2014 Media Kit

Table of Contents………………………………………………………………….2 About The Heart of Marriage Hosts…………………………..……………3 About The Heart of Marriage Conference……………..........................4 Statistics from The Heart of Marriage 2013……………………………5 What’s New for The Heart of Marriage 2014?................................... 6 Why Participate as a Sponsor?..................................................................7 The Heart of Marriage 2014 Sponsorship Opportunities…..........8 The Heart of Marriage 2014 Contact Information……………..........8

Table of Contents

About The Heart of Marriage Hosts

The Heart of Marriage Retreat is a weekend getaway that helps married couples rediscover themselves as individuals and as a couple. The weekend is God-centered and comes out of the roots of the Christian faith. It is a non-denominational Christian experience and welcomes couples of all faiths.

In 2014, the Heart of Marriage Retreat will be jointly sponsored by the marriage ministries: Couples Who Care Ministry of Ben Hill United Methodist Church, The Knot Marriage Enrichment Ministry of Cascade United Methodist and Central Couples Connection - C3 of Central United Methodist Church. The combined membership of these three churches in Southwest Atlanta totals more than 11,000 members.

Guided by a team of volunteer couples, each participant takes an honest look at him or herself and explores his/her relationship with their spouse, their family and society. The weekend format helps couples communicate openly and honestly. There are large and small group sessions facilitated by professionals with opportunities to share.

Couples Who Care Marriage Ministry Couples Who Care Marriage Ministry strives to enrich and empower couples to develop a strong Christ-centered, marital relationship. The ministry presents a non-threatening forum for couples to search for the meaning of marriage in their lives and seek God’s purpose in their marriage. The ministry meets twice a month and uses Christian-based books for study and discussions on such topics as commitment, intimacy, finance, communication, stress, and conflict resolution that focus on the marriage relationship. The vision of Family Ministry is to equip and empower the family with wisdom and understanding of God’s principles through Christian training, fellowship and the opportunity to our community and the world.

The Knot Marriage Enrichment Ministry The Knot Marriage Enrichment Ministry seeks to strengthen and support relationships of married couples through scriptural studies and sharing of experiences. The ministry’s vision is to live the covenant of Holy Matrimony as couples while sharing and exchanging our personal experiences, thereby providing an under-girding of not only married couples, but also of the entire community of God. The ministry serves its church and community by sponsoring events throughout the year including Black Marriage Weekend in March, spring and fall workshops and periodic educational classes.

About The Heart of Marriage Retreat Great marriages don’t just happen. Couples create them! All marriages need attention, effort, and nurturing. The Heart of Marriage Retreat provides an opportunity for you to explore your relationship together and find ways to make it more fulfilled and stronger for a lifetime. The first Heart of Marriage Retreat was held in 2007 and continues to be held annually in September of each year.

Attendance has grown steadily every year from 30 couples to last year’s record attendance of over 100 couples. The 2013 Retreat was held in Peachtree City, Georgia, September 13th–15th. Couples attended from more than 10 local churches and out-of-town couples traveled from as far as California to attend the retreat! The diverse group of attendees made up an array of professionals and entrepreneurs, including educators,

doctors, lawyers, CEO’s, work at home professionals and more. The Heart of Marriage Retreat 2014 will be held in Stone Mountain, Georgia September 12th -14th. The retreat is expected to reach over 120 couples in attendance. Like last year’s retreat, the goal is to host another intimate weekend engaging couples in an intimate and relaxing atmosphere while equipping them with the tools necessary to strengthen their marriages and enrich their lives. At the Heart of Marriage Retreat, couples are challenged to strengthen communication, address financial planning, foster greater intimacy, resolve conflict in the relationship, and learn to express forgiveness towards one another. Couples leave the Heart of Marriage Retreat with practical skills and techniques that will enrich their lives.

“…very insightful. We enjoyed the speakers, the fellowship with other Christian couples and learning ways to keep our marriage strong, fulfilling and SOLID!” ~Sharon B., Educator

Atlanta, GA September 12-14, 2014

STATISTICS FROM THE HEART OF MARRIAGE 2013

“More than half of our attendees indicated that the Heart of Marriage Retreat was their first time attending a marriage retreat.”

