TERRE HAUTE —
Bruce Jenner, 1976 Olympic gold medalist who currently appears on the reality show, “Keeping up with the Kardashians,” will be the celebrity guest speaker at the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce 99th annual meeting.
The annual meeting and dinner is scheduled for Aug. 30 at the Indiana State University Hulman Center. Jenner’s appearance was announced Tuesday during a news conference.
“This is an unbelievable opportunity to bring a speaker and athlete of this quality and caliber to Terre Haute,” said Marc Evans, regional general manager for Frontier Communications, which is sponsoring Jenner’s visit. “I think it’s going to get a great buzz going.”
The Terre Haute Chamber has a new president this year, Ken Brengle, and it is the organization’s 99th annual meeting, Evans pointed out. “We wanted to make it special this year,” he said.
And, with the Summer Olympics scheduled to begin late next month in London, “It was a natural tie for us,” he said.
Jenner has appeal to different generations. He won the gold medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics for the decathlon.
“He graced magazine covers, Wheaties boxes and was hailed as the World’s Greatest Athlete,” Evans said.
Today, Jenner’s audience now extends to fans of the reality E! Network hit show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.” The show is in its sixth season. Jenner is step-father of Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Rob Kardashian. He is married to Kris (formerly Kardashian) Jenner.
Jenner is involved in a variety of business ventures with his family, including Jenner Productions, and he is a motivational speaker. He also is head of Bruce Jenner Aviation, a firm that sells aircraft to executives and corporations.
While the annual meeting is a chamber-member-only event, there will be opportunities closer to Aug. 30 for members of the public to purchase tickets through Ticketmaster to hear Jenner’s presentation.
While details will be announced at a later time, the price to the general public is likely to be in the $15 to $20 range, said Ashley Delaunois, chamber marketing coordinator.
At this time, it does not appear that any other member of the Kardashian family will be accompanying Jenner to Terre Haute, Delaunois said. But if that changed, “it would be a wonderful surprise,” she said.
The chamber booked Jenner after doing research on possible speakers for the event, she said. “We were trying to think of someone who would be known multi-generationally,” she said.
The chamber is interested in creating buzz in the community and selling tickets to the event, and the selection of Jenner “was kind of a no-brainer,” Delaunois said.
The cost to bring Jenner to Terre Haute is under $30,000, she said.
Norm Lowery, chairman of the chamber board, said the annual meeting “is the largest business networking event in the Wabash Valley. Over 700 persons attend each year.”
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin @tribstar.com.
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’70s Olympic hero Bruce Jenner to be Chamber dinner speaker
Event scheduled for Aug. 30 in Hulman Center
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