Yale has today unveiled a new brand partnership with MotoGP, the FIM MotoGP World Championship.
Yale, one of the longest established, original manufacturers of lift trucks and warehouse equipment in the world, has been appointed as the designated Forklift Supplier to MotoGP.
By associating with MotoGP, Yale is aiming to take its own technology-led and forward-looking brand to new audiences, and to engage with other suppliers and partners of the championship.
Harry Sands, Managing Director of Yale EMEA, said: “When we were looking for a brand partner, MotoGP stood out as the obvious choice due to our shared principles and characteristics such as agility, high performance and innovative thinking.
“We feel that the values held by MotoGP align perfectly with what Yale stands for, and we look forward to displaying these attributes in the exciting and forward-thinking environment that MotoGP provides.”
Pau Serracanta, Managing Director, Commercial Area, Dorna Sports, added: “We are very excited to have Yale on board as our forklift partner. Yale shares similar passions and values that fit in with the excitement and creativity that we have on display at our events.
“Logistics is an essential part in what keeps the MotoGP Championship running smoothly around the globe. We hope that this collaboration can be the beginning of a long and productive relationship between the two brands.”
Formula E has teamed up with The Climate Group as a Global Ambassador for EV100, to help promote the widespread of electric vehicles.
The Climate Group is an international non-profit organisation specialising in bold and high-impact climate and energy initiatives with the world’s leading businesses, states and regional governments.
EV100 is the only initiative of its kind to actively encourage world-leading companies to commit to the quicker and smoother transition to electric, helping to deliver on sustainability goals and future-proofing operations.
Brands such as Unilever, Baidu, IKEA Group and DHL are already members of EV100, pledging to implement charging schemes in the workplace and swapping current diesel and petrol fleets to fully-electric by 2030.
The Climate Group has also joined the FIA Formula E Championship as an Official and International Foundation Partner, alongside the existing partnership with Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
The announcement was made during Climate Week in New York.
Alejandro Agag, Founder & CEO of Formula E, said: “I’m delighted that Formula E has joined forces with The Climate Group and the EV100 initiative, as a partner to promote electric and sustainable mobility.
“Formula E is here to make its contribution, offering an R&D platform to accelerate the rate of technological development and favouring a quicker and smoother transition towards clean energy. Our vision is that one day every car in the world will be electric and at every race we stage – in some of the best cities in the world – we want to demonstrate how cool and exciting these cars can be.
“Our partnership with The Climate Group is proof that change is already happening and causing a positive shift in attitude towards cleaner transportation. Formula E shows that electric isn’t just the technology of the future – it’s the technology of today. I’m glad to see other leading companies follow suit as part of this new agreement.”
Aston Villa Football Club has announced Utilita as its new Official Energy Partner and Official Energy Supplier.
Luke Organ, the club’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Aston Villa are extremely pleased to welcome Utilita to a growing partner family. We are excited about building a relationship based on credence and data insight to drive benefit for our fans, our club and Utilita themselves.
“We look forward to working closely with the team to strengthen their brand and deploy advanced acquisition campaigns and to see some exciting programmes come to life.”
Shaun Underwood, Director of Utilita Commercial Energy, added: “Our offer to businesses is disrupting the energy sector as we finally give Britain’s hard-pressed SMEs the fairer, flexible and transparent energy offer they deserve.
“We are thrilled to welcome Aston Villa on board and to be powering such an iconic stadium such as Villa Park, as well as the club’s state-of-the-art Bodymoor Heath training centre.”
As part of the partnership, Utilita branding has been installed on the dugouts at Villa Park and will also be prominent next to each goal. The company will have their logo displayed on Villa’s LED perimeter signage and elsewhere on the club’s digital platforms.
Utilita was the first independent challenger to the so-called ‘Big Six’ energy providers in the domestic market and in 2008 became the first to install smart meters to help customers better manage their energy usage.
The company now has 555,000 domestic customers, 1750 staff and operates out of 11 geographic locations across the UK.
