AVP Pro Beach Volleyball
Tour and Hilton Hotels Corporation have announced a
new sponsorship deal for the 2006 AVP Crocs Tour season.This deal will
make the Hilton Family of Hotels, including its Hilton Garden Inn(R)
brand and flagship brand Hilton Hotels, the “Official Hospitality
Partner of the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour,” the national touring
series that features more than 200 of the nation’s top male and female
professional beach volleyball players.

Beginning this season, the Hilton Family of Hotels is taking hospitality
to new heights at AVP tournaments by hosting city officials,
celebrities, top-level AVP sponsors and promoters inside the Hilton
Family AVP Sponsor Hospitality Tent where attendees can gather above
center court to watch the pro-beach action while enjoying free
beverages, a full upscale buffet station and hand-waited hors d’oeuvres.

The deal also provides AVP with rooms at Hilton Family-owned or managed
properties including Hilton, Conrad, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels,
Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites by Hilton, and the
Waldorf=Astoria Collection.

“We are extremely excited to announce this new partnership between the
Hilton Family of Hotels, the most recognizable hotel and hospitality
chain in the world, and the AVP Crocs Tour,” said Leonard Armato, CEO
and tour commissioner. “The deal will allow us to provide our players,
sponsors, partners and fans with world-class hospitality as they compete
in and attend events throughout the season. We look forward to building
this partnership in the years to come.”

“Athletes, staff, and fans of the AVP Crocs Tour are on the road all
summer long,” said Mary Beth Parks, vice president of marketing, Hilton
Family of Hotels. “We are happy to provide the quality and value offered
by the Hilton Family of Hotels to the AVP and look forward to showcasing
our excellence in hospitality at AVP Crocs Tour events throughout the
2006 season.”

To activate its sponsorship in local communities, The Hilton Family is
working with the AVP to host a series of free “Hilton AVP Youth
Volleyball Clinics,” where local youth volleyball players and hotel
guests in select tour stops will have the opportunity to meet and
further hone their volleyball skills with 2004 Olympic medalist Elaine
Youngs and AVP’s reigning defensive player of the year Rachel Wacholder.
The pair have also struck individual sponsorship deals with The Hilton
Family of Hotels, Hilton Hotels and Hilton Garden Inn.
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