ExxonMobil will get top billing at next year’s Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, thanks to a five-year sponsorship deal with the oil and gas giant.
The new deal — which includes changing the name of the event to the ExxonMobil Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta — will start in 2025 and last through 2029. This new partnership will be the first title sponsorship since Kodak had that distinction from 1992 through 2001, according to Balloon Fiesta spokesperson Tom Garrity.
Garrity said the deal will “provide ExxonMobil a chance to really highlight their involvement and support of the ballooning industry.”
“The decision was made because of ExxonMobil’s commitment to ballooning and specifically to the Balloon Fiesta,” he said.
Garrity said ExxonMobil started as “presenting sponsor” in 2022. Prior to that Canon was a presenting sponsor between 2015 and 2020, but that deal ended in controversy.
After the 2020 event was canceled due to the pandemic, Canon sued the Balloon Fiesta, alleging a breach of their three-year agreement. The Balloon Fiesta maintained that it did not cancel the event, but instead postponed it.
Canon’s rejected a proposal to extend the sponsorship to 2021, but the case was dismissed by a federal judge, with both parties agreeing to cover their own legal costs and keeping the settlement details confidential.
More information about this year’s Balloon Fiesta can be found at balloonfiesta.com
ExxonMobil is a scumbag company.
It’s embarrassing that Balloon Fiesta took their filthy money.
Yes
Wow! Now that’s brilliant in a time of clear climate chaos. Let’s give top bidding to an oil and gas company. Really? Jeez.