Tagliani signs agent in search of sponsorship

UPDATE Alex Tagliani says he is close to securing enough sponsorship which would see him return full-time to the IndyCar Series this year.

Alex Tagliani

Tagliani was in Edmonton Wednesday to help promote the start of ticket sales for this year's Rexall Edmonton Grand Prix. The 35-year-old is also hoping that his road back to the IndyCar Series will go through the province of Alberta.

"One of the reasons I'm here is we've put together a proposal to a group of companies that will benefit the whole province and the city and the race," he said. Without going into too much detail, Tagliani says the deal would provide plenty of sponsorship exposure while benefitting local racing programs and charities as well as helping secure the long-term future of the race in Edmonton.

"It's real important that we protect the events we have in Canada … and that means we have to give sponsors a wider platform and that's what we're trying to do."

03/17/09 OOMPH! Events Inc., a leading Edmonton-based event management and sponsorship firm has been selected to work with IndyCar Series team Conquest Racing and Canadian driver Alex Tagliani. Serving as a sponsorship agent, OOMPH! is working with Conquest and Mr. Tagliani to secure sponsors primarily in the Canadian market for the 2009 IndyCar Racing season.

"After speaking at one of their events last summer, I was really impressed with OOMPH!'s sponsorship abilities," said driver Alex Tagliani. "I saw that they understood what it takes to build strong corporate partnerships and I knew these guys could bring some fresh thinking to race car sponsorship, which is why I wanted them to work with me and Conquest Racing."

While assembling its driver and sponsorship program, Conquest Racing has been working with Alex Tagliani to put together a program for the 2009 season. Tagliani joined the team late last summer and finished the 2008 IndyCar Series season with them. In only three starts in the IndyCar Series, Tagliani posted impressive results – registering one of the fastest laps in Detroit and placing fourth at Surfers Paradise, Australia, giving the team great momentum heading into the off-season.

"The IndyCar Series is in the 'Big Leagues' when it comes to sports entertainment," said OOMPH! President Ian MacGillivray. "We're excited to team up with a professional organization like Conquest Racing in order to help Canadian companies take advantage of the IndyCar Series platform. Tagliani just completes the package – Alex has been great to work with and he really understands his role in driving value to sponsors. He does much more than just token PR appearances. He rolls up his sleeves and works with sponsors. And his out of the box thinking is a great fit with how we approach sponsorship."

The OOMPH! team has a proven track record in sponsorship sales, activation, and delivery – managing around two million dollars in B2B and B2C sponsorship deals per year. OOMPH! will build a sponsorship program that allows Canadian companies to promote themselves through the powerhouse marketing combo of Conquest Racing, Alex Tagliani, the IndyCar Series and the Rexall Edmonton Indy.