“Great Expectations: Sponsorships and the London Olympic and Paralympic Games” – Around the Rings Newsmaker Breakfast Launch
Atlanta -
(ATLANTA)
June 24, 2009 – London is the venue for the debut of the latest series of
Around the Rings Newsmaker Breakfasts. “Great Expectations: Sponsorships and
the London Olympic and Paralympic Games” will explore the impact the 2012 Games
will deliver for the UK and companies associated with the Games.
Around the Rings Editor and founder Ed Hula will host a
panel of marketing experts Friday, June 26, 2009, at the Bloomsbury Holiday Inn, also
the site of the First World Press Briefing for the London Olympics.
Jointly
sponsored by VisitBritain and UK Sport, “Great Expectations” brings together
some of 2012’s most influential sports marketers. The panel will include
(alphabetically):
Colin Grannell, executive vice
president partnership marketing, Visa
Michael Payne, former IOC
marketing director; special advisor to F1 chair Bernie Ecclestone
Mike Sharrock, partnership
director, London 2012 - British Petroleum
Chris Townsend, commercial
director, London 2012
“It’s a pleasure to begin a new series of Newsmaker Breakfasts with both
VisitBritain and UK Sport as our new sponsors,” Hula said. “Their support means
journalists and those who make decisions about the Olympics can start to build
the relationships they need to carry them through 2012.”
The four-part series
continues in Chicago in September, when the topic will address how 2012 will
shape the tourism industry in Britain. In Copenhagen in October,
panelists will discuss the changing sports scene and how decisions
taken at an international level can impact the domestic performance ambitions
of a nation. The series wraps up in Whistler in February 20.
“VisitBritain is delighted to be
associated with the Around the Rings’ Newsmaker Breakfast in London,” said
Sandie Dawe, chief executive, VisitBritain. “The 2012 Games present an unrivalled
opportunity for the UK tourism industry to welcome millions of new
visitors to our shores in the lead up to, during, and after the Games.
VisitBritain’s vision is that the whole of the UK visitor
economy should benefit from the 2012 Games, and will work in partnership
with a wide range of tourism and non-tourism partners to showcase
brand Britain to the world.”
John Steele, UK Sport CEO, added, “We are
very pleased to be supporting this round of Newsmaker Breakfasts. As the UK’s
lead agency for performance sport, London 2012 is absolutely at the heart of
all our business – whether it be seeking to maximise the performance of our athletes,
or through our international work leading the development of the groundbreaking
International Inspiration programme that is delivering on the promises made by
the London bid in Singapore. The Breakfasts offer a way for us to share our
work and learn more about the international sporting environment at a crucial
time in our history.”
Newsmaker
Breakfasts began as casual meetings led by Hula during the 1996 Olympic Games
in Atlanta. They continued in Sydney, Salt Lake City and Beijing. Previous
Newsmaker guests have included IOC President Jacques Rogge, then president of
the European Olympic Committees; NBC sports chairman Dick Ebersol; Gianna
Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, chair of Athens 2004, and Prince Albert of Monaco.
Attendance
is free for working journalists; space is strictly limited. For more
information or to reserve a seat, contact Janice McDonald (janm@aroundtherings.com)
at +1 404 874 1603, or email breakfast@aroundtherings.com.
For nearly 20 years,
Around the Rings has been the only publication devoted
to providing original, on-the-scene reporting about the $5 billion dollar
business of the Olympic Movement. Based in Atlanta, Georgia (USA), Around the
Rings provides thorough international news coverage with daily email blasts, a
weekly newsletter and special edition magazines. To schedule an interview with
Ed Hula, contact Sheila Scott Hula at Sheila@aroundtherings.com or call + 1 404-..., ext. 102.
About VisitBritain
VisitBritain inspires the world to explore Britain. It is the
authority on maximising the value of the visitor economy and co-ordinates the
voice of British tourism policy. With a network of representatives in 35
countries worldwide, VisitBritain champions Britain as a world-class
destination, extending the reach of the tourism industry to consumers. Every
year over 12 million visits are made by international consumers to the 46 websites
that make up VisitBritain’s global family of websites, www.visitbritain.com,
which together provide information in 26 different languages. For more
information about Britain and the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, visit this link.
About UK Sport
UK Sport is the United Kingdom’s high performance sport
agency, charged with ‘leading sport in the UK to world class success.’
Primarily this means investing in and supporting UK sports and athletes as they
seek to compete and win medals on the world stage, and in particular at the
Olympic and Paralympic Games.In doing
so, UK Sport will be investing over £300 million of National Lottery and
Exchequer funding in the build up to London 2012, as well as playing its part
in the new Team 2012 commercial sponsorship initiative. UK Sport is also
responsible for helping sports to bid for and host major sporting events in the
UK; for driving the UK’s sporting profile in international federations and
other bodies; and is the lead agency in the delivery of the International
Inspiration programme designed to deliver on the London 2012 bid promise to ‘reach young people all around the world and
connect them to the inspirational power of the Games so they are inspired to
choose sport.’Until the end of 2009,
UK Sport is also the UK’s National Anti-Doping Organisation. For more information, go
to www.uksport.gov.uk, or contact Tim Hollingsworth, director of policy and
communications, +44 (0)20 7211 5144 / tim.hollingsworth@uksport.gov.uk or
Russell Langley, head of communications, +44... /
Russell.langley@uksport.gov.uk.
.gif&contenttype=gif "Click here")
Home
