Up to $5,000 In Scholarships Available for the 2009 Media/Marketing Summit
Pro and ProAm Drivers are Eligible for $100 or $200 in Discounts

Scholarships amounting to between $100.00 and $200.00 per person are available to eligible drivers to attend the 2009 Media/Marketing Summit conducted by Ckmedia Associates on October 19, 20 in Orange County, CA.A corporate donor who wishes to remain anonymous has made available up to $5,000 to be applied as scholarships and grants to reduce the cost to drivers who register to attend the summit.
“This is an extraordinarily generous offer from a company which, at present, has no competitive assets in the Formula Drift series,” offered Gary Keith, President and CEO of CKMedia Associates and Director of the 09M/MS.
The summit, an intensive two day seminar will bring together a cadre of highly experienced media and motorsports marketing professionals with up to 60 professional drift drivers and teams. Drifters will interact with the presenters and learn specific strategies and techniques on how to step up their media outreach and better market their competitive programs, making their teams and professional drifting as a whole more competitive for media coverage and marketing opportunities in the mainstream motorpsorts community.
“There has really never been anything quite like this summit in any series I have observed covering motorsports at every level for over 30 years,” said Keith. “And for a corporation, especially in these difficult economic times, to make such an offer, anonymously, is nothing short of extraordinary. There won’t be any banners, or branding of any kind, at their insistence. This is truly an altruistic gesture,” added Keith.
Who is Eligible and for How Much
The plan to apply the gifted funds, formulated by CKMedia, establishes “Angel Scholarships” amounting to $100.00 each, to be extended to the first 30 eligible drivers who register for the 09M/MS prior to the close of registration, Monday, September 28, 2009.
A portion of the gift fund will be set aside for up to ten “Special Needs Grants” of $200.00 for instances where very talented, dedicated and passionate drift drivers may need even more than the $100.00 scholarship provides. Those grants will be awarded on a case by case basis.
How to Register
Drivers wishing to receive either an Angel Scholarship or Special Needs Grant are urged to submit the online registration form as soon as possible. No deposit is required at the time the registration form is submitted. Registrants will receive a Paypal invoice to pay the registration fee. The fee can be paid by credit or debit card, online check or via the registrant’s own Paypal account.
Registration is NOT Free
“An email, not authored or authorized by CKMedia indicated that due to the gifted funds, attendance might be free,” said Gary Keith, President and CEO of CKMedia Associates and the Director of The 2009 Media/Marketing Summit. “While well intentioned, the email was inaccurate, and it’s my understanding an email expressing the actual situation has been sent to the recipients of the original email. We regret the confusion, but we agree with the donor, that is it critically important to incentivize attendance to the summit to as many potential attendees as possible as opposed to serving a very small number, in fact a number so small it would not be feasible to conduct the summit,” added Keith.
“We remain overwhelmed at the generosity of the gift, from a company that currently has no promotional assets in professional drifting, and that the adjusted cost of the summit represents great value for an unparalleled opportunity for drivers and teams to improve their media outreach and marketing strategies which will definitely result in greater visibility for the drivers and teams, and increased revenue in these difficult economic times, and beyond.
While sponsors and teams who compete in the Formula Drift professional drift championship series are encouraged to send a representative to the summit so they may also step up their media and marketing strategies, scholarships are made available only to drivers, at the specific direction of the donor.
“The idea is to spread assistance among as many as possible, so this incredibly valuable experience plus the written and electronic resources provided to each attendee, will be available to anyone who wants to improve the professionalism of their drift program, whether its a grass roots effort, or an elite team competing at the national championship level,” said Keith.
What is The 09M/MS?
A group of up to nine media and sports marketing professionals with combined experience totaling over 200 years at print and broadcast media and motorpsorts marketing for some of racing’s biggest teams and events will lead the sessions which include discussions on how to develop and conduct a media program with little or no budget and no professional outside assistance, strategies to develop successful sponsorship presentations, as well as how to develop new streams of revenue apart from traditional sponsors, and using the new media beyond Facebook and MySpace to build and energize a fan base and generate new revenue streams.
Drivers will even receive intensive training from media professionals from network radio and television and print journalists, teaching effective interview techniques and practices.
Where to Get More Information
A FACT SHEET and curriculum can be downloaded from The Inside Drift show page. The online registration form can be submitted instantly. Only registrations from current Formula Drift pro license holders, or their teams, ProAm drivers and teams that have qualified, or who may still qualify for the ProAm finals in December, or any other driver who has received an invitation from CKMedia will be accepted. No distinction or advantage is extended to either Pros or non-pros, or by series. Registrations are accepted on a first come, first served basis.
Drivers or team reps who have not yet received an invitation to register for the 09M/MS, but would like to attend, immediately contact Gary Keith. Drivers from Formula Drift in the USA, Drift Mania in Canada, D1GP/USA, and ProDrift in Ireland have contacted CKMedia for details about attending the summit.
A maximum of 60 registrations will be accepted for the summit which will be held in Orange County, CA on October 19-20, 2009, immediately following the Formula Drift season finale and banquet. Registration for the 09M/MS will close on September 28, 2009, when 60 valid registrations have been received, whichever comes first.

LINKS:

Fact sheet: www.thedriftzone.com/2009-media-summit.v4.pdf

Online Registration form: http://jotform.com/form/92433242842

The Inside Drift show page: http://www.theinsidedrift.com

Gary Keith email: [email protected]