Sponsorship Opportunities at the Black River Invitational

The Black River Invitational is a premier Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Grappling promotion, drawing top competitors and enthusiasts from northeast Ohio and nationwide.

Our inaugural event was held Saturday May 24^th 2025 at the Lorain Palace Theater in Lorain, Ohio. The event was livestreamed to Youtube and continues to create views on our YouTube channel, our instagram and facebook pages, as well as athlete and spectator social media accounts.

Why sponsor BRI?

• Your brand will be seen by thousands of fans: athletes, coaches, and supporters.
• The event is livestreamed and lives forever on replay giving you long term brand exposure.
• Sponsors will be featured in highlight reels, promotional videos and tagged content, before, during and after our events.
• Associate your brand with a high quality promotion that is obsessively focused on creating a high quality experience for the audience and for the athletes. The Black River Invitational operates as a breakeven operation. All sponsor revenue is used to maximize the quality of the event, and the athlete / audience experience.

Selected comments from participants and observers that evening:

• “This event was absolutely world class in production quality, professionalism and efficiency. Al Hemmingsen (the organizer) absolutely set the bar” – John Varro (head of Cleveland Institute of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)
• “The most professional event I’ve competed for” – Tyler Van Houten
• “Highly recommend this promotion to any up and coming grapplers. Very professional, great stream and ran smoothly” – Max Hanson (ADCC World Championships Veteran)
• “Of all the events I’ve done, this has been the best athlete experience” Jonathan Cooper
• “Such a professional inaugural event” – Ana Mayordomo
• “An incredible job at production. One of the best run and best shot events I’ve competed for” – Lauren Sears (#11 ranked Women’s 125 LB by Flograppling)
• “Blown away with the level of production they put into their first event” – Brad Schneider (Professional Grappling Federation veteran)

 

Sponsorship Options:

Exclusive Headline Sponsor: $10,000 (only 1 available)

First position logo placement on all match cards and posters. First position logo placement on the jumbotron throughout each match. 1 minute commercial spot played 5 times during the live show and on the livestream. Featured on major social media promotions. Priority location to set up a branded expo inside the venue.

Co-Main Sponsor: $5,000 (only 2 available)

Logo placement on all match cards and posters. Logo placement on the jumbotron throughout each match. 30 second commercial spot played 5 times during the live show and on the livestream. Logo placed on major social media promotions.

Gold Sponsor – $1,000

Logo on event match posters. including Instagram (@blackriverinvitational), Facebook, and YouTube and other promotional materials. 

Athlete Prize Sponsor – $500

At the end of the night, the audience votes for athlete cash prizes (Example: Best submission of the night). A large custom check with your brand and logo is presented to the athlete in a short ceremony on stage. Create a memorable experience for an athlete, their family, their academy and students and all those who support them.

Custom Sponsorship Packages – Let’s Talk! 

We are open to discussing customized advertising solutions to suit your business needs, whether that’s unique activations, branded giveaways, or exclusive promotions tailored to the event. Please contact us directly at BlackRiverInvitational@gmail.com