The Ireland team bidding to host Rugby World Cup 2023 is confident that its commitment to deliver a “tournament like no other” will capture the hearts and minds of World Rugby voters.
The IRFU is set to deliver its bid presentation to the World Rugby Council next week and believe it will provide World Rugby with an unsurpassable opportunity to bring the Rugby World Cup to another new host.
Kevin Potts, IRFU COO and Bid Director, said: “This bid represents the hopes and aspirations of the entire island and is focused very firmly on the future.
“It presents World Rugby with a compelling proposition that combines all the advantages of a traditional Rugby market with the many opportunities of a new one.
“A key part of our vision is to support the growth of rugby worldwide – by using the Rugby World Cup in Ireland to connect with the wonderful support of the Irish diaspora worldwide, particularly some 40 million in North America alone.
“Through the diaspora and Ireland’s existing, proven platforms with them, this tournament will set new records for travelling fans and connect with new audiences for the game internationally.”
Philip Browne, IRFU Chief Executive, added: “Ireland’s commitment is underlined by the fact that Rugby World Cup 2023, from the turn of the decade, will be our sole focus in terms of a major international sporting event, ensuring no distractions for key host authorities and no competition for the attention of Irish sports fans and sponsors.
“Ireland is truly ready for the world – ready to host the world and ready to promote rugby throughout the world. This did has the total support of the Irish Governments. We can guarantee that Ireland has the capacity to deliver a wonderful Rugby World Cup in 2023 which will have the backing of people throughout the island.”
Wahoo Fitness has announced an official partnership with Olympic champion and two-time Ironman World Champion Jan Frodeno.
Given the unique, multi-sport training requirements of triathlon, the Wahoo product ecosystem is perfectly tailored to maximise efforts and enhance the performance of all triathletes, including those competing at the world’s most elite levels.
Chip Hawkins, Wahoo Fitness CEO, said: “We’re extremely proud to introduce such an incredible athlete to the ‘Wahooligan’ family.
“It’s long been Wahoo’s mission to support the performance of athletes at all levels, and our product ecosystem is uniquely positioned to provide a truly comprehensive, connected training experience for discerning weekend warriors and elite triathletes like Frodeno who demand nothing but the absolute best.”
Commenting on the partnership, Frodeno said: “I’ve always considered myself a Wahooligan, as I’ve been using Wahoo products to support my training efforts for many years, but now I’m happy to say it’s official.
“It’s very important to me that the brand cares about delivering a seamless user experience between each of its products – and Wahoo’s full ecosystem suits my training needs perfectly, enabling me to train with greater efficiency than ever before.”
Like other Wahoo athletes, including Tour de France-winning Team Sky, Frodeno will provide direct input into the design and development of future Wahoo products helping to ensure they are tailored to meet the needs of the most demanding professional athletes.
This valuable insight will help ensure Wahoo products continue to remain best-in-class for triathletes with the highest performance standards.
Wigan Warriors have extended their sponsorship deal with 188BET, who will remain as the club’s official main sponsor for the 2018 season.
188BET have been main sponsors of the Rugby League outfit since 2016, having previously worked with the club in 2010.
The extension means that the 188BET logo will remain on the front of Wigan’s match and replica shirts.
Wigan Warriors Executive Director, Kris Radlinski, said: “We are thrilled that 188BET will remain with us next season.
“188BET have built up a great rapport with Wigan fans with a number of initiatives that have proved really popular. They are a forward-thinking group of people who are full of ideas and it has been a pleasure to work with the team there over the last two years.
“The sponsorship landscape is such a competitive market place and over the last 18 months we have adopted a slightly different model whereby we have gone out and listened to our partners about their commercial objectives and then been creative in how we can help each other achieve our goals.
“Many Wigan fans have been encouraging us to re-sign 188BET and that shows their popularity. The engagement levels remain high and they have a great connection with our fans, long may it continue.
“We thank 188BET for their continued support and look forward to the relationship going from strength to strength.”
We are PUMPED to extended our sponsorship with @WiganWarriorsRL.
