(FORTUNE Magazine) – . Corporations have become so fond of special events marketing that it's hard to think of a major tennis match or arts festival -- or even beach volleyball tournament -- that doesn't have a brand name attached. Corporate sponsorship of special events has more than quadrupled, to $1.75 billion over the past five years, and is expected to top $2 billion in 1989. The action now is in local markets. Soon after Fratelli's Ice Cream of Seattle sponsored the annual Fourth of July festival, it licked Pillsbury's Haagen-Dazs in local sales for the first time. As co-sponsor of the Taste of Chicago food fair, Maxwell House offered festival coupons to those who bought its coffee. Result: The brand moved from third to second in local market share. Says Paula Heulitt, special events manager at Maxwell House: ''TV supports a national image for the brand, but special events establish our brands within communities.'' Adds Bob Hope, director of marketing worldwide for Burson- Marsteller: ''Events build intimacy.''