Dick Vitale, college basketball analyst and ABC Sports and ESPN talent, will be the featured speaker at the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet Feb. 6, 2020.
The banquet will be held in the arena of the Tony’s Pizza Events Center (TPEC) beginning at 6:30 p.m. A membership networking reception will be held from 5-6:15 p.m. in Heritage Hall of TPEC.
Vitale, college basketball’s top analyst and ambassador, joined ESPN during the 1979-80 season—just after the network’s September 1979 launch, following a successful college and pro coaching career. In 2008, Vitale received the sport’s ultimate honor when he was selected as an inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition, he’s been selected for 17 halls of fame across the country. Vitale is also quite the philanthropist. He’s on the Board of Directors of The V Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for cancer and founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano.
“The Salina chamber has been known for its annual banquet speakers for years, with all of the energy and momentum happening in Salina, we wanted a speaker that could match that energy and get attendees motivated to be even better in 2020! That is why the committee chose Dick Vitale and he is the perfect choice,” said Joyce Volk, Chamber Board Chair. “Our members will recognize the man with a thousand catchphrases and we look forward to his positive and high energy message as we celebrate 2019.”
Banquet seating will consist of tables of eight. Tickets for chamber members are $60 per person for the banquet. Tickets for non-members are $85 per person for the banquet. Reservations for members and the general public can be made by calling the chamber office ticket hotline at 1-785-827-9310, ext. 123, stopping by the chamber office, 120 W. Ash, or by emailing Sandy Cole at [email protected]. Tickets will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.
A limited number of sponsorships are available. For details regarding the cost and amenities of the sponsorships, persons can contact the chamber office.
The evening will consist of remarks by Volk, outgoing board chair, and James Lambert, incoming board chair, a brief review of the chamber’s accomplishments in 2019, and the address by Vitale.
For more information on the banquet and Vitale, go to the chamber’s website at www.salinakansas.org.