Registration for iSportconnect’s 2017 Corporate Regatta is now closed as the event, which will take place in Portsmouth on October 6th, has reached full capacity.
Teams including SAP, LaLiga and StreamAMG have signed up to seize on a compelling environment in which to do business.
The Regatta offers a unique opportunity for sports business executives to experience a taste of world-renowned Clipper Round the World yacht racing combined with networking among some of the most influential people in the sports industry.
Sree Varma, iSportconnect Founder and CEO, said: “I am very excited about this year’s Regatta. We have assembled an excellent line-up and the day is set to be an unforgettable experience for all involved.”
Participants will learn how to work together within a cohesive racing team under the guidance of Clipper’s professional skippers and mates before taking part in a series of races.
During racing, Clipper’s team will take a back seat and allow attendees to take control, while also offering strategic racing advice to ensure everyone remains safe throughout. Proceedings will come to a close with an award ceremony and reception.
Tony Scholes – CEO at Stoke City FC
“As ever iSportconnect gathered together a good range of interesting people to share knowledge and experiences with and I thoroughly enjoyed the different environment and the various challenges that it presented throughout the day.”
Rebecca Hopkins – Founder & CEO, Sports Technology Awards
“I took part in the iSportconnect Regatta last year and not only did I thoroughly enjoy it, it proved a highly useful business event.
“New client business was generated as a direct result of the day and I made two new industry contacts, both of whom have been invaluable contributors to subsequent activities my organisation has undertaken for clients.”
David Gibbs – Digital Director, Sky Sports & Sky News
“It was a fantastic day with fantastic weather and fantastic company. There was brilliant team building with a bunch of people I didn’t know very well that I now know a lot better. It was great fun, pretty hard work, but a brilliant day!”
Richard Clarke – Consulting Content Director, Indonesia Liga1
“I had a great day here at the iSportconnect Regatta. It was a good chance to break out from the office and connect with a few people I had never met before.
“You end up running a ship, racing, being competitive and having a few drinks after. It was a nice way to relax and a good way to bond and create teamwork.”
Please contact Chris Edbrook (chris@isportconnect.com) to register your interest in attending iSportconnect’s 2018 Regatta.
2017 Schedule:
09:00 – Delegate arrival and welcome breakfast
09:30 – Safety briefing and introduction to basic principles of sailing
10:30 – Tack, gybe and race training on the Solent
12:30 – Lunch (served on board)
13:00 – Race One
14:00 – Race Two
15:00 – Race Three
16:30 – Yachts return to Gunwharf Quays
17:00 – Awards ceremony, refreshments and event wrap up
Sports Digital Publisher & Fan engagements experts, Snack Media announced today the launch of Snack Gaming a joint venture between Jon Trigg the former founder of Fantasy sports business Silent Manager and Rupert Pratt Co-Founder of Generate Sponsorship prior to its sale to Mongoose Sports & Entertainment.
Fusing the team’s experience across sports marketing, sponsorship, digital and fan engagement Snack Gaming will work with sponsors, betting companies, rights holders and media owners internationally to acquire, engage and monetize fan bases. Snack Gaming will develop, license and commercialise digital fan engagement platforms such as fantasy sports leagues, predictor games, quizzes as well as develop and introduce new products to the market.
On the launch Jon Trigg commented: “Across our team we have developed thousands of platforms and enterprise builds in multiple languages, capable of managing over 150 million transactions. We have advised sponsors, media owners and rights holders globally and generated tens of millions of Euros in commercial income. We assist clients to acquire, engage and monetize fans and the rights we create.”
Snack Gaming will use the Snack Media network of over 20m unique users a month to inform clients on strategy and behaviours of online sports fans. Using the network, advanced data platforms and social media expertise it can market platforms for clients, driving all important traffic and engagement but also assist them monetize them.
With regards to the joint venture, Snack Media CEO and Co-Founder, Niall Coen commented: “Snack Media have 10 years experience in creating, distributing and monetizing fan content, so setting up a business specifically aimed at monetizing these tools for publishers and rights holders is a very natural progression for the Snack Media business. Our strategy across this business will be helping to create new tools, new rights and new revenues for our partners.”
