NEW YORK, Aug. 5, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- XA, Inc., (XA) (OTCBB:XAIN), a major national event marketing firm that serves many Fortune 500 companies, reported today that they are the creative design agency behind Cargo Magazine's Cargo Caravan Tour in 2005.
Cargo, the actionable lifestyle magazine for men published by Conde Nast, will bring the pages of the magazine to life through the Cargo Caravan, a unique tour visiting nine events across the country July through October 2005. The Cargo Caravan is sponsored by Aquafresh, Beck's, Giorgio Armani Fragrances, Hershey's Take 5, Lincoln Mark LT, L'Oreal Men's Expert Line, Pepsi One, Redken for Men, and SONY.
A one-of-a-kind, Cargo customized 28-foot Airstream(tm) will be led by a Lincoln Mark LT to male-oriented events beginning with the Colorado Rockies game in Denver July 30 and ending with the Petit Le Mans in Atlanta on October 1.
Visitors will receive prizes, special offers and product samples as they experience the elements of Cargo. Guests will be encouraged to make a donation upon entering the Caravan to benefit a local men's charity.
"This is the perfect extension of Cargo's cross-category approach to the products men want to enhance their lifestyles," said Alan Katz, Vice President and Publisher of Cargo Magazine. "By bringing the Cargo Caravan to events across the country, we'll give men a hands-on experience with some of the coolest products featured in the magazine, and a chance to walk-away with some of them as well."
The "Cargo Gets" tents will feature:
-- SONY Walkman listening station with the hottest tunes from
sonyconnect.com.
-- Cargo Player interactive games and gear that have been featured
in the magazine -- foosball tables, putting green, Cateye
Interactive Game Bikes, and Wall O' Basketball.
-- SONY Cybershot Digital Camera photo station
-- Redken grooming stations featuring free haircuts, styling and
consultations with professional stylists
-- L'Oreal Men's Expert Line complimentary hand massages.
The Ultimate Tailgate party will be set up outside of the Cargo Airstream(tm), where attendees can enter to win the elements including: Coleman 54 qt Steel Belted Cooler; Sony Sports CD Boombox; Crate & Barrel Barbecue Plates; Weber(r) Flame(tm) Outdoor Gas Fireplace; Weber(r) Q(tm) Gas Grill; Weber(r) Q(tm) Stainless Steel Tools; Weber(r) Q(tm) Rolling Cart, and more valued at over $1,200. Inside the Airstream(tm) VIP guests will enjoy satellite TV, WiFi enabled PowerBook G4s with HP printers and cold beer from Beck's.
The Cargo Caravan will visit the following events:
July 30 Denver Colorado Rockies Baseball August 6 Houston Houston International Jazz Festival August 14 Chicago Arlington Million Race August 20 Los Angeles The Grove September 3 Seattle Bumbershoot Festival September 10 Madison, WI Ironman September 17 Newport, RI Newport International Boat Show September 23/24 Charlotte Blues, Brews and BBQ October 1 Atlanta Petit Le Mans
All production on the Cargo Caravan events is being handled by Grand Central Marketing. Grand Central Marketing, with offices in New York City and Los Angeles, is a full-service event marketing and promotion agency that designs and produces brand-building promotional programs and consumer events across the country. Clients include ESPN, the NHL, FOX Broadcasting, Lifetime Television, HBO, NASCAR, Meow Mix, Warner Brothers, National Geographic, eBay, Netflix and others.
Marketers spent $152 billion in event marketing in 2003, up about 15% since 2002. In 2003, budgets for event marketing reached an average of $901,935, according to PROMO's 2004 Event Marketing Study. (Source: PROMO Magazine, January 1, 2005)
About Cargo
Cargo is a comprehensive buyers' guide for men covering everything from clothes and tech to cars and culture to grooming and gifts. Cargo tells readers what's available, what's worthwhile and what's right for them, empowering them with knowledge for no-regrets, hype-free buying. Launched by Conde Nast Publications under Editor in Chief Ariel Foxman and Vice President and Publisher Alan Katz in March 2004, Cargo has a circulation rate base of 350,000 and will be published ten times in 2005. For the latest news from Cargo, log on to www.cargomag.com
About XA
XA has offices in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles from which it provides corporations and highly visible brands with comprehensive event marketing, design and production services. Since 1989, the XA team has been the creative force behind prestigious, national projects for such clients as The NBA, Disney, McDonald's, British Telecom, Song Airlines, Eurex, Olympus, Salvatore Ferragamo, Vogue, W Hotels, ABN AMRO and Emirates Airline. In 2003 and 2004, Special Events Magazine ranked XA as one of the "Top 50 Powerhouse Event Companies in the World."
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In particular, when used in the preceding discussion, the words "believes," "expects," "intends," "will," "anticipated," or "may," and similar conditional expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Act and are subject to the safe harbor created by the Act. Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations and assumptions contained in the foregoing are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. It is possible that the assumptions made by management are not necessarily the most likely and may not materialize. In addition, other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include the following: business conditions and the amount of growth in the company's industry and general economy; competitive factors; ability to attract and retain personnel; the price of the Company's stock; and the risk factors set forth from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including but not limited to its annual report on Form 10-KSB; its quarterly reports on Forms 10-QSB; and any reports on Form 8-K. XA, Inc. (OTCBB:XAIN) takes no obligation to update or correct forward-looking statements and also takes no obligation to update or correct information prepared by third parties that is not paid for by the Company.