CASE STUDY
NYRA Drives Belmont Stakes Sponsorship Growth By 200%+
Since Using DIGIDECK
The Opportunity
Demand Outpaces Internal Bandwidth
Few names in American sport carry the prestige of the New York Racing Association (NYRA). As the home of Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park, and the legendary Belmont Stakes, the final jewel of the Triple Crown, NYRA stages some of the most iconic days on the racing calendar.
Turning those marquee moments into corporate partnerships is the job of Tyler Lippard, NYRA’s Director of Corporate Partnerships, who leads both the sales and fulfillment for the team’s partnerships.
When Lippard stepped in, one gap was immediately clear: the pace of the sales cycle demanded more pitch and recap decks than internal marketing could realistically turnaround within the given timeframe.
Underwhelming, Static Decks
In the meantime, reps were left to build their own proposals in PowerPoint. Without design support, the cracks showed:
- Decks looked underwhelming and inconsistent
- Every proposal became a time sink.
- Brand consistency was hard to guarantee across NYRA’s properties.
“DIGIDECK has empowered us to create highly customized decks more efficiently, and they consistently receive compliments from prospects and sponsors.”
—Tyler Lippard, Director of Corporate Partnerships
The Solution
Polished Proposals in 1/2 the Time
One of Lippard’s first moves was bringing DIGIDECK on board, giving the team a faster, smarter way to pitch across NYRA’s marquee properties.
Today, reps can assemble a polished, on-brand pitch deck in minutes with the confidence knowing the content is on-brand, approved, and as immersive as Race Day.
One Platform, Every Property
Because NYRA represents multiple properties under one roof, reps pull Saratoga, the Belmont Stakes, and Belmont Park into a single pitch when it fits, or pivot to a focused, Saratoga-only deck on an as-needed basis without rebuilding from scratch.
Company-logo customization and DIGIDECK’s hotspot capabilities let reps show a partner exactly what an activation looks like with their brand on it, with no Photoshop work required.
Visibility into What Works
DIGIDECK’s engagement analytics give the team something PowerPoint never could:
- Visibility into who is actually reading a proposal
- Which decks get opened, how often, and for how long
- That intelligence tells reps where to focus follow-up and which activations to push
From First Pitch to Renewal
The team uses DIGIDECK for both of its primary functions, sales pitches and post-campaign recaps, carrying the partnership story from first proposal through renewal. Reps use it almost every day, and internal feedback has been consistently positive.
“The DIGIDECK platform's analytics show us when someone is just pulling our chain or when someone is really diving into the meat and potatoes of what we’re putting in front of them.”
-Tyler Lippard, Director of Corporate Partnerships
The Results
200%+ Growth In Belmont Stakes Sponsorship Revenue
Since bringing DIGIDECK on, sponsorship revenue tied to the Belmont Stakes is up over 200%, the headline outcome Lippard points to when describing the impact on the business.
A Dozen-Plus New Belmont Stakes Partners
The growth includes bringing on over a dozen new partners for the Belmont Stakes, a mix of net-new brands and existing Saratoga sponsors who expanded their partnerships to include the event.
Smarter, Data-Driven Follow Up
Real-time engagement analytics reveal which prospects are genuinely digging into a proposal, so reps concentrate their energy on the opportunities most likely to close.
Looking Ahead
NYRA is in the middle of one of the most transformative chapters in its history. The reimagining of Belmont Park, the Belmont Stakes’ temporary home at Saratoga, and the sunset of Aqueduct are reshaping the organization’s portfolio, and its partnership story along with it. That story keeps evolving, and DIGIDECK has evolved right alongside it: from telling the overarching NYRA story, to showcasing hospitality offerings, to unveiling the vision for the new Belmont Park.
For a team that sells across some of the most iconic properties in American sport, DIGIDECK has become far more than a deck builder. It is how NYRA shows up, wins new partners, and keeps them, no matter which property is in the spotlight. With Belmont Stakes sponsorship revenue already up more than 200%, NYRA plans to keep DIGIDECK at the center of its growth for the foreseeable future, ready for whatever the next chapter brings.