Broadcaster Rick Benjamin to MC Orlando RPM Workshop Awards

Promoters to gather in Orlando, Benjamin master of  ceremonies at awards

Edgar, WI -  Racing broadcaster Rick Benjamin is master of  ceremonies at the February 11th Speedweek Awards Breakfast, the opening ev ent of the annual Speedweek National RPM Promoters Workshop, at the Orlando  Marriott Lake Mary.  Benjamin, a veteran short-track racing broadcaster, has hosted or called a broad range of televised racing events for more than 20 years. 

This year he will host Hooters Pro Cup telecasts, and with his companies Visioncast, Inc/Carolinas Production Group Inc. will produce cover age of the new ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour.  He will also host Champ Car World Series and Champ Car Atlantic Series on ESPN, as well as the Carolina Pa nthers (NFL) Radio Network, and will launch a new weekly national radio bro adcast on Sirius NASCAR Radio with Hall of Famer Buddy Baker. 

Benjamin led  for six seasons TNN’s award-winning “RaceDay” telecast and has called cove rage on national television of NASCAR’s Cup, Nationwide, and Truck Series e vents.  He has also called World of Outlaws Late Model racing for SPEED and  for four seasons served as host of SPEED News.”

The Workshop, which follows the award ceremony, opens with keynote remarks from Ben Shields, coauthor of “The Elusive Fan, a book describing the dynamics of the fast-changing sports marketplace.  Followup sessions put his the oretical findings into practical focus.

Karen and Kevin Flynn, share notes taken at more than 1100 different games at 190 sports venues, and Jacob Aga janian, who last season packed Irwindale Speedway exclusively using Web med ia, also explains how promoters can adapt his techniques to reach the digital generation.  Other sessions discuss, the day-to-day issues promoters face.  Among them: “Ticket and Cash Management.” 

For new promoters: “The Short Track Short Course.”  Covering sponsorship: “Finding and Keeping Partners .”  And “Eat, Drink & Be Merry,” discussing food and beverage operations. I n TechSpec, experts address racing rules and enforcement, the issues surrou nding “crate” and “built” engines, and broader chassis and competition tech  issues.  “Line Up, Brush Up,” will discuss scoring.

Two more sessions explore pressing current issues–”Hard Surface, Hard Times,” and “Digging Dirt”  explore why dirt racing is booming and pavement is not.  Finally, the “Ris ky Business Forum” discusses insurance and risk management.

The meetings are the 94th and 95th produced by Racing Promotion Monthly sin ce 1974.  More than 1400 track operators, their employees, and industry lea ders attended last year’s Workshops.  Racing Promotion Monthly, the idea ne wsletter of auto racing promoters, and the Workshops are produced with the year-round support of K&K Insurance Group, Inc., Hoosier Racing Tire. 

The 35th Workshops are produced with added sponsorship support from: The Eldora do Hotel Casino, INEX, GM Performance parts, Lucas Oil Products, Moffett Pr oductions, Musco Sports Lighting, World Racing Group, the World of Outlaws and DIRTcar, Simes Graphic Designs, and RACEceiver scanners and race manage ment software.  More information is available from RPM at 715-536-1067, or on the World Wide Web at www.racingpromotionmonthly.net.

Source: Racing Promotion Monthly | S. Doty