Potawatomi Hotel & Casino has agreed to a multi-year sponsorship deal with Summerfest operator Milwaukee World Festivals Inc.
Under the sponsorship agreement, Potawatomi will have its name on the Founder’s Club, a premium VIP hospitality area at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater. It will also be the presenting sponsor of Summerfest’s Fan Appreciation Day on July 9. The two organizations announced the deal at a press conference Tuesday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
It’s not the first Summerfest sponsorship for Potawatomi, which for several years sponsored the covered stage near the festival ground’s mid gate until Johnson Controls Inc. took over those naming rights in 2013.
“We are thrilled to welcome back Potawatomi Hotel & Casino to Summerfest, … further strengthening our brands as two of the top tourist destinations in Milwaukee,” said Don Smiley, chief executive office of MWF. Smiley recently announced plans to retire at the end of 2023, passing the role of president to COO Sarah Smith Pancheri.
“It’s a great opportunity for these two homegrown institutions to work and grow together to make Milwaukee a can’t miss destination for people throughout the country,” said Dominic Ortiz, CEO and general manager Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. “This is such an exciting time to partner with Summerfest as the ‘World’s Largest Music Festival’ becomes bigger and better than ever.”
New this year, Fan Appreciation Day includes the “Big Win” giveaway, when fans will have a shot at taking home $1 million. All attendees who arrive between noon and 3 p.m. that day get in for free, and the first 30,000 fans will receive one free Summerfest 2023 ticket, which doubles as a Big Win entry ticket. To participate, fans will turn in the Big Win entry stub at a designated bin inside the festival’s mid gate between noon and 3 p.m. on July 9. Five winning tickets will be drawn; participants will compete to win by trying to be first to roll four dice with the Summerfest icon facing up.
An additional 20,000 Summerfest 2023/Big Win tickets will be distributed at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino ahead of Summerfest, which kicks off June 23. Fire Keeper Club members who visit Potawatomi on June 20, June 22, June 28 and June 30, starting at 8 a.m. will receive two Big Win tickets and two Summerfest 2022 general admission tickets, while daily supplies last.
