ROYAL OAK – New business partnerships and exciting alliances to benefit the community and enhance the festival experience were announced as organizers, sponsors and festival co-founder, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, shared plans for the 18th Annual Ford Arts, Beats & Eats presented by Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort. An extended partnership with Ford, expanded relationship with Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort and new sponsorships with OUR Credit Union and Vibe Credit Union will boost Ford Arts, Beats & Eats, taking place in downtown Royal Oak Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4-7.
In its 17-year history, Ford Arts, Beats & Eats has not only entertained millions of people, but has also greatly impacted the entire area by raising $4.5 million from gate admission, beverage proceeds and other festival sponsored community initiatives benefiting nonprofits and civic organizations throughout southeastern Michigan.
The area's largest Labor Day weekend celebration will continue to be known as Ford Arts, Beats & Eats as the Southeast Michigan Ford Dealers, in partnership with Ford Motor Company's Detroit Region, extends its Title Sponsorship agreement, which it has held since 2010, to 2018. The festival's impact and reach could not be achieved without this key corporate support.
"We are proud to continue to invest in the communities we serve by extending our Title Sponsorship of Ford Arts, Beats & Eats," said Amy Marentic, Detroit Regional Sales Manager for Ford Motor Company. "In the five years of our title involvement, we have found it has presented an ideal setting to showcase our Ford products through displays and interactive activities with entertaining and informative features."
Strong community backing continues for Oakland County's premier Labor Day festival with the upgrade of the key partnership with Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort as it expands its role to Presenting Sponsor through 2017, making the new official title of the festival as: Ford Arts, Beats & Eats presented by Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort.
"We are excited to expand our agreement with Ford Arts, Beats & Eats to become its presenting sponsor," said Raul Venegas, Director of Marketing & Entertainment at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort. "In the years of our involvement with the festival, we have found it offers the most successful event marketing opportunity of its kind. It not only creates valuable exposure in the Metro Detroit area but it has driven thousands of festival-goers to our properties in Mt. Pleasant."
Ford Arts, Beats & Eats also announced new partnerships with two credit unions with a downtown Royal Oak presence. OUR Credit Union and Vibe Credit Union will share exclusive rights as financial institution sponsors at the festival.
"The success of Ford Arts, Beats & Eats is due to collaboration among businesses, our communities, and civic organizations," said L. Brooks Patterson, Oakland County Executive. "Their support enables this regional quality of life event to continue without utilizing taxpayers' dollars."
To satisfy growing interest, Ford Arts, Beats & Eats will once again present its popular health and fitness activities as part of the weekend's offerings while also making a few fun tweaks.
The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), the area's cultural beacon for more than a century, is once again involved in Ford Arts, Beats & Eats with two new enriching features, DIA Away: Think Like an Artist and Artist Demonstrations.
DIA Away is a free, mobile interactive classroom for students and a creative exploration space for people of all ages and will add an educational hands-on art experience to the festival. The fully furnished, vibrantly designed 53 foot double-expandable trailer gives participants the opportunity to discover some of the ways artists think and then try out creative thinking skills at digital and hands-on stations.
DIA Away is one of the many ways the DIA shares its world-renowned collection and educational resources outside its museum walls and was created in consultation with area educators, community members, DIA visitors and in collaboration with MRA experiential tours & equipment. DIA Away will be located in the Kids Zone sponsored by DMC Children's Hospital of Michigan.
In addition, the DIA will be the presenting sponsor of Artist Demonstrations at the festival each day as an extension of their Think Like An Artist exhibit. The DIA will present three onstage art demonstrations each day of the festival. In each demonstration, a festival visual artist will have a piece they are working on, explain how it is made and talk about their techniques. Each demonstration will take between 15 and 30 minutes and will be located on an exclusive stage in the OUR Credit Union parking lot.
