Hampshire Cricket’s parent company RB Sport & Leisure Holdings PLC have announced  the appointment of a new contractor, there Powells Group Ltd who will complete the Hilton at The Ageas Bowl, Southampton. 

Work on the 175-bedroom hotel ceased in September 2013 when the previous contractor (Denizen) went into administration. The Club has been working intensely alongside all key stakeholders to bring together a complex series of contracts and agreements in order for a new contractor to be appointed. 

Despite the delay there will be no additional cost to Eastleigh Borough Council who remain central to this exciting project. 

The Hotel is now scheduled to open in spring 2015 although the Media Centre it houses will be ready in time to host written and broadcast media at the England v India Investec Test Match starting on 27^th July. 

Rod Bransgrove, Chairman of Hampshire Cricket said: “Through no fault of the Club or Eastleigh Borough Council, the Hotel development encountered a major setback towards the end of last year. We have worked tirelessly alongside all the key stakeholders in this project to recommence work in the shortest time possible given the complex nature of this project. Our aim of creating a model Test Match ground and world-class destination resort is stronger than ever although the realisation of this aim will be just a little later than we had originally planned.” 

Gordon Wells, Chairman of Powells Group added: “As a Hampshire based company, we are delighted to have been awarded the contract to complete the Hilton Hotel at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton and our aim is to continue to use local tradesmen and businesses wherever possible. 

“Our forte is the production of high quality commercial interiors, including hotels, retail premises, showrooms, restaurants and offices. Our additional experience of heavy construction work puts us in a perfect position to complete this project on time, on budget and to the highest possible standards as evidenced by our enviable client list including the likes of Louis Vuitton, Prada, Burberry and many other world renowned high profile companies.

Dover International Speedway, clinic situated in Delaware, has selected Crossmedia as their media agency of record.

The account will be handled out of the Philadelphia office of Crossmedia.

Considered the fastest one-mile race track in the world, Dover is home to spring and fall NASCAR weekends, which include the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, Camping World Truck Series and K&N Pro Series East. The 113,000-seat venue is well-known among race fans as the Monster Mile.

“Dover International Speedway is a true legend in the racing world, with an incredible and storied history,” said Chris Ebmeyer, head of Crossmedia’s Philadelphia office. “It’s home to NASCAR races, but it’s also a true brand experience and destination in itself. To be able to partner with the team at Dover on such a legendary initiative, and drive the business forward, is thrilling.”

Crossmedia will handle all media planning and buying for the venue, including TV, radio, print, online and non-traditional media. The agency’s first campaign for Dover will launch in conjunction with the Daytona 500 on Feb. 23, in key markets within the region.

The Volkswagen Group has revealed it currently has no plans to join the Formula 1 grid despite the FIA opening up the possibility for a further team to join the championship.

The governing body surprised the motorsport world by opening up an opportunity for prospective F1 entrants to submit proposals, which automatically led to a retread of suggestions that VW – or one of its group brands – would be interested in expanding its motorsport programme into the top flight. However, the German giant has since told ESPN that it will not be bidding for a place

“Currently, there are no plans or intentions for the Volkswagen brand or any other brand of the Volkswagen Group to join F1,” a spokesman said, echoing innumerable similar quotes issued over the years.

VW, which has motorsport brands such as Porsche, Audi, Bugatti, SEAT, Skoda and Lamborghini under its umbrella, has repeatedly stated that it is not interested in starting an F1 programme, a claim echoed by its subsidiaries, most of which have competition arms active in other series. VW, of course, is the new WRC champion, while new WEC sportscar champion Audi is about to be joined in LMP1 competition by Porsche.

“We are a sports car company,” head of R&D Wolfgang Hatz told Autocar back in April, “Porsche has always lived for the transfer of racing to production cars. For that reason, it was clear two or three years ago that we had to be back in high-level motorsport, and it was a choice between top-flight sports cars or F1.

“But the final decision was the only logical one. F1 was an alternative, but the road relevance is not there. Also, there is a lot of publicity around politics and tyres, but not so much about the engines and chassis. The aero, too, is incredible, but so extreme that it cannot result in any development in our road car understanding.”

Audi has also been connected to various openings in the F1 field, and as a potential engine partner to existing teams, but has regularly denied interest, and VW’s latest dismissal completes the set. The latter’s Wolfgang Duerheimer said back in the summer, however, that F1 could be an option in the longer term.

