TKO Group‘s Takeover Weekend in Kansas City from April 24-28 will include Casey’s as a sponsor for its Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Professional Bull Riding (PBR), and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) events.
As an official partner of TKO Takeover Weekend, the convenience store chain will get unified brand marketing for PBR Knockout: PBR Teams Missouri vs. The World, UFC Fight Night: Machado Garry vs. Prates, and WWE RAW, all taking place in Kansas City, Missouri.
With all three events taking place at the T-Mobile Centre in Kansas City, the TKO Takeover Weekend marks the beginning of the first synergies amongst TKO’s subsidiaries to expand all three products at the same time.
Robby Miller, VP of UFC Global Partnerships, said, “Bringing UFC, WWE, and PBR together in one city over the same weekend is a milestone for TKO, and Casey’s is an ideal partner to help us highlight this achievement. UFC, WWE, and PBR are three powerhouse properties with massive, highly engaged fanbases and remarkably little audience duplication. Casey’s is tapping into the cultural impact of TKO and breaking ground for how brands can strategically activate with us to engage with fans and consumers.”
Casey’s will have major brand placement inside the UFC Octagon and the WWE ring, in addition to signage around the arena during the PBR Knockout event, including the bucking chutes and fence.
Furthermore, Casey’s will work with UFC, WWE, and PBR to engage fans with unique content delivered via each brand’s digital and social platforms.
The arrangement also includes other aspects that will bring the relationship to life, such as fan promotions featuring renowned WWE Superstars, in-arena activations, VIP hospitality, and more.
Tom Brennan, Chief Merchandising Offer at Casey’s, said, “Casey’s is all about delivering an exceptional guest experience and part of that is creating bold partnerships that engage our guests and fans. We are thrilled to be an Official Partner of TKO Takeover Weekend, an unstoppable force bringing this region a never-seen-before trio of events. Nothing beats watching UFC, WWE or PBR with your favourite Casey’s pizza, and we’re excited to show fans what can happen when all of this comes together in one epic weekend.”
TKO, which acquired PBR and OnLocation last year, believes that the worldwide audiences of UFC and WWE would help bring new viewers to bull racing promotional events in the future years.
The TKO Takeover Weekend is one endeavour the sports fighting conglomerate is putting in place to do this, and the corporation is also hoping to increase ad revenue for the UFC, WWE, and PBR with the inclusion of Casey’s.