The 2013 annual Leaders in Sponsorship conference, taking place on 9th and 10th October 2013, at Stamford Bridge launched this week with the Chief Executive Officer of leading NBA franchise the Brooklyn Nets and the Barclays Centre, Brett Yormark.

The exclusive, invite-only event is now in its 5th year and has a track-record for bringing together the very top names in sponsorship to discuss global best practice across a range of topics. In 2012 Leaders in Sponsorship hosted world class speakers from the NFL, Hublot, FC Barcelona, Orange, SAB Miller, Investec, Western Union, DHL, AB InBev, Facebook, Universal Music and other renowned organisations.

For this year’s conference, the organisers are working closely with an Advisory Board, comprising of, Chelsea FC, Ford, O2, Sony, BP Castrol, Adidas, Diageo, RFU and Vauxhall, to build this year’s programme.

As the Chief Executive Officer of the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center, Brett Yormark has overseen all aspects of the team’s move to new arena in Brooklyn, including the rebranding, marketing, and sponsorship sales. Since he joined the Nets in 2005, Yormark’s mission has been to make it the most accessible, inventive, fan-friendly, and community-active team in sports and in this exclusive case study at Leaders in Sponsorship, Brett will give the invite-only audience his perspective on building a brand in sport, re-launching a franchise and creating inventory in sponsorship.

He will be one of 20 top name speakers to deliver perspectives on changing consumer behaviour, future sponsorship and technology and brand psychology, as well as best practices in activation and measurement, to a limited audience of 350 sponsorship experts from brands, rights holders and agencies.

Leaders CEO, James Worrall, said “A huge amount of research goes into our conference agenda and alongside our expert Advisory Board, we have consulted extensively with our clients to select the very best speakers and topics for Leaders in Sponsorship 2013. The representation of senior executives from global sports brands is growing every year and with the fantastic network that Leaders has built globally with rights holders, this will be our best sponsorship conference to date.”

The standalone conference will take place on 9th and 10th October 2013 at the annual Leaders Sport Summit at Chelsea FC thereby providing an opportunity to network exclusively with decision makers and director-level executive in other fields of sport

With the conference selling out in every of the 4 years of its existence, places are very limited and will only go to individuals and organisations with a keen interest or track record in this area.

To register your interest for the event or to learn more about Leaders in Sponsorship please contact one of the team on +44 (0) 207 042 8666 or email sponsorship@leadersinevents.com

Santos, the Brazilian football club that produced the great Pele, is one of the most iconic names in Latin American sport.
However, when Armenio Neto arrived as the club’s new marketing manager three years ago, he found to his horror that commercial and financial shortcomings had brought the once-great institution to its knees.

“At the end of 2009 the club only had an income of $35 million. By the end of this year it will have increased to $120 million,” he told The Leader.

“Back then, the situation was very bad. We had no money in our account and several debts, so we had to find money quickly.
“The problem is that we were a forgotten brand and there was no marketing development.”

The new marketing manager and his colleagues in the new regime at Santos set about restoring the club’s commercial identity – a process that Neto described as “bringing back the DNA of the club’s brand”.

“As a city, we are located near Sao Paulo, the biggest city in Brazil, and we are on the beach,” he added.

“It is a cool, young place, and we wanted that concept throughout the club. Santos is also a talent factory. All of our outstanding players in our history were home grown.

“So three years ago a number of youth team players were promoted to the first team, and our marketing strategy focused on this fresh, attacking, young side. It helped that we won games, as you can’t have a very strong brand without a winning team on the field.”

One of the players to emerge through the youth team was Neymar, a hugely talented striker who is one of the most sought-after signatures for brands as well as top European clubs.

In November 2011, Santos president Luis Alvaro Ribeiro admitted that Neymar’s decision to commit his immediate future to the club had played a key role in Banco BMG agreeing an extension to its sponsorship agreement.

“We developed a business model for players such as Neymar, and he has become an idol,” Neto said.

“Good players pay for themselves and they generate income. In Brazil, football teams can benefit from players’ image rights, as these are taxed at a lower rate than salaries.

“We are making as much effort as possible to keep our world-class players like Neymar, who benefits us in a commercial as well as football sense, even though one day he might want to challenge himself in European football.”

Maximising commercial opportunities in the domestic market, though, is not straightforward.

Brazil’s economy has transformed over the past two decades, and the rapid development and increase in disposable income has inevitably meant that some parts of the country’s sports industry are still learning.

