Hollis Sponsorship Bulletin

The Edinburgh International Film Festival has secured  a major new partnership with mobile phone provider Nokia, encompassing a new sponsorship deal and an three day festival event – The Nokia Shorts Weekender.

Taking up a new position within the festival programme, The Nokia Shorts Weekender will be Scotland’s largest ever celebration of short film, including a diverse and acclaimed range of shorts programmed by the Edinburgh International Film Festival team.  As the festival celebrates its 65th year at the forefront of the global film industry, the new partnership will also see the launch of a new competition that will allow eight budding filmmakers to have their work screened at EIFF, in front of industry experts from around the globe.

Aspiring directors will be able to submit their idea for a short film at www.vimeo.com/nokia on a subject of their choice. The creators of eight of the best submissions will be awarded a budget of $5000 and two Nokia N8 smartphones on which to make their film, and the results will be shown at a special EIFF screening – with one winner securing a $10,000 overall prize.

The Nokia Shorts Weekender will build on the Edinburgh International Film Festival’s commitment to providing a platform for young film makers, and in 2011 this will also include two special training workshops delivered by BAFTA and leading independent film collective Shooting People, as well as Nokia N8 masterclasses with guest directors. 

Graeme Davies, Head of Commercial Development of the Edinburgh International Film Festival, commented: “We are privileged to welcome Nokia on board for the 65th year of EIFF, to be part of what promises to be a pioneering and exciting time for the festival.  Nokia’s connection with film makes it a really natural partnership, and the Nokia Shorts Weekender will add a dynamic, exciting element for local people, enthusiasts and international visitors alike.”

Steven Overman, Vice President for Marketing Creation Nokia added: “Nokia Shorts is an international competition that will provide talented film-makers with an opportunity to share their creativity with the world. We want to help nurture undiscovered artists and increase their opportunities within the film industry. We’re very excited to see how the boundaries of filmmaking will be pushed using the Nokia N8 smartphone technology.”

London-based sports marketing agency is seeking a marketing/brand manager. To view this and all the latest opportunities on jobs@sponsorship, visit www.sponsorship-awards.co.uk and click on the jobs@sponsorship button.

To mark 500 days until the opening ceremony of the Paralympic  Games, Sainsbury’s, Official Partner of the 2012 London Paralympic Games, yesterday (Monday 11th April) launched its 1 Million Kids Challenge. The Challenge aims to encourage 1 million children from across the UK to get a taste of the excitement of the Games by trying out a Paralympic sport . Sainsbury’s today also announced its Paralympic Legacy Fund, an initiative that will support Paralympic athletes  as well as promoting a healthy lifestyle at London 2012 and beyond.

Through its Paralympic Games partnership and commitment to promote a healthy, fitter lifestyle across all ages and abilities, Sainsbury’s aims to make Paralympic sports more accessible by supplying free sports equipment to schools so children can give  Paralympic sports a try for the first time.

All of the schools participating in the Sainsbury’s 1 Million Kids Challenge will be eligible for additional rewards and benefits, such as access to London 2012 Ticketshare tickets and visits from athletes by joining the Get Set network, London 2012’s reward and recognition scheme for schools and colleges across the UK.

In addition to the 1 Million Kids Challenge, anyone who is interested in trying out a Paralympic sport can contact Parasport, an organisation which has been established to make it easier for the public to learn about and participate in these sports in their local communities (www.parasport.org.uk/).

In conjunction with the BPA, Sainsbury’s has also set up a Paralympic Legacy Fund which will support Paralympic athletes at the Paralympic Games and beyond.  The first initiative around the fund is the launch of a freshly designed Paralympic Games shopping bag, which is available in Sainsbury’s stores, with profits from the sales of the bag going to the fund.

Surrey County Cricket Club has secured a major three-year partnership with the Jardine Lloyd Thompson group. The deal – which will see the company become the official sponsor of Surrey’s youth cricket programme and County Age Group scheme – is an expansion of the existing relationship that has been forged between Surrey and JLT in recent years.

Between 350 and 400 children will be playing in the County Age Group (CAG) scheme for Surrey this summer – and all will wear brand new shirts bearing the JLT logo.  Jardine Lloyd Thompson will also become a major partner of the Friends Life t20, providing a new award for the FLt20 Player of the Season which will be presented at the End of Season Awards on Thursday September 15th.

