PIKEVILLE, Ky. — The Pike County Chamber of Commerce announced that new UK Men’s Head Basketball Coach John Calipari will be the featured speaker at the Chamber’s Annual Dinner and Awards Show in July.

“We are honored to have Coach Calipari come to Pike County for our event,” said Chamber President and CEO Brad Hall, about the dinner scheduled for July 17, at 7 p.m., at the Eastern Kentucky Exposition Center. “There is no better speaker we could’ve found for the people of eastern Kentucky and we offer many thanks to Mrs. Pam May and Mr. Walter May for their assistance in helping us secure the coach as a speaker.”

In order to successfully pull-off this event, the chamber announced it is in need of sponsors at the silver, gold and platinum levels.  Each sponsor will receive a certain number of VIP/Meet& Greet/Photo Passes to meet Coach Calipari as well as signage and representation at the event and/or in event advertising. 

“We are limited to a certain number of sponsors for each category, so please contact me at your earliest convenience,” Hall said.

Silver Level = $1,000 will receive 1 VIP Pass as well as your logo placed on tickets, etc., ceremony brochures and invitations, event signage placed throughout the venue, and 1 premiere table at event.

Gold Level = $2,500  will receive  4 VIP Passes; everything listed above in the Silver Level Sponsorships, signage on the stage at the event, as well as display advertising in local media as part of the Chamber’s press releases, and 1 premiere table at event.

Platinum Level = $5,000 will receive 8 VIP Passes; everything listed above in Silver, and Gold Level sponsorships, as well as a mention in all media (sent out by the Pike County Chamber of Commerce) as The Pike Chamber Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony Presented by “Your Company,” sponsor will be included in all promotions and media coverage, mention in all Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony press releases, an editorial mention in the Ceremony program, sponsor will be mentioned on WYMT, WPRG Television Stations, along with all local radio in any mention of the Chamber Ceremony, where the commercial/PSA/discussion is initiated by the Pike County Chamber of Commerce, as the presenter, and first right of acceptance or refusal to the platinum sponsorship for the Chamber Ceremony in 2010.

Individual tickets are $50 each, while a table for eight is $400 each and public viewing (upper level seating, no dinner included) is $10 each.

Call the Pike County Chamber office at (606) 432-5504 to reserve sponsorship and/or tickets.

About Coach Calipari…

On Wednesday, April 1, 2009 the University of Kentucky named John Calipari the 22nd head coach in UK basketball history. The 2009 Sports Illustrated National Coach of the Year, Calipari led the Memphis Tigers to an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance and a 33-4 record this season. He also led the Tigers to the 2008 NCAA title game, and Memphis’ 38 wins in 2007-08 made him the winningest coach for a single season in NCAA history. As a result, Calipari was named Naismith National Coach of the Year for a second time in his career. He is only the second coach to receive the honor multiple times since the award’s inception in 1987.

The Tigers’ 147 wins the last four seasons made Calipari the winningest coach in a four-year span in NCAA Division I history. During that same time, he directed the Tigers to four straight 30-win campaigns becoming the first coach in NCAA Division I history to record four-straight 30-win ledgers. His 104 victories in the last three seasons are the second-most in NCAA Division I history in a three-year span. With his success in Memphis, Calipari’s overall record soared to 445-140 for an impressive 76.1 winning percentage. His 445 wins is the second most in NCAA Division I history in the first 17 years and is ready to make more records with the UK Wildcats.