“I could imagine involvement in F1 in 2018, when the company is at the forefront of the industry,” he told Auto Motor und Sport, “We have enough brands that could do that.”

Initial interest in the spaces on the F1 grid has to be registered by 3 January 2014 and, with the FIA looking to make a final decision on 28 February.

Chennai will continue to remain the home of India and South Asia’s only ATP tour event until 2016 as the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) has extended agreement by three-year’s with IMG Reliance, operators and organisers of the Chennai Open, and IMG, owners of the tournament.

The prestigious tournament will be conducted with the active collaboration of the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) and the Government of Tamil Nadu. The 2013 event was the 18th edition of the tournament in India and 17th edition in Chennai.

IMG Reliance COO Ashu Jindal said, “The Chennai Open is part of Chennai’s culture and we are extremely happy that TNTA and IMG Reliance have been able to keep this iconic tournament in the Mecca of tennis in India. With the extension of this contract, we will continue to utilize the Chennai Open as a platform to develop India’s tennis talent. The Chennai Open has played an important role in growing the sport of tennis in Tamil Nadu and also provides a family-friendly entertainment experience for fans in Chennai. I would like to express my gratitude to all sponsors and partners for their invaluable support of this year’s tournament.”

TNTA President M.A. Alagappan said: “We are delighted to announce that Tamil Nadu Tennis Association with the active support and patronage of the Tamil Nadu Government has come to an agreement with IMG Reliance to continue the tournament from 2014 to 2016. As the only ATP world tour event in South Asia, the Chennai Open provides a key opportunity for Indian players to compete with the best players in the world. We look forward to three more years of quality tennis in Chennai.”

Qatar’s list of forthcoming major sports events grew on Wednesday as the Gulf state was awarded the 2016 world cycling road championships by the International Cycling Union (UCI).

The UCI took their decision on the margins of the present edition of the world championshipsbeing held here.

The historic Italian city of Florence is due to host next year’s edition, with the Spanish city of Ponferrada the host in 2014 and the American city of Richmond, Virginia, scheduled to organise the event in 2015.

Qatar is already due to host the 2022 football World Cup, while in recent years they have also been awarded the 2014 world swimming championships and the 2015 men’s handball world championships.

Paciolan, the leading provider of ticketing, marketing, and fundraising solutions in college athletics, announced today that NC State University has renewed its partnership with the company.

With the renewal, NC State will be implementing Paciolan’s Access Management for football and basketball, as well as its Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution. NC State has been working with Paciolan since 1992.

“Paciolan represents a trusted, reliable partner that delivers the industry standard for college athletics ticketing,” said Dick Christy, associate athletics director, external operations, for NC State. “With Paciolan, we’re able to provide invaluable 24/7 ticketing services with excellent execution to Wolfpack fans. These new services will help us to further integrate our brand and sales plans to achieve success.”

With the partnership renewal, NC State will implement Paciolan’s Access Management scanning for football and basketball, which will allow the university to learn who attended which games, identify what tickets were used, and tailor marketing messages and offers based on attendance patterns. NC State will be implementing print-at-home tickets and ticket transfer capabilities as well.

“The addition of Paciolan’s Access Management will allow us to provide more flexibility to our season ticket holders and better manage the game day environment, while collecting important data that will help us enhance the fan experience,” added Christy.

NC State will also be implementing Paciolan’s CRM solution, which should enhance ticket sales efforts and efficiently manage relationships with season ticket holders and donors. The university will also be able to accurately document every transaction and enhance its communications process to provide personalized services for each Wolfpack fan.

“With Paciolan’s CRM, we’ll be able to better manage and streamline our outbound sales process, and track leads and sales, while mobilizing a greater portion of our staff,” added Christy.

NC State will use a student lottery process, powered by Paciolan, which will be integrated into Access Management to deliver all students’ tickets via print at home delivery. The process provides exceptional flexibility and inventory fluidity to meet the needs of the student body.

In addition to adding Paciolan’s Access Management and CRM solutions, NC State will be leveraging the company’s online retargeting services to market to fans that browsed an event, but didn’t purchase tickets, with an online advertisement the next time they browse the internet. These retargeting services secure incremental ticket sales as well as sell value-added items, such as parking and chair backs.

“We’re very happy to be continuing our long-term partnership with NC State,” said Dave Butler, chief executive officer of Paciolan. “We look forward to implementing our Access Management scanning solution for football and basketball, as well as our CRM system, which will allow it to build its ticket sales through enhanced customer engagement.”