Businesses Hear About Olympic, World Cup Opportunities
Around 200 CEOs and chief marketing officers from Brazil took part in a two-day conference this week at the Copacabana Palace. The conference focused on the ability of the Olympics and the 2014 World Cup to transform Brazilian businesses.
Martin Sorrell, chairman of WPP marketing group, and former IOC marketing director Michael Payne hosted the conference.
"The event was an important and major part of building market awareness of the business opportunities prior to the launch of the Rio 2015 marketing program later this year," Payne tells Around the Ring in an email.
Payne led a panel discussion called "Best Practices and Insights from Leading International World Cup and Olympics Sponsors". The panel featured Tom Shepard, former director of EVP Global Marketing Partnerships and Sponsorship for Visa International; Rob Prazmark, former President of Olympic Sales and Marketing Worldwide for IMG; and Sally Hancock, director of Olympic Marketing for Lloyds and Founder of RedMandarin sponsorship agency.
Guests also heard presentations from Brazilian Olympic Committee President Carlos Nuzman and Leo Gryner, newly-named director general of Rio 2016.
Brazilian Football Confederation President Ricardo Teixeira gave a presentation on the 2014 World Cup via teleconference
Three Sponsors Presenting Torch Relay
London Olympic organizers this week unveiled their vision for welcoming the Olympic flame to Britain and revealed Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung will support the torch relay.
Coca-Cola and Samsung are worldwide partners of the Olympic movement. Coke has served as a presenting partner of every torch relay since 1992.
Last time the Olympic torch passed through London, an international leg of the Beijing 2008 relay, clashes between human rights protesters and belligerent Chinese guards captured global headlines.
Speaking from the roof of the Queen Elizabeth concert hall in London, Coe told reporters that removal of the international element of the torch relay diminished the chances of a repeat of such violent protests.
Coe said that while LOCOG had already liaised with police forces he did not want the spirit of celebration to be undermined.
"Of course we want the torch relay to engender excitement and passion and shine a light on all the extraordinary things that go on in a safe and secure environment," he said.
"But we’ve also got to be conscious that we want this to be a celebration. We don’t want towns to close down. But I don’t think there’ll be any necessity for that."
Instead, Coe said that the torch relay was a way of engaging young people far outside London - 50 percent of torch bearers will be under the age of 24.
"The torch can energize a lot of things we take for granted," he said.
Asked how participants and locations would be selected on the U.K. tour, he said that it was "very early days to be prescriptive" about such matters.
The nomination process for the 8,000 torch bearers will be announced in May 2011.
London 2012 Signs Mondo Deal
Mondo will supply competition flooring for the London Olympics.
LOCOG named Mondo the official supplier of sports flooring and equipment on Friday. Mondo will supply surfaces for as many as 10 Olympic and Paralmypic sports, including athletics, basketball, goalball, table tennis, and wheelchair basketball. The deal includes the track and warm-up track for the Olympic Stadium.
LOCOG now has 32 sponsors, after signing this tier-three deal.
Mondo has supplied tracks for the past nine Olympics. The company is also a supplier for the athletics and basketball federations.
"I set my first world record and won Olympic medals on Mondo tracks so I know they will provide world class products and services for London 2012," said LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe.
ArcelorMittal Tier Two Sponsor
/>ArcelorMittal is paying $23 million for the construction of a 377-foot tower called "The Orbit" in the Olympic Park in Tier Two sponsorship deal with LOCOG.
LOCOG named ArcelorMittal as the official Steel Supporter on Tuesday. As part of the deal, LOCOG will benefit from ticket sales to the viewing platform of the tower.
The tower cost a total of $27 million with LOCOG paying the remaining $4 million for the project. After the Games, the Olympic Park Legacy Company will take ownership of the tower.
Annecy Signs Renewable Power Company
The Annecy bid for the 2018 Winter Games says it is showing its green side by signing a new energy partner.
Compagnie Nationale du Rhône became an official bid partner on Wednesday. CNR sells 100 percent renewable energy to European market through its operations on the Rhone River that include hydroelectric production.
"We share the same values as the CNR tied to sustainable development and saving the environment," Edgar Grospiron, Annecy 2018 CEO said.
"Their concept capitalizes on existing sites, encourages group and new means of transportation, and high quality environment requirements."
Annecy is competing for the 2018 Winter Games against Munich and PyeongChang, South Korea. The IOC will decide a host city in July 2011.
Briefly...
…The U.S. Olympic Committee gave Procter & Gamble the Paralympics Amazing Impact Award following the Vancouver 2010 Games. Procter & Gamble’s "Proud Sponsor of Moms" helped mothers of 250 U.S. Olympic and U.S. Paralympic defray the travels costs to Vancouver.
…USA Weightlifting is working with iBEAN COFFEE to raise funds for weightlifting clubs. Clubs will make $3 from every 12-ounce bag of iBEAN COFFEE sold.
Written by Around the Rings Staff.
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