Celebrating 4 Years Marketing Pickleball with Top 15 Highlights
October 2023 officially marks the fourth anniversary of the launch of Vossberg Gainor. Over these years, it has been an incredible honor to play a part in the growth of this exciting sport as the world's first pickleball marketing agency. I've had the privilege of collaborating with remarkable organizations, brands, industry professionals, and talented athletes within the pickleball community.
Additionally, as the creator of the Pickleball in the Sun brand, a lifestyle and leisure brand sharing the best pickleball destinations and experiences, I absolutely love being a passionate pickleball enthusiast myself and living that pickleball lifestyle with so many of you.
I could write a book on the experiences I've had over the last four years, but here are 15 Top Highlights from marketing for America's fastest-growing sport....with so many more to come...
Laura Gainor
Vossberg Gainor’s First Client: USA Pickleball
Shortly after launching Vossberg Gainor, I was introduced to George Bauernfeind who was just hired on as their CMO. I was brought on to help with the brand relaunch, marketing and earned media efforts, and more.
Learn more about some of these highlights from our interview with Marketing Brew.
Learning How to Play Pickleball & Launching the Chicago Pickleball Club
If only I knew back on this day in November of 2019 how much pickleball would change my life! All of us looked forward to our Friday nights getting to play pickleball and socialize at FFC in Park Ridge, Illinois.
Visiting the Original Pickleball Court
Such an incredible day to meet the Bainbridge Island Pickleball community and step foot on the original pickleball court. Hearing stories from the founding family members is something I will never forget. We're all incredibly fortunate as a community that Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum invented this sense of community for us through the game of pickleball.
Bringing Pickleball Mainstream
A huge career highlight to get to work with so many national media outlets and build strong connections with the talented producers, writers and anchors creating these features.
Thank you to CNBC, Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, The New York Times, TODAY, Sports Business Journal, Allure Magazine and many more on continuing to grow the game.
Maren Morris & Jimmy Kimmel
Throughout the last four years I took a shot on getting the chance to share celebrity stories and Maren Morris was definitely one of those top highlights! Having the opportunity to talk to her for thirty minutes about playing pickleball while on tour was a tremendous honor. Adding in having the story featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live and them talking about the feature for more than five minutes, was mind blowing! Maren and Jimmy, I hope I get the chance to play pickleball with you both sometime.
Launching Pickleball in the Sun
Once our family moved to Florida, I became even more of a passionate pickleball player and started traveling with my family and friends to unique destinations to participate in tournaments. That inspired me to launch “Pickleball in the Sun,” a lifestyle and leisure brand sharing the best pickleball destinations and experiences.
My brand continues to evolve with the game and I look forward to continuing to share the pickleball lifestyle and some great destinations along the way!
Celebrity Galentine’s Day Tournament
Hosted by June Diane Raphael, Jessica St. Clair, Casey Wilson and Danielle Schneider, the Celebrity Galentine’s Day Tournament was one of the most impressive celebrity events to date. With celebrity guests like Retta, Emma Watson, Paul Scheer, and more, everyone had an incredible time.
With OS1st as the Official sock, Franklin as the Official ball, our team had an incredible time creating highlights from the event. Watch some of the action on our @PickleballintheSun Instagram channel.
Pickleball with the Umansky Family
While out in Los Angeles, we were welcomed to Mauricio Umansky and Kyle Richards’ beautiful home court to play pickleball for the cover shoot of Pickleball Magazine. It was an honor to play pickleball with Mauricio and his daughter, Alexia.
The cover story was written by the talented magazine editor, Julie Talerico. Visit @PickleballintheSun’s Instagram channel for cover shoot highlights!
Pickleball Days with Pro Sports Leagues
This past year, pro sports leagues have taken note on the hype of pickleball and the opportunity to sell tickets to their games. I had the chance to work with the Tampa Bay Rays, the Miami Marlins, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Orlando Magic, and more, on providing insights on how to attract fans with custom paddles and pro player experiences.
Action News Jax Growing the Game
The Jacksonville pickleball community continues to grow with the addition of incredible facilities like the Pickle Garden at The Yards, the YMCA, and our home courts in the Nocatee Community. Over the last year, it has been an honor to work with Action News Jax’s Mike Buresh and Marithza Ross, playing lots of Pickleball in the Sun!
Pickleball in Milwaukee
Milwaukee will always hold a special place in my heart and it was an honor to travel back this year and get to play some Pickleball in the Sun at the Milwaukee Public Market courts! We also welcomed the Johnson Family for their first Milwaukee Brewers experience and I sat down with the crew from Wisconsin Afternoon News to talk about the growth of the game on their radio show.
Building a Strong Pickleball Community Network While on the Road
I’m incredibly grateful for the people I’ve had the opportunity to meet while traveling for pickleball tournaments, events, vacations, and more. From professional players, to celebrities, to talented professionals in the industry, there’s nothing like the pickleball community.
The Pickleball Slam
It was an iconic day when four tennis legends, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, and Andy Roddick came together to compete in The Pickleball Slam, hosted at the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, Florida. I got the opportunity to meet these four tennis legends and witness Agassi and Roddick win $1M.
Sharing our Family Story
Thanks to my pickleball partner and friend, Mia Azotea, she nominated us to be featured as the cover story for 32081 Living and Ponte Vedra Living. We had a fun family photoshoot at the Pickle Garden at The Yards. I loved getting the chance to share our story and how Brian, Clara and Garrett have supported me as a female entrepreneur.
Pickleball with Family & Friends
All around the world, the sport of pickleball has connected so many people and has brought fun and exercise along with it. I could feature thousands of photos playing pickleball all around the world. I’m grateful for getting to enjoy the Pickleball in the Sun lifestyle with my family and friends.
Inside the NBA Bubble with Scott Foster
Summer of 2020 I got the opportunity to interview the NBA’s Crew Chief Referee, Scott Foster, for the cover feature of Pickleball Magazine as he taught many of the referees and media crew members how to play pickleball while the league was inside “The NBA Bubble” in the midst of the pandemic. Since then, Scott continues to play pickleball while on the road.
