Hollis Sponsorship Bulletin

Sports marketing and sponsorship agency Generate has won the PR brief to drive interest for the UCI BMX World Championships in Birmingham in May 2012.
Generate’s specialist PR team has developed a PR campaign that includes media relations, experiential activity, and digital to encourage ticket sales for the event as well as participation in the sport.
The event, which takes place at Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena NIA from May 24th-27th, will host over 2,000 riders from across the world, including Olympic GB hopefuls Shanaze Reade and Liam Phillips who will be gunning for world titles before the Games.
Jonny Clay, Event Director for the UCI BMX World Championships said, “The 2012 BMX World Championships is the latest in a string of major events that British Cycling has successfully bid for in recent years, and the event gives the GB Cycling Team home advantage in just weeks leading into the Games. We’ve already seen the impact of the event here in Birmingham with the creation of the new International BMX facility at Perry Park as part of the legacy of the event and as the event draws closer we’re looking forward to giving many more people the chance to participate in and watch the sport of BMX.”
Rupert Pratt, Managing Director of Generate, said, “We have developed a PR programme that will engage people primarily in and around Birmingham to drive attendance at the event, with a wider PR programme designed to generate interest and participation in the sport. The event takes place only a few months before the Olympic Games, and with GB medal hopefuls competing at the Championships, media and consumer interest will be high.”

Generate Sponsorship has been appointed by the Royal Institution of Great Britain to source a presenting sponsor for its televised Christmas Lectures in 2011.
The Lectures, a series of demonstration-packed science programmes for young people are filmed in front of a live audience in the iconic theatre at the Royal Institution. The original science events for children were started by Michael Faraday in 1825 and have long been seen as one of the most important events on the scientific calendar.
Previous partner Microsoft Research will continue its association with the Ri via an online education platform.
Professor Chris Bishop, Distinguished Scientist at Microsoft Research, said, “We were delighted to sponsor the Ri Christmas Lectures, and to be closely associated with this hugely important tradition of engaging young people with the excitement of science through live demonstrations. Following the successful sponsorship of The Lectures, Microsoft Research has this year provided further major support to the Ri to fund the creation of a new online science communication channel.”

Generate Sponsorship will provide sponsorship rights analysis and evaluation to racecourse operator Northern Racing Limited across the company’s property portfolio. Northern Racing Ltd is a group of 10 racecourses across the UK, including venues such as Chepstow, Uttoxeter and Fontwell Park, which provide a mixture of jump and flat racing across the UK.
Generate will be responsible for developing and implementing a strategy to attract sponsorship at all levels across the whole group of racecourses.

The Hollis Sponsorship Awards recognise not only the best sponsorships but also seek to recognise talented individuals.  The Barrie Gill Award, supported by the European Sponsorship Association, seeks out the up and coming talented and motivated young executives who are making a difference to the sponsorships they are working on, their companies and the professionalism of their sectors.  On the shortlist this year were Nick Marsden from the Royal Albert Hall, Jasmine Sall from agency Generate and Sarah Steel from Sheffield Football Club.  Of these three extremely talented individuals, Nick Marsden was deemed the winner and presented with champagne and a cheque from ESA’s vice chair and Sponsorship Consulting’s  Managing Director Pippa Collett.
To find out how to nominate your talented members of staff, please email rsarginson@wilmington.co.uk.

Thought you couldn’t sponsor BBC hit brands anymore? Well think again. This week sees sponsorship agency Generate start the search for a partner to link up with the live event version of BBC1′s Strictly Come Dancing – an arena tour which is being put on by Stage Entertainment.

The Live Arena Tour is scheduled for January and February 2010 – after the TV series. Stage Entertainment head of marketing Fiona Pearce said it gives partners the opportunity to align with a family entertainment superbrand: “It’s the first time any form of Strictly Come Dancing has been available and will therefore provide partners with an uncluttered platform to promote brands.”

There is a detailed sponsorship proposal for would-be partners to consider. In it, Stage says the six-leg tour is expected to reach a direct audience of 300,000. Millions more will also be reached via above-the-line marketing, PR and at the website www.strictlycomedancinglive.com. Benefits for sponsors could include an exclusive priority booking period for money can’t buy customer competitions,  branding opportunities at venues and a significant number of complimentary tickets for corporate hospitality clients.

Sponsorship consultancy Generate has been appointed by music and arts venue the Roundhouse as their retained agency. Initially, Generate will seek a partner for the venue’s creative studios programme for 11-25 year olds. 

Commenting, the Roundhouse’s director of development  Bernadette O’Sullivan said: “We’re delighted to be working with Generate and look forward to securing partners for the Roundhouse. We pride ourselves on our reputation as a destination for innovation, which is why we’ve been named as one of the top 5 cool arts brands for three years.”

Sponsorship agency Generate has been called in to find a raft of sponsors for a new event called Climate Week – which is due to take place next March 22nd-28th.  

The event, which is being organised by entrepreneur Kevin Steele, will attempt to address a range of issues relating to the environment. “Climate change is one of the most important issues of our time,” said Steele. “The change needed is huge, with an 80% cut in carbon emissions, yet the cost would be just 2% of global GDP. We are delighted to welcome Generate to our team as we aim to build Climate Week into the force that will create change.”

All told, Generate is seeking five sponsors – one main partner and four second tier partners. Generate Sponsorship managing partner Andy Muggleton said: “We are excited to be working alongside Kevin to secure partners for Climate Week. The event offers sponsors the opportunity to demonstrate their environmental credentials to the business world and mass consumer market, network with government and industry leaders and be seen as a leader of a national occasion focused on this pressing issue.”