APTOS, Calif. (Jan. 6, 2010) –- Entering the Chilean Avocado Lovers Club national random drawing gave Pueblo, Colo. resident Jennifer Smith the hottest ticket in town – two tickets and all-expenses-paid trip to the 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Ariz. This weekend, Smith will head to Arizona to see the most talked-about bowl game faceoff featuring the top two teams in the nation – the undefeated Auburn Tigers versus the undefeated Oregon Ducks.
“As an avocado lover and football fan, this couldn’t have worked out any better!” said Smith. “I’m excited…I get to see a great game, am the envy of most football fans, AND I get to nosh on guacamole and avocado dishes at the pre-game tailgate party before the game!”
Tostitos BCS National Championship Game tickets are currently selling for more than $3,000 a piece at online ticket retailers like StubHub.com. But by entering and winning the Chilean Avocado Lovers Club national random drawing, aspiring chef and full-time culinary student, Jennifer and her guest received an all-expenses-paid trip including airfare, transportation, accommodations and of course, entry into the Chilean avocado VIP luxury suite to watch the No. 1 and No. 2 BCS ranked teams from some of the best seats in the stadium.
“It’s great exposure for Chilean Hass Avocados to be a part of such a highly anticipated and high profile bowl game,” said Maggie Bezart, Marketing Director of the Chilean Avocado Importers Association. “It gives our other VIP attendees, who are representatives from major grocery retailers and avocado importers, a direct pulse on a major consumer segment – our guacamole-snacking football fans. With a chips and salsa snack, fresh guacamole completes the perfect touchdown pass!”
Open to all U.S. residents, consumers were able to join the Chilean Avocado Lovers Club and enter the drawing during a five-month time frame beginning, Sept. 15, 2010. Smith was picked as the grand-prize winner, chosen out of more than 5,100 total entries.
“I’m a huge avocado lover – it’s actually the first food I introduced to my son as a baby – and I use it frequently in my signature dish which is an avocado tart with avocado sauce and berries,” Smith shared. “This trip is really a dream for me and for my guest who is just as obsessed with football as I am with avocados!“
Through the sponsorships with the Insight Bowl, Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and the 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game , Jennifer and hundreds of thousands of other college football enthusiasts will learn about Hass avocados from Chile at College Football’s Biggest Party (CFBP) and taste them first-hand at the Chilean Hass Avocados sponsored Fiesta Bowl Stadium Club tailgate pre-game extravaganza prior to the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game. Fans can also take photos with the Chilean Avocado Man mascot at the tailgate parties prior to kickoff.
For more information about CAIA’s Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and Tostitos BCS National Championship game partnership, visit www.chileanavocados.org. Additional information about the Chilean Avocado Lovers Club is available by visiting www.chileanavocadoloversclub.com. Or to become a fan of the Chilean Avocado Lovers Club on Facebook, visit www.facebook.com/chileanavocados.
The Fiesta Bowl was the first organization to host three bowl games in one postseason during the 2006-07 campaign, a feat it will achieve again during the 2010-11 bowl season. The Insight Bowl, matching teams from the Big 12 and Big Ten, was played on Dec. 28, 2010, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl took place on Jan. 1, 2011, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale and the 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game will kick off on Jan. 10, in Glendale – a record seventh national championship game hosted by the Fiesta Bowl. All three games will be televised nationally on ESPN.
Established in 2002, CAIA is composed of Chilean avocado importers, exporters and producers. The association’s main objective is to conduct market development activities and promotions to increase the consumption of Chilean Hass avocados in the United States during the Chilean season, August through March. Chilean Hass avocados are available throughout the fall and winter, when California avocados are out of season.
Source: Chilean Avocado Importers Association
