(Credit: Courtesy FISU, 2022)
Sidekick Creative of Glens Falls designed the logo for the 2023 Winter World University Games. The design evokes both the form of an athlete and the Adirondacks themselves.
Warren County's Occupancy Tax Committee agreed to spend $125,000 over the next few months on a sponsorship opportunity that will put the "Visit Lake George" logo on the competition bib of every athlete who wears a bib in the FISU Winter World Games, the international competition of college students. The logo will also be promoted on the ESPN TV network, which is covering the games.
The full Warren County Board of Supervisors will have to weigh in on this. According to Don Lehman with the county it is unclear if they will take it up on their Nov. 4 meeting or their Nov. 18 meeting.
The games run this Jan. 12 to 22, and 2,500 athletes and coaches from 600 colleges worldwide are expected to compete.
Lake Placid is the host village for the games, but the competition will be spread among Olympic Regional Development Authority locations and state properties such as SUNY Potsdam.
[Read our earlier FISU coverage here.]
Alfred Snow, the county's new tourism director, brought the proposal to the committee on Monday, but he was short on details other than those outlined above. He said he had gotten the proposal not long before the meeting.
“We would be the snowboard and freestyle [skiing] and freeski sponsor,” Snow said, adding that these are “the events that are happening up in Gore Mountain.”
Gore Mountain is in North Creek, the northern most tip of Warren County. Some on the committee wondered if West Mountain in Queensbury was participating, but Lake George Chamber President Gina Mintzer said that only state and ORDA venues were considered. West Mountain is privately owned.
North Creek does not have enough accommodations for the event.
“There’s not a lot of room available in Gore,” said Committee Chair Dennis Dickison.
“Correct,” Snow responded. “The competitors that are competing at Gore are staying in Queensbury.”
He said parents and others will also likely stay close. Competitors are expected to stay in short-term rentals, Snow said.
The board also asked about total spectators and exposure, and it was here that Snow did not have all the data.
“They’re talking 5,000 to 10,000 people just as spectators,” Snow told the committee. “What’s going on at Gore will greatly impact the Glens Falls and Lake George community."
There was some discussion about how the investment will be measured, and Snow said there will be a website page dedicated to the region. Clicks and views can be measured there, and tourism officials will be looking to ESPN for more information about the audience.
“I think it’s a worthwhile endeavor to do this,” said Supervisor Claudia Braymer who is not a member of the committee but spoke during public comment.
She called the ESPN exposure “astronomical” and told the committee to think of the international reach of the games. People might think of the Lake George area if they plan a future trip, she said.
The committee approved the expense unanimously.
Snow was out of the office Oct. 26 and could not be reached for further comment.
Mintzer said the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau will be creating buttons for hotel and restaurant staff to use while the games occur, welcoming people in.