Lisa Thomas
COATESVILLE — As community events re-emerge after year-long shutdowns, the City of Coatesville’s biggest attraction, the Coatesville Invitational Vintage Grand Prix, will return Saturday, September 18, and the City has engaged event and sports marketing professional Lisa Thomas as Event & Sponsorship Director to manage its growth.
“As the region is opening up after COVID-19, the entire Coatesville community is looking forward to one of the country’s only Vintage Grand Prix events,” says Thomas. “In addition to featuring incredible vintage cars and motorcycles winding through the downtown streets of Coatesville, the event provides the opportunity to showcase the City’s exciting transformation. We invite interested individuals, organizations and companies to get involved with sponsorship opportunities at every level. We also hope to engage more of our local small businesses while building on our relationships with area organizations including Coatesville’s 2nd Century Alliance, the Western Chester County Chamber, and the Coatesville Rotary. This is an event that shines a spotlight on Coatesville, and it provides the entire community a sense of pride for their city.”
The 5th Annual event will feature more than 60 vintage cars and motorcycles, dating from 1900 to 1975, that will run individually over a challenging 2.2-mile road course through the heart of the historic City of Coatesville. In 2019, the event attracted more than 5000 visitors from the tri-state region, and that number is expected to grow.
“We are excited to be hosting the event again and fortunate to bring on a seasoned event professional to manage it and engage the community,” says James Logan, Coatesville City Manager. “Lisa has already begun reaching out to the community, sponsors, and regional businesses for our highly anticipated event. We look forward to seeing past event champions return, and appreciate previous sponsors including Brian Hoskins Ford, Brandywine Health Foundation, Lamb McErlane and PECO.”
“New this year is a Friday Cruise-in event featuring vintage cars, trucks and special interest vehicles,” says Thomas, who is President of Coatesville-based Brand Farm and has worked in sports marketing, event planning and sponsorship management for 20 years. She is best known for marketing Olympic-level athletes and managing event and sponsorship relations for equestrian events, some of which have drawn as many as 75,000 visitors. Thomas aims to work with Coatesville residents, the Chester County community, and sponsors to develop the Grand Prix to become a major regional draw.
For information regarding Sponsorship, Vendor Opportunities, VIP Tickets, event history and details, please visit www.coatesvillegrandprix.com or contact Lisa Thomas at info@coatesvillegrandprix.com.
