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Guest Editorial – How Flint Pulled Together to Retain the Buick Open Through 2006
By Jerry Preston, President of the Flint Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
 More than a year ago when Buick Open officials announced that they were reviewing their options and looking at other venues for the Buick Open, the presidents of the Commerce Center—an alliance of the Flint Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Flint Area Chamber of Commerce, the Flint-Genesee Economic Growth Alliance and the Genesee Area Focus Council—became very concerned that we could lose this most prestigious event in Genesee County. The positive international image the Open brings to our community, the significant contributions to our local charities, and approximately $10 million economic impact are a major part of our community’s success.
The Flint Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, in concert with our Commerce Center partners and the Grand Blanc Chamber of Commerce, decided to organize a support team to assist Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club in its effort to attain a long-term contract renewal.
Warwick had already approved a $5.2 million renovation and construction of a new clubhouse, in addition to making other changes that would benefit the tournament. From a community standpoint, we strategized about how we could best assist the club.
We first developed a dynamic, comprehensive presentation for Buick Open officials to demonstrate all the benefits of continuing Buick’s long-standing relationship with Warwick Hills and the community. We believed that a unified, regional approach would be vital to the success of this effort, and as part of the presentation, we detailed a community-wide commitment to the Buick Open. Since numerous groups and companies throughout the community had expressed the desire to show their support, we also initiated a letter-writing campaign. By the date of the presentation, more than 100 letters had been received. The eventual response filled four volumes.
Congressman Dale Kildee and Oakland County Executive Brooks Patterson participated in the presentation, explaining the contributions their constituents make to the Open. Easter Seals Director Elliott Fauster talked about the efforts of the more than 1,500 volunteers and the resulting impact on the Buick Open charities. The team indicated that we wanted to assist in any way we could to make the Buick Open “more than just a golf tournament” by creating new activities that would support the Open and raise additional funds for the Buick Open charities. The Genesee County Board of Commissioners even approved a resolution that our community would be willing to do anything necessary to continue the tradition of the Buick Open at Warwick.
The Bureau pledged to support the expansion of the Buick Open and to assist with the positioning of the Buick Open as a “southeast Michigan” event by providing a person whose responsibility would include the planning and implementation of activities related to the goals.
The success of the presentation allowed us to begin a series of strategy meetings with Buick Open and Warwick officials. We set goals and developed action items for the enhancement of subsequent Buick Open tournaments.
The three goals were:
1. To attract the best possible field of PGA players, resulting in increased television viewership and Buick brand recognition;
2. To attract additional patrons, resulting in increased revenue for the tournament; and
3. To expand the tournament from a “Flint area” event to a “southeast Michigan” event, resulting in increased brand recognition and attendance.
As part of the community effort, we also formed the Buick Open Community Alliance, a group of business and community leaders dedicated to supporting the Open by encouraging local businesses to sponsor elements of the tournament. Members of the Alliance and selected potential sponsors attended two meetings at which sponsorship opportunities for the 2002 Buick Open were presented. Letters also were sent to more than 2,000 businesses in Genesee County, suggesting that they consider Buick Open sponsorship opportunities as they develop their 2002 budgets. The response to this initiative resulted in significant increases in sales.
In early 2002, we received the good news. Buick extended the contract for an additional year, and we kept on working. A few weeks ago, our efforts came to fruition with the highly successful first annual Buick Open Charity Ball, a black-tie gala fundraiser for an audience from across southeast Michigan. The silent auction alone raised more than $45,000 for the Buick Open charities, and the event introduced a new level of elegance and prestige to the tournament. During the week of the Open, we continued our activities with a barbeque for players and their families as well as a visit to one of the local charities for several of the tour wives.
After more than a year of focused effort, the community’s commitment to support Warwick and to help Buick increase the caliber of the tournament was rewarded with an announcement of a contract through 2006, the duration of Buick’s contract with the PGA Tour.
We had been challenged by Buick to “raise the bar.” At the press conference held just before the Buick Open Charity Ball, announcing the new contract, Roger Adams, general manager of Buick Motor Division, summed it up when he said, “What we were looking for was the best place to host the Buick Open. After considering 10 other venues this was the best total package because of the community’s involvement and the volunteers’ willingness to do whatever it took to raise the bar.”
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