This year's Kentucky Derby will have an added VIP attraction: the legendary Maxim Magazine Super Bowl party
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According to AdAge, Maxim will branch out and host two of its invite-only parties at this year's Masters and the world famous Derby. Clearly this would be a great opportunity for horse racing to hit the coveted young male demographic that Maxim attracts, and the magazine feels that the arrangement would be mutually beneficial.
"The thinking is we've had so much success around the Maxim Super Bowl party -- even when the economy was diving, the demand from marketers and high-end consumers never abated," said Maxim Chief Revenue Officer Ben Madden. "Certainly we want to be in the areas where our partners want to be, where our high-end consumers want to be, and where there's a sports moment involved. The Masters and the Kentucky Derby certainly fit that bill."
Madden is still negotiating with sponsors for the Derby, but partners for The Masters include Lamborghini, Michelob Ultra beer, KRU82 Vodka and Odyssey Golf. While experts questioned whether golf and horse racing is the right fit for Maxim, Madden indicates that research states it is.
"The Masters is one of the ultimate guy weekends," he said. "There's a lot of corporate people there, there's a lot of client-hosting and there are a lot of guys who have achieved a certain status, financially and otherwise. It's a place for us to be."
Tickets for the 2011 Maxim Super Bowl party in Dallas were being sold for $2,500 by ticket brokering companies. The operator of another service said, "The Maxim Super Bowl party is the place to see and be seen. I don't know about the golf, but I'll tell you right now the Kentucky Derby party is going to be the bomb. Lots of celebrities go to the Derby and there's lots of money there."