Lexmark celebrates Indy sponsorship.

The Lexmark Indy 300 has celebrated several milestones and records over its 14-year history. Another significant occasion that guaranteed the event's future one year ago was celebrated today.

In early 2003, Lexmark was announced by Queensland Premier Peter Beattie as the new naming rights sponsor of Indy on the Gold Coast in a four-year multi-million dollar agreement.

The sponsorship provided a key financial and marketing injection that has set the course for the event's future through to at least 2006. It has also proved to be an integral sponsorship for the Lexmark brand in the Asia Pacific region.

In the first year of Lexmark's sponsorship, the Lexmark Indy 300 attracted a record four-day crowd of 306,184 in 2003 after embarking on a fresh and unique marketing campaign entitled 'Indy Fever - Catch the Heatwaves'.

For Lexmark, the event led to higher brand awareness and countless business-generating opportunities that culminated in several significant customer wins and strengthened relationships across the company's Australian and New Zealand operation.

Lexmark is a global technology leader dedicated solely to printing solutions. It's this sole focus that has driven the company's success and status as an industry leader and is why Lexmark is renowned for its printing innovations and product reliability.

Lexmark Indy 300 General Manager James Ashworth said the sponsorship marked the start of a new era for Queensland's premier Event.

"Lexmark has been tremendous in the support and opportunities it has brought the Event. They were keen from day one to make a permanent mark on Indy, and to create an event that was different from previous years. That has certainly happened," said Ashworth.

"We launched last year's event with a whole new 'look and feel' and integrated some innovative marketing plans in association with Lexmark, and we are pleased to say they paid off.

"The Lexmark Indy 300 continues to get bigger and better. Having the support of a global company focused on technological leadership in the printing market has provided a tremendous platform for Indy to continue its growth this year.

"It is this focus on innovation and technology that fits well with Indy and other sponsors. As an event, we are committed to leadership in the field of technology as are our other partners including technology leaders Acer and Intel."

Lexmark Australia and New Zealand Managing Director, Henrik Stensfeldt, said that the Lexmark Indy 300 has already brought a tremendous return on investment for the printing solutions company.

"A key part of our sponsorship was working with the Lexmark Indy 300 team to deliver a well-oiled communication machine by streamlining the distribution of information at the event.

"For the first time at the racetrack, the officials and media had access to a wireless printing and faxing environment. This allowed them to print and fax wirelessly from their laptops at any time, at the track.

"From our learnings at the 2003 event, we're now developing a customised solution for this year's race, to streamline the information flow even further, with the view to decreasing administration costs for the organisers," said Stensfeldt.

"Sponsorship of the Lexmark Indy 300 was key to increasing our exposure in the local marketplace. Aligning with such a high profile, professionally executed event such as Indy was a strategic decision to ensure we increased the already strong business growth we've been experiencing in recent years.

"The success of the Lexmark Indy 300 event itself is evident in the record crowd numbers. The success for Lexmark is something that we've been enjoying over the past year since the inception of our sponsorship, with new business opportunities and higher brand awareness in Queensland and across the country," said Stensfeldt.

This year's Lexmark Indy 300 will be held on the streets of the Gold Coast from October 21 to 24. The Lexmark Indy 300 will be headlined by the awesome spectacle of the Champ Cars in full flight along with the hugely popular V8 Supercars. This will lead a massive on and off track entertainment program that comprises Queensland's premier annual Event.