Mark Pierce rides into the BOK Center on his boat, brandishing his bass for the weigh-in. (Photo by Seigo Saito)
B.A.S.S. brought its Bassmaster Classic to Tulsa, Okla., Feb. 22-24, bringing more than 100,000 fans from all over the world to the region for the free event, presented by Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa. The actual fishing portion of the Bassmaster Classic took place on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, but two SMG-managed facilities were home to the fishing festivities.
The BOK Center hosted weigh-ins where the 53 competing anglers were towed in on their boats to weigh their fish. Doors opened at 3 p.m. each day for the 5 p.m. event, which brought 42,593 people to the arena over three days.
“Bassmaster Classic is often referred to by people within and out of the industry as the Super Bowl of Bass fishing,” said Eric Lopez, director of Event Operations at B.A.S.S.
He said that the Bassmaster Classic wows the crowd and brings in new fans with its high production value.
“Our goal is to attract the typical fishing fan, but also bring in that new person. That’s what we’re doing by building these elaborate stages that are using beyond high definition screens and video technology,” he added. “We’re bringing in the newest in terms of lighting and design.”
Across the street from the BOK Center, Tulsa Convention Center hosted 2013 Bassmaster Classic Outdoor Expo, presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Assistant GM at SMG-Tulsa Jeff Nickler said there was about a four-and-a-half day load-in for both venues, with the entire event taking up about nine days.
“It’s one of the biggest events we’ve ever had between the two buildings,” said Nickler. “They took up every square inch of the 300,000-sq.-ft. convention center.”
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The Bassmaster Classic Outdoor Expo at Tulsa Convention Center. (Photo by Jeremy Charles)
More than 54,000 attendees visited the Classic Outdoor Expo, which featured a combination of national sponsors like Toyota to ‘mom and pop shops.’
“Bass fishing is very popular to follow in Japan. We also had a competitor from South Africa and clubs in Europe, so we had attendees coming to all parts of the event from around the world,” said Lopez.
About 200 exhibitors participated overall. The standard booth size was a 10-foot-by-10-foot area, with space costing $18.65 per square foot. Corner booths cost an additional $500.
The Bass Bash Festival was situated on Third Street between the two buildings, featuring a heated, tented area with live music and food trucks, as well as a beer garden.
“On the arena side, the biggest challenge was that they’re general admission, free events,” said Nickler. “Hours before the event we had thousands of people lined up. All three days we actually had to close the building and stop letting people in because we were at capacity.”
The Bass Bash Festival gave those who couldn’t get seating for the weigh-ins an activity and also provided entertainment while between the two events.
Though the company is still determining the economic impact the event brought to Tulsa, B.A.S.S. noted in a press release that previous Bassmaster Classics that weren’t as well attended still generated as much as $24 million in economic impact.
B.A.S.S. negotiates the contract for the Bassmaster Classic a couple of years out. In Tulsa, B.A.S.S. worked with the Tulsa Sports Commission (TSC) to establish a contract. The TSC, in turn, negotiated with the venues.
“In this instance, they went with the SMG-operated venues of Tulsa Convention Center and BOK Center,” said Lopez. “For an event of our size, which is truly a city-wide event, it works best when we have that relationship with one organization that’s already established in the city and can negotiate all the other subcontracts.”
The contract with SMG involved no rental fee. Instead, the facilities made their money purely through food and beverage sales.
“It’s one of those events that we do for the overall impact on the community — for the hotel nights and the tax revenue,” explained Nickler. “Both our typical concessions and also beer and alcohol sales were phenomenal for the two facilities.”
Lopez said that it’s important to the company to keep the Bassmaster Classic as a free event because it’s a way to give back to the fans and also contribute to the massive attendance.
“We could easily change our structure and charge, but we have about 600,000 people who receive our magazine on a monthly basis and are members. A lot of them come to the event, so they’re paying in one way, shape or form,” he said. “We want to be able to give back to the people who support us throughout the year.”
There are some pay concepts associated with the event. This year, a marshal program was implemented at the Bassmaster Classic. The marshal program lets people pay $350 to go out on the water with a competitor for at least two days. The marshals get their own uniforms and serve as the official observers.
BOK Center, filled to capacity, on day two of the weigh-ins. (Photo by Seigo Saito)
The Bassmaster Classic also relies on its sponsors, including Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Evan Williams Bourbon, and Yamaha, among others.
“We wouldn’t be able to do it without our sponsors,” said Lopez. “Thankfully, I can report that sponsorship is growing. I’d like to think that it’s all because people love bass, but it’s because the economy is rebounding, too.”
At the end of the classic, $1,194,500 is given out in prize money — $500,000 of which goes to the winner. Lopez added that after a win, the champion is offered many endorsement deals, so the prize money is just one way that their life changes.
This year, the Bassmaster Classic champion was Cliff Pace from Petal, Miss.
B.A.S.S. doesn’t do any stocking and makes sure to go to lakes without any manipulation. Anglers caught a total of 548 bass during this year’s event. It was difficult to return the fish to the lake this year because Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees is about 90 miles away from BOK Center.
“All of the fish are not only returned to water, but returned to the same water they were caught from. It’s a significant operation at times, especially this past year,” Lopez said. “But this past year I’m happy to say that we had a 100-percent return rate.”
The 2014 Bassmaster Classic will be held in Birmingham, Ala., Feb. 21-23. Daily weigh-ins and the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo will be held at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.
Interviewed for this story: Eric Lopez, (864) 672-4994; Jeff Nickler, (918) 894-4254