Abu Dhabi To Host Second Arabian Sponsorship Forum In December
World-class speakers and panelists announced from adidas, Deloitte, Emirates, Etihad, Mercedes-Benz, and Saatchi and Saatchi. Leading figures from sponsorship world brought together on December 8th to 9th.
Professional Sports Group has announced that the second Arabian Sponsorship Forum will take place this December 8th and 9th at The Yas Hotel, Abu Dhabi. In collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the Sports Care Program, this year’s forum has attracted keynote speakers from high brand sponsorship experts, including adidas, Etihad, Mercedes-Benz and Saatchi & Saatchi.
The Forum was described as "one of the best sponsorship conferences that I have ever attended" by former Chelsea and Man Utd CEO Peter Kenyon, at the inaugural event in 2009.
The speakers confirmed, include, Kevin Roberts, Global CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi, based out of New York, USA; Anders Sundt Jensen, Vice President Brand Communications Mercedes-Benz Cars, Germany; Peter Baumgartner, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Airways, Abu Dhabi, UAE and Jocelyn Robiot, Senior Vice President Global Sports Marketing, adidas International. Panelists confirmed include Boutros Boutros, Divisional SVP Corporate Communications, Emirates Airlines; Dan Jones, Partner, Sports Division, Deloitte; and Richard Masters, Director of Sales and Marketing, English Premier League as well as HE Mohammed Khalfan Al Rumaithi, President of the UAE FA and HE Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Secretary General, Qatar Olympic Committee.
The Arabian Sponsorship Forum brings together specialists from the sports, entertainment and events industry in the region, including sponsors, rights holders and agencies, to help increase the profile of sponsorship as a business tool and deliver valuable learning and networking opportunities that can help the sponsorship industry to develop best practice.
H.E. Mohamed E. Al Mahmood, General Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, is delighted to support the initiative:
“The Arabian Sponsor Forum is an important initiative for both Abu Dhabi and the UAE as it helps to engage the local business community on how to use sponsorship for mutual benefit. Building upon the success of the inaugural forum in 2009, the organisers have already confirmed a top line-up of speakers for this year’s event.”
“We are particularly delighted to see Emirates and Etihad participate in the event as they are two of the UAE’s leading sponsors who use sport sponsorship as part of their international marketing strategies. There will be further announcements about other world class speakers in the coming weeks”.
In addition to a total of six key-note speakers, the organizers have announced a series of sponsorship workshops involving industry experts from a variety of international and regional companies including Phil Anderton, CEO of Al Jazira; Cambell Jamieson, General Manager, Commercial, ICC; Carlo Nohra, CEO, UFL and Barbara Biggi, Marketing Director, F.C. Inter Milan.
The two-day conference also hopes to stimulate both Emirati and expatriate undergraduate and graduate interest in the sponsorship industry. There will be a specific workshop on Tuesday 7th December, prior to the Forum, providing a 360 degree ‘Introduction to Sponsorship’, which is hosted by perhaps the world’s leading sponsorship and sports marketing academic, Professor T.Bettina Cornwell, the Edwin E. & June Woldt Cone Professor of Marketing, Lundquist College of Business, University of Oregon. This session will be supported by international experts from Europe, the US and local sponsorship experts and will target university students, recent graduates and interns. For further information on the ‘Introduction to Sponsorship’ workshop please visit www.arabiansponsorship.com.
Jamie Cunningham, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of organizers Professional Sports Group, commented,
“The Arabian Sponsorship Forum will be a must-attend event for anyone involved in the marketing industry in the Arabian Gulf. The event will offer 350 delegate invitations this year and we expect these to sell quickly. We hope that the Forum will demonstrate to companies the real business returns that are attainable through professional sponsorship strategies. We are including several new additions to the Forum for 2010 and we are particularly excited about the potential legacy which we can create in the region’s universities and colleges from the Introduction to Sponsorship. We are expecting to confirm the participation of several of Abu Dhabi and the region’s leading educational institutions in this new session and in several other elements of the Forum.”
“Obviously we would like to thank all the sponsors for their support, but particularly the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the Sports Care Program and The Yas Hotel for their collaborative approach.”
In addition to Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Sports Care Program and The Yas Hotel, Gold sponsors include IFM Sports Marketing Surveys, the world’s leading sports consulting and research company; and The Tribe, a leading UAE digital firm.
The official delegate rate is 4,000 AED for two days. Delegates who register prior to November 14th will receive a 25% discount. Tickets for the Introduction to Sponsorship workshop on Tuesday 7th December are 450 AED. Tickets can be bought from www.arabiansponsorship.com or Professional Sports Group’s offices in Two Four 54.
For more information, please visit www.arabiansponsorship.com or call Mel Croser on +971 (0) 506950816.
