Towering Termite Exhibit Winds Its Way Through The U.S.

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. — BASF Professional Pest Control’s Towering Termite Tour is mid-way through a journey to reach 21 cities this spring. Educating and enlightening visitors, the tour has been on local television in most all tour markets this year, with live morning show feature segments in Baton Rouge, Austin, Little Rock, Tulsa and Memphis. News of the tour and termites as a local problem has been heard on the radio in Miami, Jacksonville, Little Rock, Memphis and Charleston.

“We’re off to a strong start in 2005 combining media and attendance successes, homeowner interaction, and interest from curious kids,” said Karl Kisner, senior marketing manager for BASF Professional Pest Control. “This type of all-around energy and buzz in each market is part of our overall goal of promoting termite awareness nationwide. We aim to educate children about termites, inform adults about the severe damage they cause, and to support the industry by growing the market for professional pest control and termite control services.”

To continue with the promising momentum of the 2005 season thus far, Termidor® Termite Defense announces the addition of three more stops to the Tour in June: home games for the Durham Bulls, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and the Atlanta Braves.

“The addition of baseball venues is a means of further penetrating a similar audience of kids, parents and families,” said Kisner. “In one weekend, we’ll be able to reach target individuals at traditional and non-traditional venues for the tour – this mix is the perfect fit for the warm month of June when termites are swarming and, at the same time, people are drawn to outdoor activities.”

This year, the tour has visited many new markets that did not host the Towering Termite last year, to continue spreading the importance of professional pest control nationwide. Several newspapers have highlighted the tour as a feature story, including information on termites and the local termite problem as detailed by local Termidor certified professionals.

A story in the Jackson, Miss., Clarion-Ledger read, “Jackson sits directly in the path of the world's largest termite. Thank goodness this one's not hungry,” and featured comments like this one from James Wilson of Wilson’s Termite and Environmental in Brandon, Miss: “Termites are silent invaders, so you normally don't know you have them until the damage occurs.”

The daily newspaper in Nashville, The Tennessean, boasted of Tommy Swint’s pest control industry experience at Mack Pest Control. “Swint makes termite talk fun, almost as much fun as the Towering Termite Tour figures to be when it pulls into town tomorrow for a three-day stop at Nashville Zoo at Grassmere.”

Beyond participating in media interviews, pest control operators are speaking up, and favorably too, about the appeal of the Tour. “The Towering Termite Tour is a very well-made, dynamic and purposeful exhibit, unlike anything I’ve ever seen in the pest control industry,” said Tommy Swint, President of Mack Pest Control. “The concept and educational value behind the exhibit is stellar, entertaining visitors in every market while promoting the importance of professional pest management in and around the home.”

Just like Swint, the public and the media have responded enthusiastically to the tour, resulting in dramatic increases in attendance. After Memphis, TN, the tour’s 10th stop, cumulative attendance rings in at 16,000.

More information can be found online at www.toweringtermitetour.com

2005 Towering Termite Tour Schedule

• Miami (2/4-6) – Miami Zoo
• Jacksonville (2/11-13) – Jacksonville Zoo
• New Orleans, LA (2/18-20) – Audubon Zoo
• Baton Rouge, LA (2/25-27) – Baton Rouge Zoo
• Jackson, MS (3/4-6) – Mississippi Museum of Natural Science
• Austin, TX (3/11-13) – Austin Zoo
• Little Rock, AR (3/18-20) – Little Rock Zoo
• Tulsa, OK (4/1-4/3) – Tulsa Zoo and Living Museum
• Nashville, TN (4/8-10) – Nashville Zoo at Grassmere
• Memphis, TN (4/15-17) – Memphis Children’s Museum
• Charleston, SC (4/22-24) – South Carolina Aquarium
• Columbia, SC (4/29-5/1) – EdVenture Children’s Museum
• Louisville, KY (5/6-8) – Louisville Zoo
• Washington, D.C. (5/13) – National Zoo’s Guppy Gala
• Virginia Beach, VA (5/20-22) – Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center
• Indianapolis, IN (5/27-29) – Indianapolis Zoo
• Cincinnati, OH (6/3-5) – Cincinnati Museum Center
• Raleigh, NC (6/10) – Durham Bulls Baseball Game
• Raleigh, NC (6/11-12) – Venue TBD
• Tampa Bay, FL (6/17-18) – Museum of Science and Industry 
• Tampa Bay, FL (6/19) – Tampa Bay Devil Rays Baseball Game
• Atlanta, GA (6/25) – Family Fun Day at Centennial Park
• Atlanta, GA (6/26) – Atlanta Braves Baseball Game
• Phoenix, AZ (7/15-17) – Arizona Home & Building Expo