Dayton hosted the NCAA® First Four® Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament in March 2022. It represents the kick-off to March Madness and the Road to the Final Four. It also represents a huge event in Dayton and at the University of Dayton Arena, and a chance for Dayton to garner free televised and print national media attention. The Dayton CVB works in tandem with the staff at U.D. Arena and others in the community to ensure the event is as successful as possible. The NCAA’s two primary measurements of success are: 1. Ticket sales 2. Student-athlete experience. UD Arena consistently sells out for the Tournament. The CVB incorporates a variety of marketing methods to help ensure the student-athletes feel extremely welcome/recognized in Dayton. Our NCAA® First Four® marketing campaign initiatives include among other things: nearly 50 street-pole banners welcoming basketball fans and players (we can’t use the NCAA logo on these); welcome buttons for hotel staff, UD Arena staff, area bar/restaurant staff to wear (NCAA approves use of logo on these); a welcome table at the Dayton International Airport with balloons/blank brackets/pop-up banners; welcome banners at each of the five host hotels (for 8 teams), and at the media hotel; two school color and mylar basketball balloon trees for each of the eight teams in the hotel lobbies (16 total balloon trees); welcome posters at area hotels/bars/restaurants; welcome 4×4 foot sidewalk stickers around UD Arena (14); a welcome billboard at the Dayton International Airport (again some limitations from NCAA on use of their logo); a welcome ad placed in the Dayton Business Journal NCAA issue; personal welcome/cheering/screaming fans for each team as the team bus pulls up to the hotel—including bagpipers playing, team fight song playing with DJ/sound system in the lobby, welcome individually wrapped basketball sugar cookies distributed to players/fans/band/spirit squad in hotel lobby upon arrival; video-tape of 8 teams’ arrivals recorded and posted on social media on Monday’s arrival (following Selection Sunday announcement of teams), prior to Tuesday and Wednesday night Tournament games.
The NCAA consistently points out Dayton as the example of how cities should welcome NCAA players/events. We consistently receive high praise and the highest rankings and as a result continue to host the NCAA® First Four® in Dayton!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12rq2L4gWyk —- VIDEO LINK please view!

I have 8 other digital files I tried to upload (but limited to just 3??) — of digital billboards, vinyl billboards, welcome posters, welcome buttons, street pole banners, airport welcome table/display, hotel welcome banners etc. — please advise if there is a way I can email these to you. Thank you. Bev Rose brose@daytoncvb.net

Digital Billboards throughout Dayton

Dayton International Airport Welcome Table (prior to arrival of mylar basketball balloon trees – and with my dogs there 😊)
Basketball welcome buttons for hotel, restaurant, bar staff
NCAA buttons for hotel, restaurant, bar staff
Welcome posters put up all over town and in hotels, restaurants, bars etc.
Sample host hotel welcome décor and basketball cookies
Sample banner held to greet teams as they exit busses at hotels

4 foot x 4 foot sidewalk stickers all around University of Dayton Arena
Image inside UD Arena – CVB hosts clients at the game
image inside UD Arena

Vinyl billboard on billboard exiting the Dayton International Airport