“Our sports marketing industry is not as developed as it should be,” he added. “Some companies don’t consider how they can build a brand through sport over three or four years, and some companies simply don’t have the right culture at the top to invest in sport.

“Brands in Brazil rarely establish a real relationship with their consumers.

“Lots of companies are not using sponsorships as they should be. Some are relying on television exposure, but it is very expensive. It is much more cost effective to be a sponsor of a club like Santos.”

Owing to the nature of the Brazilian sports industry, the onus is on Santos, and other Brazilian sports entities, to be creative when it comes to their commercial outlook.

Unlike many top football clubs, Santos does not have a main shirt sponsor. With that in mind, Santos agreed a short-term shirt sponsorship deal with the Brazilian arm of Chinese automotive company Chery in March.

Under the agreement, Chery enjoyed exposure as Santos’ main shirt sponsor for three rounds of the Sao Paulo state championship. The feedback was positive, according to Neto, and talks are ongoing about establishing the partnership on a permanent basis.
That Santos has had to look to a China-based company illustrates the challenge facing clubs in Latin America.

While there are domestic clients, Santos’s key aim is to internationalise its brand.

“We are a city of only 500,000 people, so we have to look abroad if we want to expand,” Neto added.

“We are focusing on talks with the government about altering the football schedule, for example, so we can find some windows to travel abroad on tours.

“The international development of the brand is paramount. We need to go back to the future and try to make Santos as renowned as it was in the 1960s.

“Last year we signed a commercial partnership with Nike. As part of the deal is a specific desire to enhance the brand of the club abroad. Now we have our products in Japan and there are discussions taking place for the Chinese and US markets, where there is space to grow the brand.”

Numerous sporting brands and organisations are currently looking at the Brazilian market, with the 2014 Fifa World Cup and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games on the horizon. So for a sporting organisation that knows the Brazilian sports industry inside-out, what would Neto’s advice be for those wishing to tap into the country’s sports industry?

“Brazilians are sports fans, so brands have to try to establish a relationship with the people,” Neto said.

“Working with guys that know the local market is very important. There are some Brazilian agencies that are recognised as being very creative, and we have relationships with them too.

“The sports marketing industry here is still quite inexperienced, but Santos is trying to change the culture of the market, and we believe that the club can help to transmit the pure Brazilian brand around the world.”

Armenio Neto is the Marketing Director of Santos FC and was interviewed by Rory Squires for the Leader.

THIS WEEK’S ARTICLES:
RORY SHERIDAN (DIAGEO): TOASTING SUCCESS
REPUCOM: SPONSORSHIP RESEARCH AND EVALUATION IS MORE INTEGRATED THAN EVER
SPONSORSHIP DEALS OF THE MONTH – APRIL 2013

Brands can spend millions of dollars or euros and commit years of effort towards establishing an indelible link with a sporting property.

Diageo, which owns some of the world’s most recognisable alcohol brands, appreciates that becoming part of the passion is a long-term project.

That is why it has taken years of highly selective marketing to ensure followers of rugby union and golf now consider the names of Guinness and Johnnie Walker to be part of the fabric of the respective sports.

“Our evolution in sponsorship in recent years has been gradual but clearly focused at putting our consumers’ passions at the centre of what we do,” Rory Sheridan, Diageo’s head of sponsorship for Western Europe, told The Leader.

“We have moved from a passive to active engagement model which sees us inspiring and facilitating nations to engage in the enjoyment of sport like they’ve never done before. We’re very much a consumer-led company.”

In a bid to enhance engagement with consumers, Diageo recently signed a strategic deal with Facebook to harness the burgeoning power of social media.

“Were we late to social media? Probably not that late, considering the unknowns and how important it is to control the message,” he said. “We wanted a greater understanding of where the journey was going.

“Engagement of the consumers is important, and you get that with social networking.

“It is the relatively early stages and we plan to do a lot more going forward. Once you enter the social media space you are committing to a 360-degree, always-on conversation.”

Diageo’s sponsorship of golf, through the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in Scotland and the Johnnie Walker Classic in the Asia-Pacific region, has allowed the company to tap into the highly sought after ABC1 consumer base, while various deals in Formula One have provided exposure through the glitzier side of the sports industry.

However, the link between Guinness and rugby union has been particularly powerful in recent years. The iconic black beer was the title sponsor of the Premiership, the sport’s top division in England, for four years from 2005, before becoming the official beer of the competition. After sealing sponsorship deals with the respective rugby unions of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, Guinness became the official beer of the RBS Six Nations in 2011, and tailored advertising under the ‘Made of More’ banner has helped to cement the link.

