05 Oct 2015

TICKETS FOR PREMLIMINARY ROUNDS OF NCAA® DIVISION I MEN's BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GO ON SALE OCTOBER 17

By Addison Bratvold

INDIANAPOLIS -- Tickets to preliminary rounds of the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship go on sale at 10 a.m. local time Saturday, Oct. 17, to each host city. Fans wishing to buy tickets to the First Four®, first- and second-round games or regional competition should go to www.NCAA.com/MBBTickets.

The 2016 championship begins on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, March 15-16, with the First Four -- four first-round games taking place in Dayton, Ohio. First- and second-round action takes place Thursday and Saturday, March 17 and 19, in Denver; Des Moines, Iowa; Providence, Rhode Island; and Raleigh, North Carolina. Also, hosting first- and second-round games Friday and Sunday, March 18 and 20, will be Brooklyn, New York; Oklahoma City, St. Louis and Spokane, Washington.

Louisville, Kentucky, will serve as the South Regional site and Anaheim, California, will host the West Regional on Thursday and Saturday, March 24 and 26. Philadelphia will be the site for the East Regional and Chicago will host the Midwest Regional on Friday and Sunday, March 25 and 27.

"This is a great opportunity for college basketball fans to see March Madness® in some of our traditional cities with a long history of hosting the tournament, as well as a couple of new cities that have never hosted before," said Dan Gavitt, the NCAA's vice president of men's basketball. "From major markets to smaller cities, there's a great chance that America's best sporting event is going to be played reasonably close to any fan in the country, so it's a terrific opportunity to come watch history unfold."

The 78th NCAA Men's Final Four® will be co-hosted on April 2 and 4 by the University of Houston, Rice University and Texas Southern University. General tickets to the games at NRG Stadium in Houston are sold out, but fans still have the opportunity to purchase ticket and hospitality packages from PrimeSport, the official ticket and hospitality provider of the NCAA, by visiting www.NCAA.com/VIP. The NCAA Experience® ticket and hospitality packages for all preliminary rounds of the championship can also be purchased at that website via PrimeSport.

11 Aug 2015

DM's 2016 St. Patrick's Day Parade Date Moved to Enhance Local and Visitor Experience

By Addison Bratvold
DES MOINES, IA - The 2016 Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Parade will be held on Friday, March 18, the day after the holiday. The move is a collaborative effort to enhance both the parade goers and the NCAA fans experiences in Des Moines. The 2016 NCAA® Division I Men's Basketball Championship first and second rounds kick off on Thursday, March 17 with a break in games on Friday, March 18. Games resume the following day, Saturday, March 19.

"We reached out to Friendly Sons of St. Patrick to determine how we could help make these two great events complement each other," says Greg Edwards, President and CEO of the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau and Des Moines Area Sports Commission. "We wanted to find a way for the parade to leverage the additional visitors who will be here, while also ensuring that locals still have an enjoyable experience."

The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Central Iowa organizes and executes the parade. In partnership with the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau and the City of Des Moines, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick saw an opportunity to attract more attendees, offer unique performances and alleviate traffic and congestion for locals and visitors coming in to downtown.

"The change in date allows us to showcase our parade to thousands of out-of-town visitors," said Mike O'Connell, President of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Central Iowa. "We are also hoping to attract NCAA pep bands, spirit squads and teams to participate in our parade, which would provide a really unique entertainment enhancement for those who attend."

The parade will begin at Noon and will run the same route as previous years. "Our local organizing committee will be reaching out to NCAA to ensure that fans and teams receive proper communication about how they can experience and get involved with this event," adds Edwards.

For more information on the parade visit, friendlysonsiowa.com/parade.htm.

For more information on the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship first and second rounds in Greater Des Moines, visit catchdesmoines.com/sports/ncaa-basketball.

05 Aug 2015

Greater Des Moines Welcomes Collectors and Dealers From Across the World

By Addison Bratvold
DES MOINES, IA - Catch vintage gas pumps, signs and more at the 29th Annual Iowa Gas Swap Meet's Collectors Convention. The event, which runs Wednesday, August 5 through Friday, August 7 in Des Moines, is the nation's oldest and largest gas, oil and auto-related advertising show and sale.

Greater Des Moines will host dealers and buyers from around the world at the Holiday Inn Airport and Conference Center, 6111 Fleur Drive. This premier petroliana show will feature gas pumps and globes, tin and porcelain signs, neons, cans, bottles, maps and other gas, oil and auto-related advertising items.

Collectibles will be for sale through Thursday with more than 200 vendors displaying items in the hotel parking lot, exhibition hall, ballroom, courtyard and hotel guest rooms. The auction, conducted by Rich Penn Auctions, begins at 9 a.m. on Friday.

The Iowa Gas Swap Meet is free and open to the public. All are invited to shop and attend the auctions.

For more information, visit www.iowagas.com or contact John Logsdon at (515) 321-7930.

The Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau, the parent organization of the Des Moines Area Sports Commission, is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to market the region as a visitor destination increasing economic growth and enhancing the visitor experience. The Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau and Des Moines Area Sports Commission represent the following municipalities: Altoona, Ankeny, Clive, Des Moines, Grimes, Indianola, Johnston, Perry, Pleasant Hill, Polk City, Polk County, Urbandale, West Des Moines and Windsor Heights.

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