Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Williams.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Christopher. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have always been a basketball fan. Growing up I played in high school and then in college. I’ve also coached at the high school level and AAU as well. One thing that I started to realize while coaching was that there are so many talented students in Atlanta but no platform to showcase them. So, seven years ago, I was supporting one of my players at an event in South Carolina and thought, “Why doesn’t Atlanta have something like this?” Keeping our best teams in the city home over the holidays but also bringing some national powerhouses into the state for them to compete against.
I rushed home to explain to my wife, Tiffany, what I wanted to accomplish and the vision and she was skeptical at first but finally came on board and we began working on the vision. The vision of the company was something we could start and build; basically, our legacy. Tiffany and I wanted something we could leave behind for our two daughters when it was all said and done. Year one of Holiday Hoopsgiving started off a very solid event with players such as current NBA player Wendell Carter participating. By year three, Holiday Hoopsgiving quickly grew into the now go-to event for Thanksgiving weekend for high schools across the country with the big-time match up of Collin Sexton vs. Trey Duval, the top two point guards in the country battling it out. The event has been voted in the top 10 High School basketball events in the country in the last five years and the top 3 High School Thanksgiving basketball events in the country, according to Maxpreps and USA Today.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course, it hasn’t been an easy road. There’s always trying to outdo yourself every year, making sure the players are taken care of, alleviating distractions, and making sure the brand stays true to who we are. It’s always been a family event with elite players and a great experience. We fight every year to make sure that it stays that way.
We’d love to hear more about The VII Group.
The company name is called The VII Group. The name derives from the biblical term of the number 7 and its meaning of “completion.” My wife and I want every fan, player, and or coach to have a complete experience from participating and or attending a VII Group event. It’s a big year in 2020 for the number seven overall for my wife, Tiffany and I, which is our 7th year of marriage, 7th year of Holiday Hoopsgiving, along with my birthday being May 7th. So, for me, seven has always been the number.
The VII Group is a full-service consulting agency for major sporting events on the high school and college levels. The VII Group specializes in strategy and event identity to ensure an exceptional experience for all participating teams and fans. We believe that successful events begin with attention to detail and authentic experiences for the community, and we strive to deliver on those with everything we do.
Hailing from the basketball world, the VII Group ensures authenticity to the sport along with a bold and innovative approach every step of the way. We are committed to the utmost success in partnership with our clients and are passionate about building long term partnerships with every event.
Holiday Hoopsgiving is definitely our baby but due to the success of the event, we decided to expand and started two other high school basketball events. “Braggin’ Rights,” a one-day Georgia vs. Alabama event, and Emerald Coast 16 held in Destin. Outside of the High School events, we have started the umbrella company called The VII Group, consisting of 3 HS events and one major college basketball event coming up this fall. This event will be part of the Holiday Hoopsgiving moniker and consist of 5 NCAA Basketball events held at State Farm Arena over the holidays. It will feature premiere college basketball powerhouses with Kentucky vs. Ga Tech on 11.27 and a quadruple-header consisting of Clemson vs. Alabama, Memphis vs. Auburn, LSU vs. South Florida & Miss State vs. Dayton held 12.12.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
To describe what we think is essential to be successful in one word, we would say “creativity”. As we all can see the world is quickly changing at a rapid pace, so the need to stay creative and adapt to the “new norms” is a must in the sports event industry or really any industry. Even in the strangest of times we aim to stay creative and find new ways to stay ahead of the curve and control our narrative. As an African American owned sports event consulting company it’s key to create and control our own narrative.
Contact Info:
- Website: theviigroup.net
- Phone: 404-981-1790
- Email: chris@theviigroup.net
- Instagram: @theviigroup @holiday_hoopsgiving
- Twitter: @viigroup @hhoopsgiving
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