“There are shared values,” Sheridan said. “Very few sports epitomise what Guinness stands for like rugby.”
However, the company’s involvement in football is currently less conspicuous.

“We know our target consumers are interested in rugby, with the number of consumers interested in the sport increasing every year for the past four years,” Sheridan added. “This creates the perfect platform for Guinness to drive affinity and brand equity scores with consumers to support our market share goals.

“While rugby is one of our key strategic pillars, we do also invest in soccer in other regions and keep an open mind as to the potential of the platform in Western Europe.

“If we were to do football going forward, we wouldn’t want to do it like any other brand. Guinness is a very different beer, and we would want to stand out.

“However, we would be unwise not to continually keep this space in our consideration set as it is an opportunity to communicate with a truly global fan base, and we have great aspirations for Guinness globally in regions such as Asia-Pacific, the US and Africa.”

Alcohol sponsorship of sport, though, is a contentious issue for many, and there have been repeated calls from health organisations worldwide for a ban to be implemented.

However, such a move is vehemently opposed by the sporting bodies themselves, as well as companies such as Diageo.
“We want our brands to be enjoyed by consumers for generations to come, which means we also take our role as a producer of alcohol very seriously. Diageo is at the forefront of industry efforts to promote responsible drinking, and work with all our rights holders to address alcohol misuse in our markets and to make real progress on this important issue. In practical terms, we for example worked closely with the GAA in Ireland to promote responsible drinking messaging – and transferred valuable broadcast sponsorship rights around the GAA Hurling Championships to responsible drinking promotion by the group DRINKAWARE.ie”

In terms of the direction of the industry, Sheridan expects more sectors to enter the market aside from the current stable of the likes of alcohol, financial services and automotive companies. He also expects more three-way collaborations between rights-holders, sponsors and third parties, and more “forensic” evaluation tools for sponsorships.

“We are completing an extensive programme of asset renewals and acquisitions that have been in train for circa a year – and now require a phase of focus on how we will deliver these rights brilliantly,” he added. “We are also working on some exciting innovation-based initiatives that will ensure that we make the fans’ in-venue experience of our products even better.

“Above all I think sponsorship will evolve into a heightened level of consumer experience, especially as sponsorship is effectively the right to speak to the consumer via a passion point.”

Rory Sheridan is the Head of Sponsorship – Beer – Western Europe at Diageo and was interviewed by Rory Squires for the Leader

THIS WEEK’S ARTICLES:
ARMENIO NETO (SANTOS FC): BRINGING BACK THE BRAZILIAN VIBE
REPUCOM: SPONSORSHIP RESEARCH AND EVALUATION IS MORE INTEGRATED THAN EVER
SPONSORSHIP DEALS OF THE MONTH – APRIL 2013

Initial results from REPUCOM’s Global Outlook Survey amongst key sponsorship professionals shows evaluation research is driving significant extra revenue for rights holders. Glenn Lovett, President of Global Strategy at REPUCOM, explains…

Even in hard times business with the right tools, products and services will thrive. In the sports sponsorship business the right tools is increasingly research.

Results from REPUCOM’s Global Outlook Survey show that two thirds of rights holders said that their sponsorship revenues increased in 2012, primarily thanks to the provision of sponsorship evaluation data.

Based on our study undertaken in March across six continents by an extensive panel of leading sports marketing and sponsorship professionals, the results are a massive vote of confidence for the services we provide and the sports sponsorship research sector as a whole.

As someone who works alongside sponsors and rights holders every day, it’s clear that sports properties are attracting more interest than ever and research is an important part of a prosperous outlook for the industry.

We need the tools to prove the value that sports sponsorship can deliver. In today’s tight economic environment, no brand will sign off a multi-million pound/dollar/euro deal on the basis of a hunch and accountability is key.

Ultimately there are three key reasons why sponsorship research and valuation is more important than ever:

Firstly, measurement of sponsorship has never been more important than it is today. The need to prove performance is now standard practice amongst sponsors – four-fifths of whom now carry out regular research to assess delivering according to our numbers.
There is also a much greater emphasis on both pre-assessment and accountability. This is reflected by the fact that REPUCOM’s Global Outlook study found that around two thirds agree that pre-evaluation is becoming more critical and 80% are investing more into assessing the return on investment on their deals once they have committed to a sport or a property.