Speaking after signing the deal, Richard Gould, the recently appointed Chief Executive of Surrey County Cricket Club, said: “Developing young players is one of the most important things we do as a Club and the support of forward thinking companies like Jardine Lloyd Thompson is absolutely crucial to that. Having already enjoyed a successful partnership, I am very happy that JLT have decided to increase their involvement with us and look forward to working with them in the years to come.”

Duncan Howarth, Chief Executive UK Employee Benefits Group at Jardine Lloyd Thompson added: “These are exciting times for the club, with a mixture of youth and experience on the field and a new commercial focus off it. JLT, as a successful business based on teamwork, commitment and excellence shares common values with Surrey County Cricket Club. Our commitment to recognise and reward their performances on the field this season will sit alongside the opportunity to share great facilities at the Kia Oval with clients, partners and staff in what will be an exciting summer of international cricket.”

Specialist marketing consultancy Synergy has been appointed by UEFA to provide PR support for the UEFA Champions Festival and the UEFA Women’s Champions League final  following a competitive pitch. The brief tasks Synergy with implementing a PR campaign to drive awareness and attendance for the UEFA Champions Festival and the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final in conjunction with UEFA. Both are part of week-long events taking place in London in the week leading up to the UEFA Champions League Final 2011.

Ahead of the UEFA Champions League Final on Saturday 28th May, London will host a week of celebrations and activity – the UEFA Champions Festival – offering fans the opportunity to participate in various football related activities, all for free.  The Festival will give fans the chance to have their photo taken with the trophy, take part in skills sessions with UEFA ambassadors and watch Gary Lineker’s England team take on the rest of Europe in an Ultimate Champions Match. Held in London’s Hyde Park, the UEFA Champions Festival hopes to attract 80,000 people over the eight day period.

The UEFA Women’s Champion’s League Final is a relatively new addition to the UEFA  Champions League Final events, being played only for the second in the same city during the Final week. The top two women’s European club sides will take to the field at the 22,500 capacity Craven Cottage on Thursday 26th May 2011.

Adam Raincock at Synergy said: “The UEFA Champions League Final is the most watched annual sporting event in the world and we look forward to developing an innovative PR programme that will share the excitement with thousands of fans throughout London.”

Telefónica is back for the third consecutive edition to take part in the Volvo Ocean Race. The company will do so with a boat called  ‘Telefónica’ which is currently under construction.

Team Telefónica’s presence in the Volvo Ocean Race, headed up by Pedro Campos, CEO of Team Telefónica, is part of their broad promotional programme in the sailing world, both on a national and international level. As well as a podium position in the last edition of the event and victory in the in-shore races in the Volvo Ocean Race, their trophy cabinet is host to 15 world titles, two gold and one silver Olympic medals from the Olympic Games in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.

Specialist sports marketing agency, WSM, has been appointed by The Historic Endurance Rallying Organisation (HERO) to help build their brand across a campaign of both PR and digital activity.

HERO is a classic car endurance rallying club and has organised more than 80 events over the last 15 years, including Le Jog and the London to Lisbon Classic Reliability Trial and Tour.

While Olympic sponsors, and their agencies, are busy working to maximise their investments, many important issues are being debated in the industry at large relating to the impact of the London 2012 Games on the sponsorship industry as a whole.
 
The questions abound and the ESA Insights Forum being held in London on the 5th May (morning) is timed to address these key concerns:
 
• For sponsorship practitioners: will our industry suffer a fall in demand come 2013? What evidence is there that the sponsorship market will sustain its position when the Games leave town?
 
• For sponsorship agencies: what are the opportunities and perils of becoming a global agency on the back of success in 2012
 
• For sponsors: what will our legacy entail, and what staffing levels and skills will we need to deliver it?
 
• For management: how do we manage and motivate a workforce that wants to watch the Games throughout next summer?
 
• And for those directly involved: will there be too much talent on the market post the Games? What will all of our retiring athletes and LOCOG employees do with themselves? How will we cope if we end up with too many people?
 
The ESA Insights Forum, part of the European Sponsorship Association’s successful Knowledge programme, is aimed at everyone working in the industry and has an impressive line-up of experts to cover these issues:
 
• Marzena Bogdanowicz, of b-focused, has vast knowledge, having experienced a multitude of Olympic Games in her time at the British Olympic Association (BOA) and the legacy impact those have had on the local markets both before and after the flame.
 
