Red, White & BOOM! is the largest single-day event in Columbus, Ohio and the largest Independence Day celebration in the Midwest. What began decades ago as a small gathering of residents in a park now attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors for a downtown parade, street festival, live music, and a legendary fireworks display.
With public funding of only $10,000 and event costs nearing $750,000, revenue generation is absolutely critical. When the non-profit organization that oversees BOOM! brought on McCullers Group, it was subsisting primarily on donations. The McCullers team changed all that by inventorying assets and creating a tiered sponsorship structure that includes exclusive entitlements and provides tangible, measurable value. Today the event generates more than half its revenue in sponsorship by helping brands like, NBC, Pepsi, iHeart Radio, US Bank, Ford, the United States Army, the United States Marines Corps, Meijer Grocery Stores, and Speedway Convenience Stores tell their stories. And the activation those companies do delivers even more to the event’s $15 million annual impact on the local economy.
