Sponsorship Budget Guidelines

FigureRX has spent almost $125,000 for athlete and event sponsorship over the past two years.

The following is an actual sponsorship budget for a national level NPC show. These are the costs that we cover. The numbers will vary from show to show and from athlete to athlete based on distance traveled, etc.

Air Fare - $318.00
Spray Tan (main) - $150.00
Spray Tan (extra application) - $35.00
Prejudging combo tickets (3) - $135.00
VIP finals tickets (2) - $100.00
Hotel Room (1/2 of three nights) - $275.00
(paid in full if room is shared with another athlete)
Hair and makeup for contest and photo shoot - $275.00
Door to door transportation (no need for rental car)
Sample NPC Contest Total Support = $1,288

This is a 2008 national level budget. In 2007, when we were starting out, our athlete sponsorship budget was approximately $900 per show in cash compensation.

As you can see, our focus is on the costs incurred on site by competitors while they are competing. When we started FigureRX, we decided that this was the area of the sport with the least amount of money available for athletes and we wanted to encourage and help competitors get to the stage. We are not athlete managers, although we do put together some of the aspects of competition schedules. We view our job as making the actual show run as smoothly as possible when we are on site at the event.

There are a few things that we do not cover. FigureRX does not pay for posing suits except in certain limited circumstances, usually in place of some of the items listed above. We also do not handle athlete show entry forms or fees except in rare circumstances, because we view this as an important item over which the athlete should not relinquish control (and, God forbid, we don't want to get caught up doing something else and miss an entry deadline).

As a general policy we prefer not to book airline tickets directly for athletes who are competing because we are not a travel agency, and again we feel the athletes are much better equipped to select flights especially when they are coordinating travel with friends or family. We do book flights directly for some athletes and for some shows, however, and if we do not book we provide reimbursement. If we are on site for a show, all costs are covered by the time the athlete departs for home. If we are not at a show, sometimes by logistical necessity we reimburse the athlete after the contest. For example, we did some reimbursement after the fact for the 2007 Atlantic City Pro because we were not at the location.

These policies do not apply to business situations, meaning that if an athlete is flown in to work at a booth or to assist the team while *not* competing then the flight and hotel are both booked and provided directly to the athlete. For those who do not know, the typical cost for a booth model for an NPC show with limited hours is approximately $1,000-1,100 depending on flight and hotel costs.

Competitors generally receive their itineraries 1-2 weeks prior to a show. Before that they will know their flight schedules and hotel details but the rest of the information, including makeup, tanning and photo shoots (for RX), generally comes together anywhere from five to ten days prior to departure. Sometimes spray tanning times, which are always the last to arrive, require moving around makeup, photo shoots, or other obligations. In the end the itinerary is put together and is complete.