Virginia Tourism Corp. will air about 500 commercials touting the commonwealth during September’s UCI Road World Championships as part of $2 million sponsorship agreement between race organizers and the state, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

The deal gives the state’s tourism agency access to a global audience at a time when Richmond and the region are being spotlighted on live television for hours at a time, continues the report.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch also stated:

In addition to the 30-second commercials across several networks, which will air on the U.S. broadcasts of the race, the agency’s “Virginia is for Lovers” brand will appear prominently all along the course including the finish line, awards podiums and press conference backdrops.  The agency’s seven-foot “Love” signs will also go up around the course, broadcasters will have talking points about the area during down times, and interviews with tourism and elected officials will air during the broadcast.

With shots of the riders racing through the city and its sights broadcast around the world for over a week, advertising experts have said the event is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to showcase the area to a huge, global audience.

The event, which runs from Sept. 19 through 27, is one of the largest events in professional cycling and is expected to draw about 450,000 spectators over nine days, as well as a television audience of about 300 million.