Rupert Pratt added: “With digital advertising spend and fan engagement overtaking traditional, the questions to ask yourself is what proportion of my sports marketing inventory is digital?
“Do I have the right tools in place to engage and acquire fans, secure sponsors and advertisers? Snack Gaming has been formed to address that balance for sponsors, betting companies, rights holders, publishers & broadcasters alike.”
Everton Football Club has signed a sleeve sponsorship deal with Rovio Entertainment – the gaming giant behind the popular Angry Birds franchise.
The Angry Birds logo debuted on the left sleeve of the Premier League club’s jersey during Sunday’s 4-0 defeat to Manchester United.
The partnership is set to give both parties an opportunity to create innovative branded content using the team’s crest, players and stadium.
Everton’s CEO Robert Elstone said: “We’re delighted that Rovio Entertainment has become Everton’s first shirt sleeve partner.
“Angry Birds is one of the best-selling game apps of all time and is also a remarkable success story in terms of the way in which the brand has crossed over from gaming to become part of popular culture. Everyone here is excited about being able to work with such a creative, dynamic and ambitious brand.”
Alan McTavish, Head of Commercial at Everton, commented: “Rovio Entertainment recognise the global reach that Everton can deliver through its international fanbase and the global exposure of the Premier League.
“In return, working with Rovio and the Angry Birds brand gives Everton exposure in key international markets through their breadth of digital channels in gaming and animation, as well as a wide range of co-branded merchandise.
“We look forward to working together to deliver some innovative and exciting worldwide activations in what I’m sure will be a long and successful partnership.”
Ville Heijari, CMO of games at Rovio Entertainment, added: “We are excited to bring Angry Birds into the top flight of English football in partnership with Everton.
“In Everton, we have found a partner who shares our values of putting the fans first, and creating a long-lasting legacy for our community of players. This is Rovio’s first partnership in the most watched sports league in the world, and a logical continuation of our global Angry Birds brand partnerships.”
| More about our first sleeve partner, @Rovio. The deal commences with today’s game at @manutd…
In a world-first, the 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan will feature live Electronic Line Calling on all lines on court during the tournament. The launch of ‘Hawk-Eye Live’ marks the latest in several innovations being trialled at the inaugural tournament, and means the Chair Umpire will be the only match official on court during the event.
Ground-breaking new technology, pioneered by Hawk-Eye Innovations, will be used to deliver ‘Hawk-Eye Live’ on all lines throughout all points. When triggered, the new system will make an instant automated ‘OUT’ call.
By default, given that each call will be final, the Electronic Review ‘Challenge’ system will not feature, however, all close calls will be accompanied with visualisation of the ‘OUT’ call on video screens around the stadium. Foot-faults will be determined by a Review Official who will be monitoring via cameras placed on the base and centre lines.
“This could be a landmark moment for officiating in our sport,” said Gayle David Bradshaw, Executive Vice President, Rules and Competition, ATP. “Our athletes work incredibly hard and they deserve the very best and most accurate officiating we can offer.
“The technology is now in a place where we feel comfortable trialling this new system in a real tournament environment. The Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan is the perfect place to do this, and we look forward to monitoring the results and assessing the merits of this new system.”
The launch of Hawk-Eye Live at the Next Gen ATP Finals adds further weight to the tournament’s mission of trialling innovation and new technology in men’s professional tennis. The technology behind ‘Hawk-Eye Live’ has been comprehensively tested and developed by Hawk-Eye Innovations over the past 18 months, in close co-operation with the ATP.
“The Next Gen ATP Finals provides a fantastic platform to showcase the Hawk-Eye Live technology, which we see as the future of tennis officiating,” said Sam Green, Director of Tennis, ELC at Hawk-Eye.
“Working with the ATP has allowed us to refine the system to not only improve the quality of line calling, but the overall fan experience.”
