Long-time Woodward Dream Cruise sponsor Eaton Corporation announced today that it has teamed up with The Promotion Company, producers of motorsports and family events, to create a midway for automotive performance enthusiasts in Royal Oak's Memorial Park for the 2007 Cruise.
The Eaton Performance Park will feature prominent aftermarket retailers such as Eaton, Barry Grant, Cherry Bomb, Comp Performance Group, Dynomax, K&N and Year One. It will also offer live entertainment, family rides, and feature local food vendors and have dozens of award-winning vehicles on display.
"Vehicle customization and performance enhancement was a big part of the 1950s and 60s cruising scene and it remains an important part of the Dream Cruise and car shows today," said Jeff Romig, Eaton vice president and general manager ? Performance Products Division. "The Dream Cruise itself is large and somewhat unwieldy and a lot of retailers get lost trying to reach the public. We're hopeful that the mall concept will give people a reason to come by the park and do a little shopping while also looking at beautiful cars and displays."
The Eaton Performance Park will be located within the baseball complex at Memorial Park at the northeast corner of Woodward Avenue and 13 Mile Road. Indianapolis-based The Promotion Company leased the space in the 24-acre park and will apply their more than 25 years experience in designing and managing the Performance Park to be easily accessible and fun for people of all ages.
"The Woodward Dream Cruise is one of the country's greatest car culture events," said Victor Ruthig, The Promotion Company's vice president of marketing. "We think there is a very good opportunity to emulate what is being done at car shows all around the country and create a central location where sellers can come together to show off their stuff to thousands of interested buyers."
The Promotion Company will also provide a portion of the proceeds from the park to the non-profit Woodward Dream Cruise organizing committee for its support of more than 100 charities. Retailers looking to participate in the Performance Park can contact The Promotion Company at (317) 236-6515. For more information on the company and their events, visit www.familyevents.com.
The Woodward Dream Cruise?, the world's largest one-day automotive event, draws more than one million participants and spectators to nine host communities on a 16-mile stretch of Woodward Avenue, just north of Detroit. Named by Advertising Age magazine as one of the Top 10 Live Marketing Brand Events, the 13th annual classic car event is on Aug. 18, 2007. For more information, visit www.woodwarddreamcruise.com.
Eaton's automotive business unit has been a major supporter of the Woodward Dream Cruise since it was created in 1995. The corporation became the event's first official sponsor in 1999 and remains one of the events largest corporate supporters. In addition to being a major supplier to global automakers, Eaton also markets Eaton, Detroit Locker and Aeroquip-branded automotive products to consumers through a network of qualified distributors and retailers and will have a display in the park. For more information, visit www.eatonperformance.com.
Eaton Corporation is a diversified industrial manufacturer with 2006 sales of $12.4 billion.? Eaton is a global leader in electrical systems and components for power quality, distribution and control; fluid power systems and services for industrial, mobile and aircraft equipment; intelligent truck drivetrain systems for safety and fuel economy; and automotive engine air management systems, powertrain solutions and specialty controls for performance, fuel economy and safety. Eaton has 61,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 125 countries. For more information, visit www.eaton.com.