Six states represented the residents of our attendees

Years of Marriage 5 and under

16%

6 – 15 yrs

33%

16 – 24 yrs

21% Age Range

20 – 50+ 25 and over

18%

Attendees Using Social Media

83%

Attendees Caring for Children/

Extended Family

76%

New for The Heart of Marriage 2014

• New venue

• Expected attendance of over110 couples

• Seven breakout session topics

• Longer sessions to allowadditional time for questionsand interaction.

• Sponsorship opportunitiesincluding sponsor’s inclusionin advertising/marketingcampaign.

• Additional advertising andmarketing through socialmedia avenues.

• New speakers

“Attending this Retreat was the best decision that we could have made for our marriage. Our lives together were enriched and we walked away on fire for God and excited about what he was going to do in our lives together! This investment is priceless!” ~Tracey W., Attorney

Atlanta, GA September 12-14, 2014

For the 8th Annual Heart of Marriage Retreat, the hosts have tweaked the programming, incorporated sponsorship opportunities, and built in more socializing and networking opportunities into the agenda for the weekend.

Black Buying Power of African Americans -

• With a projected buying power of $1.1 trillion by 2015, Black consumers remain at the forefront of social trends and media consumption.

• African-Americans make more

shopping trips than any other group. This more frequent shopping is offset by less spending per trip. Shoppers make quicker/smaller purchases based on their short-term needs and not on deal availability.

• There were 23.9 million active

Black Internet users in July 2012--76 percent of whom visited a social networking/blog site.

• Fifty-four percent of all Blacks own a smart phone.

• 68% of African-Americans

researched shopping info using a search engine with 64% having visited a retail site or app.

The Heart of Marriage Retreat 2014 is an opportunity for your brand to connect with influencers of the community. With more of our attendees being socially coherent and sharing their experiences through Twitter, Facebook, blogging and or video, your brand message will reach far beyond our Marriage Retreat to thousands of other potential influen-tial consumers. The Heart of Marriage is also a great opportunity for you to create relationships and target an untapped market with boundless potential.

Why Participate As A Sponsor?

With an overall aggregate household income level of $695.6 billion, African-Americans continue to be viable consumers with a collective buying power., StateOfTheAfricanAmericanConsumer2012, The Nielsen Company and National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)

Opportunities

DISCLAIMER: Sponsorship packages are not exclusive unless otherwise indicated. For package or category exclusivity please contact us. Extra costs will apply. This kit is being circulated publicly and nothing herein constitutes an offer. We will do our best to keep you informed of another company’s interest in a package that you have expressed interest in. However, please assume that other brands have shown interest in each package and are simultaneously considering their participation. Except in special situations, we will be selling packages on a first come, first served basis. All payments are due at contract signing and must be received no later than August 30, 2014 If payment is not received by that date, your package will be released and your association with HOM 2014 will be removed. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Breakout Session Sponsor $500 (Multiple opportunities available on a first come, first choice basis)

• Breakout Session presented by sponsor name;• Company name posted on our official event program;• Name and logo on session signage;• Inclusion of products and/or promotional materials in the

conference bags;• Logo placement on our website as a conference sponsor with

link to your website;• Logo placement on official conference e-guide.

Conference Bag Drop Contributor $250 • Placement of promotional item(s) in each bag given to

conference attendees; and logo placement on officialconference website.

Contact Information The Heart of Marriage Retreat 2014 Team

Gail Mapp Sponsorship Liaison johngail5@bellsouth.net 404-625-6922

Joy Watkins Media Relations joyromette@yahoo.com 770-365-5730

Tiffany Harvey Programming tjordanharvey@yahoo.com 770-315-2733

John Mapp Speakers johngail5@bellsouth.net 404-625-6922

Couples Who Care Ministry email -coupleswhocare@yahoo.com

The Knot Ministry email -cumcmarriage@gmail.com

Central Couples Connection - C3 email – eammonds@gmail.com

Atlanta, GA September 12-14, 2014