Mirimus and Hartford HealthCare Administer 2,800 Tests Among 25 Teams and Event Staff
Uncasville, CT – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Gazelle Group today concluded the season-opening event known as “Bubbleville.” Games were played November 25 – December 4, 2020 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut with 25 teams taking the court.
Bubbleville housed several events relocated and reimagined due to COVID-19 and provided a controlled environment with teams and event staff adhering to tribal, government, and NCAA health and safety protocols and testing requirements. All games were played without fans in attendance.
Throughout the 10-day event, the game schedule continually evolved due to a number of COVID-related circumstances. In the end, 26 games were safely played in large part thanks to Mirimus and Hartford HealthCare. Both groups joined Bubbleville with live event COVID-19 protocol experience with the NBA and Viacom respectively. The Bubbleville Testing Team was led by Rachel Lattner, Chelsea Johnson and Jen Tempone.
Mohegan Sun and the Tribal Health Department also proved to be an invaluable partner for the event with the ability to provide a premier arena, beautiful accommodations and private catering, in addition to their extensive COVID protocols which have successfully been in place for several months.
With a combination of PCR and Saliva testing, 2,800 tests were administered among 1,075 people including event staff, players, coaches, support staff and court side media on-site. In the nearly two-week testing period, three positive tests were discovered, leading to two programs leaving the event before participating in game action and one matchup cancelled on what was scheduled to be the final day of the event.
With the support of the event’s various health partners, Bubbleville was able to adhere to all safety protocols and enact tracing procedures as needed.
To learn more about the event, visit https://www.hoophall.com/events/bubbleville or follow @hoophall #Bubbleville on Twitter and Instagram.
About Mohegan Sun Arena:
Mohegan Sun Arena is now ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and Venues Now and is also consistently ranked top 15 in the “World for All Size Venues.” The award–winning venue was named “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” in 2016 and is a seven–time Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM) national award–winner for “Arena of the Year,” with the most recent recognition coming in 2019. For more information and updates on Mohegan Sun Arena, call 1.888.226.7711 or visit Mohegan Sun.
About the Gazelle Group:
The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces numerous nationally-recognized events, such as the 2K Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project presented by Continental Tire, the Roman Legends Classic Presented by Old Trapper, the Gotham Classic, the Sunshine Slam, the Bluegrass Showcase, the Holiday Face-Off, and the College Basketball Invitational. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall #Bubbleville or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.