The second key point is that sponsorship is becoming much more integrated with other parts of the marketing mix. Two-thirds of sponsorship managers think that sponsorship can have a greater impact on a brand than traditional advertising – the test for these sponsors is to educate their teams internally to show how sponsorship can work either alone or as part of a wider marketing campaign.

Finally, I see a recognition that sponsors and rights holders need to work more closely together – a true partnership. Our data shows that sponsors are looking for more open communication with rights holders and to see more data and information to help them evaluate their investment and deliver greater results next time.

It would be foolish to deny that there are specific issues around how we deliver better effectiveness research since every sponsorship is different, and every brand has different objectives. However at REPUCOM we are delivering and developing new tools and services based on what we hear from our clients and the industry.

The aim is to ensure that research turns into results for those involved in the sports sponsorship industry.

THIS WEEK’S ARTICLES:
RORY SHERIDAN (DIAGEO): TOASTING SUCCESS
ARMENIO NETO (SANTOS FC): BRINGING BACK THE BRAZILIAN VIBE
SPONSORSHIP DEALS OF THE MONTH – APRIL 2013

Blackberry nets Barclays Center alliance (04 April 2013)
Mobile phone maker BlackBerry has signed up to sponsor the Brooklyn Nets and their Barclays Center home. As part of the deal the Canadian firm has secured the naming rights to the BlackBerry Lounge, previously the South Club, at the Barclays Center.

As well as receiving extensive branding in the lounge BlackBerry will operate a permanent experiential zone on the arena’s Ticketmaster Main Concourse to promote its latest BlackBerry 10 smartphones.

According to a release announcing the new alliance, the partnership ‘marks a significant alignment among three brands that are all focused on driving tremendous innovation and reaffirming deep ties with New York City.’

“We’re excited about building this relationship with Barclays Center and with the Brooklyn Nets,” said Frank Boulben, BlackBerry’s chief marketing officer. “The Barclays Center brings some of the world’s most exciting entertainment and sports events to the heart of Brooklyn. We look forward to being a part of that, and to showcasing how BlackBerry 10 is built to keep New Yorkers moving.”

Barclays Center and Brooklyn Nets chief executive Brett Yormark added: “We are proud to prominently align with such a global mobile leader as BlackBerry, as it seeks to reinvent itself in the world of mobile computing.”

Manchester United ink eight-year Aon extension (08 April 2013)
Premier League leaders Manchester United have signed an eight-year extension to their sponsorship deal with US insurer Aon, reported to be worth between UK£120 million (US$184 million) and UK£150 million (US$230 million).

The deal includes naming rights to the Red Devils’ Carrington training ground, which will be renamed the Aon Training Complex, as well as sponsorship of the team’s training kit.

Manchester United’s commercial director Richard Arnold said: “I am delighted that this cements our relationship with Aon for a further eight years. They are a great partner and I am very excited about the possibilities for sustainable advantage this provides the club as we build our global presence.”

Phil Clement, Aon’s global chief marketing and communications officer, added: “This announcement is the next step in the evolution of our partnership with Manchester United. It is a privilege for Aon to be associated with the world-famous Manchester United training facility. We have the utmost admiration and respect for the 800 team members at Manchester United and the work they do and look forward to working with them to help build sustainable performance around the world, like we do for all our clients.”

Generali revs up MotoGP ties (08 April 2013)
Insurance giant Generali has stepped up to become the official insurance partner of the MotoGP world championship. The deal will see Generali provide insurance services to MotoGP rights holder Dorna Sports while gaining branding exposure on turns and bridges at ten of the 18 races taking place in 2013.

Pau Serracanta, the managing director of Dorna’s commercial area, said: “We are very pleased with this new agreement with Generali, especially as it is not a renewal, but an expansion of an existing contract. This shows great commitment to join a top championship like MotoGP.

“We know that a multinational company like Generali can benefit from an alliance with our sport. Dorna, in turn, will benefit from Generali’s wide range of services to help organise the MotoGP World Championship efficiently. I am convinced that this agreement will provide excellent B2B opportunities for both companies.”

Sergio Balbinot, Generali’s chief insurance officer, added: “We are pleased to strengthen the partnership we have built over the years with Dorna. MotoGP provides an international platform for our global brand, with a sport leveraging human talent in identifying new technologies and new sources of competitive advantage on an international landscape.”

Gazprom to back Volkswagen Motorsport from May (09 April 2013)
Russian oil and gas giant Gazprom has become an exclusive supplier to Volkswagen Motorsport, with the deal set to begin this May.
Gazprom Germania, the company’s German division, will provide NGV fuel for Volkswagen’s one-make Scirocco R-Cup series. The series features nine races and 25 drivers and has a focus on promoting eco-friendly motorsport.

