BP's ampm Signs On as Big West Tournament Sponsor

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- BP's ampm convenience store brand is once again partnering with the Honda Center and Big West Conference for the annual Big West Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament. The sponsorship establishes the franchise, which has 1,100-plus locations, as the Official Convenience Store of the 2012 Big West Tournament.

The event will take place at the Honda Center on March 8-10. Scratch game cards good for ampm food and beverages, and other ampm branded prizes will be rewarded to spirited students at this year's Big West Campus Tour stops. The tour visits all nine Big West campuses, building enthusiasm and counting down to the tournament. In addition to the Big West Tournament, ampm also has a presence at regular season Big West contests in-game, as well as in broadcasts.

"We're energized to be back again this year to support Big West basketball and to reward fans with the chance to win too much good stuff from our convenience stores," said Bill Fry, president of ampm.

The Big West Tournament is the oldest NCAA Division I post-season basketball tournament in the West, dating back to 1976 when the conference was known as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. It's comprised of nine schools located throughout the state of California. Member schools include: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, Pacific and UC Davis.

2012 marks the second year that the Honda Center will be host to the Big West Tournament. The venue first hosted the event in last year to great success, seeing an overall attendance increase of 47 percent from the previous year. The winner of both the men's and women's tournaments receive bids to the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Championships.

"We are thrilled to have ampm return as a sponsor of the Big West Tournament," said Greg Rieber, Honda Center's director of corporate sponsorships. "The creative marketing team at ampm has lined up a number of fun promotions that pair perfectly with the excitement and anticipation surrounding the event."

BP's ampm brand was founded in 1978 in southern California by ARCO. ARCO-branded ampm stores are currently found in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Arizona; BP-branded ampm stores are in Chicago, Orlando, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Atlanta. There are also more than 1,500 ampm stores in Brazil and Japan.