WINSTON-SALEM, NC (JANUARY 30, 2018)—The Tryon International Equestrian Center has selected Dyehard Fan Supply as the official merchandiser for the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018 (WEG), which will take place in Mill Spring, NC September 11–23. With roots dating to 1978, Dyehard has a large national and international footprint and offers turn-key event programs inclusive of retail merchandising, e-commerce and wholesale distribution. Dyehard is based in Winston-Salem, NC, a less than three-hour drive from the Tryon International Equestrian Center.
Dyehard—as part of the development of its national platform, has acquired certain assets of All Pro Championships, which has handled event merchandising for a number of highly regarded equestrian events including the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Pegasus World Cup. In addition to equestrian events, Dyehard has handled merchandising programs for many of America’s most notable sporting events and organizations, including the 1984 summer Olympic Games, the NBA finals, the World Series, Davis Cup tennis, the MLB All-Star Game, the America’s Cup, US Open, USTA Jr. Team Tennis & League National Championships, the TCS New York City Marathon as well as professional football championships.
The company also has handled merchandising for a large number of Broadway shows, Paul Simon’s Concert in Central Park; worked with licensed brands such as Garfield and Looney Tunes; and constructed retail stores from New York to Las Vegas. In late 2017, Dyehard executed a significant, long-term partnership renewal with Tough Mudder, one of the fastest-growing sports in America, and signed a new partnership deal with the 2017 Music City Bowl in Nashville as well as a number of other college sports programs and events.
As the official merchandiser of the 2018 WEG, Dyehard will soon introduce an online event store as well as an exciting on-site superstore at the Tryon International Equestrian Center during the event. Dyehard also will distribute WEG merchandise to regional and national retailers. Altogether, there will be nearly 300 different WEG items available featuring the new Tryon 2018 logo, including t-shirts, sweatshirts, caps and jackets. Dyehard will announce additional event merchandise—including lapel pins, housewares, saddle pads, and posters—this summer.
“We are thrilled and honored to have been selected by the Tryon International Equestrian Center as the merchandising partner for the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games,” Dyehard Fan Supply CEO Rex Hough said. “The Dyehard team offers tremendous depth of experience with large scale events, and we are particularly passionate about being part of the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games, which will take place in our home state of North Carolina. The Tryon International Equestrian Center is an incredible venue, and we cannot wait to play a part in what will surely be an unforgettable equestrian event.”
The inaugural FEI World Equestrian Games were hosted in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1990, and were most recently held in Normandy, France in 2014. The 2014 Games in Normandy attracted more than 500,000 on-site spectators. One of the biggest events on the global sporting calendar, the World Equestrian Games are held every four years in the middle of the Olympic cycle, combining eight World Championships at one event. The eight equestrian disciplines—Jumping, Dressage, Para-Equestrian Dressage, Eventing, Driving, Endurance, Vaulting and Reining—will all be contested in Tryon.
An anticipated 1,000 athletes, 1,500 horses, and 500,000 spectators from more than 70 countries are expected to attend the event. Tryon 2018 is projected to be the highest-attended sporting event in the United States in 2018, and tickets already have been sold to people from all 50 U.S. states and 31 countries.
“We are offering a huge and diverse collection of merchandise and memorabilia for this iconic global event and appreciate the level of experience and expertise that Dyehard Fan Supply is bringing to this WEG,” said Mark Bellissimo, managing partner of Tryon Equestrian Partners whose properties include Tryon Resort and Tryon International Equestrian Center.
Teall Sports & Entertainment, a private equity company based in Winston-Salem, NC; Atlanta, GA; and San Francisco, CA, created Dyehard Fan Supply in late 2017 with Team Retail Solutions as its first acquisition followed soon afterwards by the acquisitions of Sports Entertainment Events Merchandising and All Pro Merchandising. With the three acquisitions and anticipated additional investments, Dyehard offers an expansive national network of best-in-class merchandise capabilities that will provide the finest quality retail experience for fans and customers at sports, music and entertainment events.
About the Tryon International Equestrian Center
The Tryon International Equestrian Center at Tryon Resort, host of the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018, is one of the world’s premier equestrian lifestyle destinations. From carousel to competition, the mission of Tryon Resort is to celebrate the magic of the horse, grow equestrian sport, and increase access to this majestic animal. With first-class facilities for hunter/jumper, dressage, and eventing competitions, the facility will soon accommodate all eight equestrian disciplines. Tryon Resort is a spring, summer and fall haven for equestrian competitors and enthusiasts, and a year-round destination for connoisseurs of diverse cuisine and shopping, lodging getaways, and family entertainment. Learn more at www.tryon.com or follow Tryon International Equestrian Center & Tryon Resort on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
About the FEI World Equestrian Games™
The FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG), which are administered by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), the worldwide governing body of equestrian sport, is the major international championship event for the eight core equestrian disciplines of show jumping, dressage and para-equestrian dressage, eventing, driving, endurance, vaulting and reining. For more information, visit tryon2018.com and fei.org/tryon-2018.
About Teall Sports & Entertainment
Teall Sports & Entertainment is a privately-held set of investments in innovative, high growth potential lifestyle brands and services. The company’s leadership has extensive experience in sports, media, marketing and entertainment, and the group provides its operating companies deep expertise in a number of disciplines: corporate strategy, organizational management, culture and training, financial strategy, employee operations, recruiting and expert legal diligence.
Teall Sports & Entertainment is led by Ben C. Sutton, Jr. and an executive management team that built and expanded four national market-leading businesses in the college sports space: IMG College Media, IMG Seating, IMG College Licensing and IMG Ticketing. Teall invests in complementary organizations that can strategically work together to realize greater value, sharing in expertise, thought leadership and networks. For more information, please visit TeallCapital.com.
About Dyehard Fan Supply
Dyehard Fan Supply is an event and retail merchandise marketing and e-commerce company. A customer-service focused company that operates nationwide and in some international locations, Dyehard offers an expansive network of best-in-class merchandise companies that produce the finest quality merchandise for sporting events including college and professional sports teams, tennis and golf tournaments, bowl games, music concerts and festivals, races and Broadway musicals. For more information, please visit dyehardfansupply.com.