ANNUAL REPORT - Greater Oklahoma City Chamber

In the Limelight
June 2012 brought a brand new opportunity to share the story
of Oklahoma City. After having an incredible regular season, the
Oklahoma City Thunder found themselves being crowned Western
Conference Champions and making their
While the Finals came to a premature end, in terms of the
Thunder’s quest for their first NBA Championship, the tools
developed to assist media during the city’s time in the spotlight
were transitioned into a long-term source
first ever NBA Finals run; presenting the Supporting community efforts for media.
Chamber with another opportunity to
that enhance the opportunities
promote the positive image of our region.
In November, the Thunder and Oklahoma
and amenities for residents City took center stage again as the focus of
Over the course of five games, a spotlight
shone on both the Thunder and Oklahoma
City. The watchful eyes extended far beyond the usual sports
enthusiasts, encompassing 90 international television, radio and
internet broadcasts and 215 countries.
an article in The New York Times Magazine,
resulting in extraordinary exposure for the
region. Over the course of more than 7,600 words, Sam Anderson
told the story of “The making of a basketball fairy tale in Middle
America.”
“This was our chance to introduce Oklahoma City to the world,”
said Roy Williams, Chamber president and CEO. “Yes, we are about
sports and NBA basketball, but we are so much more than that. We
have a remarkable story. We are a city
full of wonderful people.”
To take advantage of this exceptional
opportunity to share Oklahoma
City’s story, the Chamber developed
a variety of tools to help the more
than 500 media personnel get
acquainted with the city, including
an online media room where
media could find press kits,
photos, packaged stories and
video.
Anderson wrote “This, then, is part of the city’s love affair with the
Thunder. It’s more than just a basketball team: it’s the culmination
of 20 years of civic reinvention and the promise of more to come.
Over the last five years, the city and its team have undergone a
perfect mind meld, so at this point it’s impossible to talk about one
without talking about the other. After all of that sacrifice – the grind
of municipal meetings and penny taxes and planning boards, the
dust and noise and uncertainty of construction, the horror of 1995 –
the little city in the middle of No Man’s Land has finally arrived on
the world stage.”
“The opportunity for our city to shine in the NBA Finals and beyond
would not have been possible without a number of projects and
initiatives that took place over the past two decades – the original
MAPS, the Big League City campaign,” said Carl Edwards, Price
Edwards & Company, 2012 Chamber chair. “And we cannot ignore the
leading role the Chamber played in each of those.”
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FUTURE