Ulrich Hackenberg, a member of the Volkswagen management board, said: “We warmly welcome Gazprom as a new partner of Scirocco R-Cup. Volkswagen has always prioritised environmentally clean and energy efficient motorsport. As part of this partnership, two major players of the gas market have united their efforts. Volkswagen succeeded in making gas-powered cars. I am happy about the future cooperation.”

“NGV fuel has a high potential of utilization that will allow using motor vehicles in an environmentally friendly and cost efficient way. Gazprom views this line of business covering, inter alia, foreign markets as a priority growth area. In this context, the Agreement with Volkswagen is a natural follow-up to our mission on expanding the use of NGV fuel in Europe. I am confident that our cooperation will be a success,” said Viktor Zubkov, chairman of the Gazprom board of directors.

Biggest ever sponsorship deal for England Hockey (09 April 2013)
England Hockey has secured its biggest ever sponsorship investment after signing a new four-year deal with NOW: Pensions. Under the terms of the contract, the UK arm of the Danish pension provider becomes a principal partner of Great Britain and England men’s hockey and the title sponsor of the men’s domestic league.

NOW: Pensions will support the Great Britain squad on the road to the Rio Olympics in 2016 and contribute to grassroots development as the country seeks to capitalise on a solid showing at London 2012, in which the team recorded a fourth-placed finish.

Morten Nilsson, the chief executive of NOW: Pensions, said: “We are delighted to announce our support for England Hockey from the grassroots to the elite squad. We are here in the UK for the long term and want to see the sport grow hand in hand with our business.”

Sally Munday, the chief executive of England Hockey, added: “It is fantastic to have the support of NOW: Pensions. The ambition of our two organisations feels very similar as we continue to take advantage of the opportunity London 2012 has given us to grow the numbers playing and watching our sport.”

British Athletics brings in Sainsbury’s (15 April 2013)
British Athletics has agreed a major sponsorship deal with Sainsbury’s. The supermarket chain will be the title sponsor of the three biggest athletics events in the UK this summer: the Grand Prix at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium in June, the British Championships, and the Anniversary Games in July.

Sainsbury’s will also follow its sponsorship of the London 2012 Paralympics by supporting British Athletics’ Paralympic programme until 2017, and will be the title sponsor of the final of this year’s IPC Grand Prix Series and the IPC International Challenge.

“Last summer the whole country was inspired and uplifted as we celebrated the very best of human sporting achievement through the Olympics and Paralympics,” said Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King. “It was truly a summer like no other. We said at the time that we saw our involvement as much more than a one-off sponsorship – we wanted to be part of the movement, and to play our part in ensuring a lasting legacy building on the momentum created last summer.”

British athletics chairman Ed Warner added: “Sainsbury’s is an experienced and committed partner who embraced and promoted the Paralympics hugely successfully in 2012 and I am excited to work with them again, as they bring that expertise to the promotion of British Athletics.”

New look at Roland Garros to include Emirates (17 April 2013)
Emirates has been unveiled as a sponsor of the Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT) for the next five years, bolstering its growing portfolio of tennis properties.

A statement by the FFT said Emirates would have branding in ‘significant locations’ on the main Philippe Chatrier court, as well as a private lounge in the Roland Garros village and space for entertainment activities in public areas at the site.

Tim Clark, the president of Emirates, said the partnership was a “natural extension” of Emirates’ tennis sponsorships. “Followed by millions of fans worldwide, this prestigious tournament on clay is an ideal platform for our brand,” Clark added of the Grand Slam at Roland Garros.

Speaking last month, Michael Grach, the FFT’s media and sponsorship director, revealed there would be a new look and feel to Roland Garros from this year, as organisers look to refine the positioning of sponsor boards and branding. “It will be very Parisian, but also modern. It’s consistent with our identity,” he continued. “We’re changing the [sponsorship] banners themselves with 3D letters on. It won’t be video boards, but fixed. We remain traditional, institutional. It’s more efficient and I think more classy and modern.”

United strike deal on back of Premier League title (24 April 2013)
Newly crowned Premier League champions Manchester United have struck their first financial services agreement in Vietnam, signing a five-year sponsorship deal with Hanoi-headquartered bank BIDV.