• Rob Clarke, Head of HR at LOCOG will share how the organisation intends to manage its own staffing before and after the Games
 
• Amanda Fone, f1 recruitment, has helped both sponsors and agencies and LOCOG recruit for the Olympic Games and has her finger on the pulse of how talent in the industry will evolve to 2012 and beyond
 
• Sally Hancock of Lloyds Banking Group, the first national company to sign up as a Tier 1 partner, will share how her organisation is managing the process of building up a talented team to deliver both the Games themselves and Lloyds legacy contribution
 
• Fredda Hurwitz of Havas Sports & Entertainment has Olympic Games’ experience from the agency side. Her remit is now a global one with a desire to take the agency’s experience gained to Rio 2016 and beyond 
 
• Sarah Winckless, BOA Athletes Commission is involved in preparing the athletes for the Games and proactively managing the athletes transition afterwards – many of whom will be actively looking for regular roles in our industry
 
The forum will be chaired by Matt Rogan, ESA Chair of the Education group. Matt is a Director of Lane4, a learning and development consultancy which is heavily involved with developing employee engagement programmes for Olympic and Paralympic Games sponsors. Matt is the co-author of Britain and the Olympic Games: Past Present Legacy which looks in detail at the commercial impact of London 2012 on the nation.
 
The ESA Forum opens with refreshments and registration from 8.30am and the session starts at 9am, closing at 11.30am. The event is being held at the offices of MediaCom, 124 Theobalds Road, London WC1X 8RX.
 
The ESA member rate is £100 and the non-member rate is £175 (plus VAT). To reserve a place or to find out more about the 2011 ESA Knowledge programme, contact the ESA Office – esaoffice@sponsorship.org or visit http://www.sponsorship.org/content/knowledge.asp

Event branding and production specialists Icon is  to become part of the Sports Marketing division of the global PR, advertising and marketing group Chime Communications. The acquisition comes two and a half years after Icon’s MBO from the CSS Stellar organisation,since which it has expanded  growing sales from £11.6 million (2008) to £18.6 million (2010) primarily through organic growth augmented by the acquisition of event production agency MEI. Since the year end Icon has also acquired the overlay specialist SLS Group.

Chime is the holding company for the international public relations group, Bell Pottinger; one of the fastest growing advertising and marketing services groups, which includes VCCP and Teamspirit; a global sports marketing group, which include Fast Track and Essentially; and a market leading research and engagement group, which includes Opinion Leader Research and Facts International Chime is made up of four divisions, 50 agencies and over 1,200 people, with offices in the UK, Germany, Spain, Czech Republic, USA, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Qatar, South Africa, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.
John Francis, Icon MD, commenting on the deal, said: “This is an exciting prospect for Icon and one which will have significant benefits for both our employees and clients alike. Chime’s overseas operations will help to strengthen and augment our capabilities outside of the UK, enabling us to provide an even better global service to our existing and future international clientele.
“Additionally the backing of a PLC of Chime’s stature will give Icon additional financial stability and the opportunity to progress our plans for investment into improved technology and resources, resulting in greater capacity and diversity.”

The London Nocturne, the elite, night time inner city cycling event, has signed a new three year title partnership with IG Markets, a world leader in the provision of Contracts for Difference and part of IG Group.

The sponsorship extends IG Markets commitment to cycling, following its recent sponsorship of Team Sky. The IG Markets London Nocturne takes place on the 11 June 2011 at Smithfield Market and will feature the IG Markets Team Challenge, providing businesses the chance to race against each other in an adrenalin fuelled competition. The format will simulate the trials of the Tour de France as teams compete for points across sprint, time trial and criterium disciplines before coming together in a team relay. 
Over 25,000 people have attended the Nocturne Series since its inception in 2007, which won a Visit London Sports Tourism Award for innovation in 2007. Tim Howkins, Chief Executive of IG Group, commented:  “Cycling is currently going through a renaissance and we believe it has a specific appeal to our target audiences. We hope that our commitment to the event will help deliver the sport to a more mainstream audience whilst helping IG Markets promote its products to a growing audience.”
James Pope, Founder of the Nocturne Series said: “With the support of IG Markets we are aiming to develop the London Nocturne into the leading criterium event in the world over the next three years. The new partnership has helped secure Sky Sports as the host broadcaster and the London Nocturne will be televised for the first time this year.

“We will be bringing in riders from World Tour teams to take on the top British riders so that we can give everyone with any interest in cycling, from hardcore fans to people that commute on their bike, the chance to see some of the world’s best riders in action in the heart of the City of London.”
For full details on all the races and attractions and to enter the IG Markets Team Challenge please visit www.londonnocturne.com