FIRST PERSON
Up, Up
and Away
Sports promoter Howard Freeman
makes big ideas take flight
SPORTS ENTHUSIAST
I’ve lived in Pines Lake for almost 20 years, and
coached my son in baseball at Boys & Girls Club of Wayne,
and in basketball on the township traveling team and at
Wayne PAL. I played basketball at the Wayne YMCA for
years myself, and was a track and cross-country guy growing
up. Most recently, I enjoy biking. My first dream was to be
a sports orthopedist, but I later discovered another avenue
into a sports-oriented career.
My passion for sports and promotion led to a career that
included marketing the New York Apples of the World
Team Tennis League, the New Jersey Nets of the National
Basketball Association, the Virginia Slims Tennis
Championship and the United States Volleyball
Association.
CROWD PLEASER
Friends say I have
the attention span of
a 5-year-old, so if I
can keep myself entertained, then I know the
people at the QuickChek
festival are going to have fun,
and they’re going to come back. Our slogan is: “More than
just hot air!” The balloon festival is also known for its live
concert series and 39 hours of non-stop family entertainment. There are thrill shows like the human cannonball
and high dive acts. There’s a 5K Race, balloon rides and
a fireworks display.
What I do for a living is the equivalent of putting on a
wedding for 165,000 of my closest friends. ■
– As told to Carol Bott Jarger
MARKETING MAN
My idol is P.T. Barnum, who said, “If you promote to
the masses, you can eat with the classes.” I staged the first
annual Evian Winter Beach Fest, a spring break event that
featured top professional beach volleyball players in the
world. We brought in 240 tons of salt-free sand to cover
the Madison Square Garden floor.
In 1981, I formed Promo 1, an event marketing and
sales promotion company which specializes in promoting
sporting events, and consults with corporations about the
best ways to use sports and special events as marketing,
sales promotion and public relations vehicles.
18
WAYNE MAGAZINE MAY 2015
HIGH FLYING More than 165,000 spectators enjoy the QuickChek New
Jersey Festival of Ballooning each year.
COURTESY OF QUICKCHEK NEW JERSEY FESTIVAL OF BALLOONING
P
ines Lake resident Howard Freeman
is the executive producer of the
QuickChek New Jersey Festival of
Ballooning, the largest summertime hot
air balloon and music festival in North
America. Held in Readington, the festival
will celebrate its 33rd year in July with 100 specialshaped balloons and approximately 165,000 spectators
(www.balloonfestival.com).