The deal will see the BIDV develop a Manchester United credit card, which will include a number of benefits including prize draws, product giveaways and club discounts, as well as a debit card that will be available early next season. Based on the value of similar regional deals, BIDV’s sponsorship is likely to be worth between UK£1 million and UK£2 million annually.

Manchester United commercial director Richard Arnold said: “Vietnam is a very important country for Manchester United. The club is lucky enough to have a large and very passionate set of fans there, with some 30 million supporters watching the team on TV last season.

We are very pleased to be able to work with BIDV to offer them this great new product, a first for both the banks and club in Vietnam. With more than 120 branches, 600 transaction offices as well as over 1300 ATM’s in 63 cities, BIDV has the right amount of presence around the country to be able to connect with our fans.”

Mercedes connects with Tata Communications (24 April 2013)
Formula One team Mercedes has agreed a partnership with Tata Communications.

The Indian telecoms company will become the official managed connectivity supplier to the team. It will provide improved trackside connectivity solutions to Mercedes, allowing it to send data directly from its two cars at any race location to the Mercedes headquarters in the UK.

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn said: “We are delighted to have agreed our new team partnership with Tata Communications. Formula One relies on data and the ability to transfer our data from the track back to our factories in Brackley and Brixworth quickly and securely. The Tata Communications global network will play a key role in the team’s performance and our ability to react over the race weekends. That we will now be able to achieve our data transfer requirements three times faster is fantastic.”

Mehul Kapadia, the managing director of F1 business at Tata Communications, welcomed the opportunity to showcase the company’s “expertise and speed”, saying: “The modification and improvement of car set-up and handling is a constant during the race season, and being able to share richer data and to report issues back from trackside to the factory in real-time provides a competitive edge in car performance, both in speed and also in handling and stability.”

Nissan bolsters Olympic commitment with BOA deal (25 April 2013)
Nissan has signed a major sponsorship agreement with the British Olympic Association (BOA) and British Paralympic Association (BPA), which will run until the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The car manufacturer will be the official automotive partner of Team GB and Paralympics GB through the Sochi winter Olympics next year and during the build-up to the summer Games two years later.

Lord Sebastian Coe, the chairman of the BOA, said: “I am delighted that Nissan, a company that is recognised globally for excellence and performance, is partnering with Team GB on the ‘Road to Sochi and Rio’. The BOA played an important role in enabling me to pursue my Olympic dreams and compete for Team GB, and now, thanks to partners like Nissan, today’s athletes can be afforded the same support.”

Nissan’s European vice president of sales and marketing Paul Willcox said there was “great synergy” between the Olympic spirit and Nissan’s company philosophy. He added: “Nissan will be more than just a badge on the team kit, it will be a true supporter of both teams and we look forward to working directly with Britain’s sporting heroes to amplify their performance and provide the UK with even more reasons to get behind our sportsmen and women.”

Sponsorship deals of the month are brought to you by:

THIS WEEK’S ARTICLES:
RORY SHERIDAN (DIAGEO): TOASTING SUCCESS
ARMENIO NETO (SANTOS FC): BRINGING BACK THE BRAZILIAN VIBE
REPUCOM: SPONSORSHIP RESEARCH AND EVALUATION IS MORE INTEGRATED THAN EVER

The event has grown in stature in that time and now hosts 1800 Director level delegates from over 45 countries and 40 sports attending, 52 per cent of which come from outside the UK. With 5 conferences covering Football, Performance, Sponsorship, Digital Sport and Racing, all running simultaneously in 2012, the programme hosted 100 speakers from all over the world.

James Worrall, CEO, Leaders says “After an extensive consultation period with all delegates, we are delighted to confirm a 3 day programme for the Leaders Sports Summit from 8-10 October in 2013. It will enable us to incorporate even more content into the programme and thereby provide additional value for delegates whilst also ensuring people have the time to attend what is important to them. We have also identified a number of exciting changes to keep Leaders fresh, relevant and of value to our clients which is what we strive to achieve each year.”

Leaders in Football, Leaders in Sponsorship, Leaders in Performance & Leaders in Digital Sport will run concurrently over the 9th & 10th October and Leaders in Racing will be held on the 8th October alongside a series of specific symposiums, workshops and networking opportunities, making Leaders the must attend international sporting event in the calendar.

If you would like to learn more about Leaders or to enquire about opportunities to get involved in 2013, please contact one of the team on +44 (0) 207 042 8666 or email enquiry@leadersinevents.com.

