It was announced in late 2023 that the City of South Padre Island entered a multi-year partnership with the San Antonio Spurs that included promotions around the arena and a Spring Break giveaway to two lucky fans. During the May 29 Convention and Visitors Advisory Board Meeting (CVAB), a recap of the partnership showed that bright days are ahead, not only for the Spurs but for the City as well.
Ryan Oliver, the Account Manager for the San Antonio Spurs, spoke via Zoom to the board and shared the numbers he and his team gathered throughout the 2023-2024 regular season.
SPI ads across the arena showed over $371,000 in value from their placements and 241.9 million impressions from videos shared through X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, etc. Incredible numbers considering the Spurs finished 22-60, good for 14 out of 15 in the Western Conference. Oliver said that they will look for ways to improve their ads, possibly adding QR codes to the screens, as additional ways to get more eyes and feet onto the island.
The Spring Break giveaway totaled to 5,664 with the winner of college students from Texas State. Oliver said the feedback he received from the winners was great and he looks forward to continuing the giveaway in future years.
Overall, Oliver said the Spurs were number one in attendance growth, up 14% from 2022-2023, gained over 1 million followers on social media, and were top 10 in merchandise sales in the NBA. That is largely due to number one overall pick Victor Wembanyama, who has proven to be worth the hype and is already an international superstar and has all but guaranteed to make the Spurs a contender to win NBA championships in future seasons.
