feature the Palmetto or Carolina Blonde logo. The boats will serve as mobile advertisements as they sail through the marina and surrounding waters.
Consumers will be encouraged to purchase Palmetto and Carolina Blonde beer through a consumer promotion carried out across the Southeast. Under each bottle cap of Carolina Blonde and Palmetto beer there will be a picture of a fish and its point value that corresponds to the point system used in the tournament. Rules of the promotion, along with the point system, will be printed on the inside of the packaging for both beers. The “Take Your Beer Fishing” logo and the tournament logo will appear on the outside of the packaging to indicate its connection with the promotion. The one consumer for each brand of beer who finds the marlin under the cap will win a chartered fishing trip departing from the Charleston Harbor Marina after the tournament weekend. Smaller valued fish will be easier to catch and will be rewarded with smaller prizes such as our newly designed Coleman coolers, suctionable coozies, and Croakies with the tournament logo. Consumers are encouraged to attend the tournament and take part in moneymaking events by having the chance to redeem six bottle caps for prizes at the marina.
Media Habits
Studying media habits provides useful insight into the life of the typical saltwater fishermen. According to Simmons Market Research, the most popular magazines with saltwater fishermen include Field and Stream and Sports Illustrated. We plan to run our print ads in these publications. We found that the most popular and efficient cable television channels were ESPN2, with its specialized outdoor programs on Saturday and Sunday mornings, and TNN, which often carries fishing shows. However, we realize that it is unlikely to expect long amounts of national television coverage for a regional tournament. We aim for highlights and clips to be televised on some of these networks.