Building on the strength of the morning sessions, the organisers had selected best-in-class examples of activations in 2012 and attendees enjoyed a senior-level Olympic sponsorships review with P&G, Lloyds TSB and GE, back in London just 2 months after the Games, and panels on creative and digital/social activation with speakers from FC Barcelona, AB InBev, DHL, Orange and SAB Miller.

Rounding off an inspirational and provocative 2 days were a series of unique talks and interviews from Universal Music, facebook and the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team. Olivier Robert-Murphy, Universal’s global head of new business told the story of the music industry’s decline and revival in the digital era, Facebook director Christian Hernandez wowed the audience with an up-to-the-minute review of how brands can use the social media platform to engage with consumers and Nick Fry, CEO of the Mercedes F1 team, described how inventory is developed around F1 to create experiences for brands to engage with fans.

The attendance of the conference was strictly limited to 300 with 34% of the audience working directly for brands, 42% working at rights holders and 24% working for both with 44% attending from outside the UK. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with over 76% declaring it the best forum for sponsorship debate and networking in the world of sport.

The planning is already in place for 2013 with an expanded programme of high level and workshop sessions due to be announced in the coming months. For more information see www.leadersinsponsorship.com.

The invite only sell-out international event saw over 1500 delegates and 100 speakers from over 45 countries, representing 50 different sports in attendance. 60% of the delegates were rights holders, 89% were Director-Level and 95 different sponsors in sport enjoyed the top quality content and networking. In fact 92% stated they were “extremely satisfied” with the quality of attendees.

Perhaps most pleasing of all was the fact that 48% of all attendees were from overseas, with significant director level delegations from Brazil working on the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Qatar 2022, Singapore Sports Council, Scandinavia, numerous Australian rights holders, and a major group representing the biggest sport franchises in the US, the events second biggest market.

Millions of people more from around the world followed the news stories as they happened live with 12 international TV networks covering the event (including BBC, Sky Sports News, ITV, Bloomberg, ESPN, MBC, CNN, CNBC, NHK ) and 150 international journalists in attendance. Recognising the growing importance of social media, the organisers had 15 people covering all 40 sessions and debates at the summit with the official hash-tag #Leaders2012 proving to be a huge success.

James Worrall, CEO, The Leaders Sport Summit said “The 5th Leaders Sports summit reached new heights on every level with the quality of delegates, relevance of content and media coverage it generated making it the premium event in the sports business calendar. I am so grateful to all the speakers, sponsors, exhibitors and delegates for travelling to London from all over the world and for all the supportive messages we have received in the days following the summit. Whilst we are delighted with the outcome for 2012 we are already working on the 2013 edition to ensure we continue to improve and deliver a first class experience for all concerned”

More Facts about the event:
Leaders in Football hosted more than 30 speakers over 12 sessions, with 92% of delegates “delighted” with the content and learning. Panels made up of players, referees, MLS owners, Brazil 2014, FIFA ExCo members and CEO’s from the biggest clubs in Europe, as well as interviews with Juventus president and owner, Andrea Agnelli, President of the Spanish Football Federation, Angel Maria Villar Llona and a panel with Qatar 2022 were spread throughout the two days.

Leaders in Performance hosted 21 world class speakers over 10 sessions with 90% of delegates “delighted” with the content and learning. Sessions concerning subjects such as talent identification, athlete development, sports science, technology, analysis, psychology and physiology, as well as what sport can learn from the business world, took place across the two days. The conference’s highlights included in depth interviews with Head Coach of the South African World Cricket Champions, Gary Kirsten, England Rugby National Team Coach, Stuart Lancaster and a fascinating panel on Innovation in Sport from NASA, UK Sport and McLaren F1.

Leaders in Sponsorship hosted 18 world class speakers over 7 sessions with 89% of delegates “delighted” with the content and learning. A world class roster of speakers were present for the Sponsorship conference on Wednesday and Thursday including speakers from the NFL, P&G, Hublot, FC Barcelona, ABInBev, Orange, SAB Miller, Investec, DHL, Western Union, Jacksonville Jaguars and GE. They spoke on a range of issues such as the latest trends in sponsorship from the US sports market, where global brands are spending their money, Olympic sponsorship, creating rights, the future of brands and how to harness the fans to activate sponsorships globally.

Leaders in Digital Sport hosted 20 world class speakers over 8 sessions with 94% of delegates delighted with the content and learning. A stellar line up of speakers were present for Wednesday’s and Thursday’s event, with the crowd addressed by prestigious representatives from companies such as Facebook, Sky Sports, Fox Sports, YouTube, NBC, BBC, Terra, Maple Leaf Sport and Entertainment, Pittsburgh Penguins, MLS, Universal Music, Manchester City and more. Sessions concentrated on the major topics within the industry, including; Digital lessons outside sport, how fans will consume sport in the future, the digitalisation of the Olympics, Digital fan engagement, building new digital platforms and finally a session on how the music industry has coped with content rights issues.

Leaders in Racing hosted 17 world class speakers over 6 sessions with 91% of delegates delighted with the content and learning. Leading representatives from some of the racing and betting world’s most prestigious brands and rights holders gathered to speak at Thursday’s event, with sessions focusing on the business of racing, promotion of the sport, international racing and betting and the finance of racing.

For the 3rd year running Levy Restaurants provided world-class food and drink at the event with a superb menu created by a team of leading chefs and in house hospitality experts. Levy restaurants operate globally at prestigious venues including Chelsea FC, Cardiff City Stadium, The O2 Arena and the Dodger Stadium in LA and created a similar first class experience for delegates. Similarly SIS, the experts in host and outside broadcast production and facilities, returned as a Main Partner of the summit covering every conference session and beaming relevant footage all over the world.

if you would like to learn more about Leaders events or to enquire about opportunities to get involved in 2013, please contact one of the team on +44 (0) 207 042 8666 or email enquiry@leadersinevents.com.

With a confirmed attendance of 50% delegates from overseas, it truly will be an international experience, and Leaders would like to ensure that industry professionals unable to attend the conference this year can still interact with the world-class audience and content via Twitter.

To keep up to date on the latest conference news, submit questions or to join the conversation, please follow the conference specific Twitter accounts below, or follow the general hash-tag that has been set up in order to follow the events in real time, wherever you are.

Conference specific accounts:
Leaders in Football – @LiFootball
Leaders in Performance – @LiPerformance
Leaders in Sponsorship – @LiSponsorship
Leaders in Digital Sport – @LiDigitalSport
Leaders in Racing – @LiHorseRacing

General account:
Leaders Sport Summit General Twitter account – @Leaders_Summit

Official hash tag:
Leaders Sport Summit 2012 – #Leaders2012

Both conferences run simultaneously over 10th and 11th October making it the biggest and most prestigious gathering of sponsorship and digital leaders ever to be assembled in one place at one time. Enquiries continue to flood in and both conferences already have a growing waiting list of hopeful delegates.

The full speaker line up and conference agenda is now available with the following list confirmed:

Leaders in Sponsorship: Jean-Claude Biver, Chairman and CEO, Hublot; Eelco van der Noll, Global Sports and Entertainment Director, AB InBev; John Constantinou, Global Head of Partnerships, Orange; Laurent Colette, CMO, FC Barcelona; Rob Fleming, Head of Sponsorship, SAB Miller; Chris Katsuleres, Olympic and Sport Marketing Director, GE; Raymond van Niekerk, CMO, Investec; Fiona Taag, Global Sponsorship Manager, DHL; Gordon Lott, Head of Olympic Marketing and Group Sponsorship, Lloyds TSB; Kevin Roberts, Global CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi; Marc Audrit, Global Brand Director, Western Union; Shahid Khan, Owner, Jacksonville Jaguars and Mark Waller, Chief Marketing Officer, NFL.

Leaders in Digital Sport: Claude Ruibal, Global Head of Sports Content Partnerships at YouTube; Rich Cordella, General Manager, NBC Sports and Olympics Digital; Sandra Pecis, Vice President of Media, Terra; John McCauley, Senior Director of Digital at the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors and Toronto FC; Olivier Robert-Murphy, Head of New Business at Universal Music Group; Carsten Schmidt, Chief Sports Officer, Sky Deutschland;; Richard Gentile, Senior Director of Broadcast and Multimedia Production, New York Jets; Chris Schlosser, General Manager, MLS Digital; Christian Hernandez, Director of Platform Partnerships, Facebook; Russell Stopford, Head of Digital, Manchester City FC; Jeremy Zimmer, Senior Director – New Media, Pittsburgh Penguins and James Keady, Global Manager-Digital, CRM & Social, McLaren Automotive.

Leaders in Digital Sport and Leaders in Sponsorship take place within the Leaders Sports Summit, a coming together of 5 leading conferences including Football, Performance and the business of Horse Racing, over 10th and 11th October at Chelsea FC. For more information visit www.leadersinevents.com, contact enquiry@leadersinevents.com or call +44 (0) 207 042 8666.