The deals, brokered by Fast Track, the market leading sports events, communication, consulting and rights marketing agency, join the previously announced tie ups with the Manchester Evening News, Kelloggs, Pure, GMG Radio, Serco plc and Northern Rail and are sure to further enhance the profile of the first major global sporting championships to be held in Manchester since the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and the UK’s biggest swimming event since the 1948 Olympics.
With just under six months until competition begins in earnest at Manchester’s M.E.N arena from Wednesday 9th April 2008 to Sunday 13th April 2008, Fast Track, who handle national sponsors and supplier sales on behalf of the Local Organizing Committee, are also in talks to fill the remaining commercial opportunities, particularly the only two available at national partner level. Further announcements regarding other suppliers joining the partner family are expected shortly.
The deals announced today are as follows:
The Trafford Centre becomes the Official Shopping Centre to the FINA World Swimming Championships 2008, and will provide extensive advertising throughout the centre, promotion of ticket sales and hosting of exclusive events in the run up to the championships.
Manchester Airport becomes a key corporate supporter of the event, providing all spectators and competitors a warm Mancunian welcome, as well as staff to the volunteer programme.
As part of their deal, United Utilities, will provide more than 2 million litres of water for the two championship pools that will be built in the MEN Arena. The main pool will be a competition standard pool where all the action will take place with 7500 seats surrounding it. The other pool will be behind a curtain, invisible to the general public and will be for the athletes to warm up before they race and swim down after the race.
Marc Hope, director of Rights Marketing at Fast Track, said. I'm pleased to welcome the Trafford Centre, Manchester Airport and United Utilities to the growing sponsor family. We are focusing now on sourcing two national sponsors who will benefit from extensive television branding and tailored involvement in the legacy and volunteer programmes. There is still time to become involved in the UK’s biggest swimming event since the 1948 Olympics to make the most of their company’s involvement in the build up to Beijing 2008 and London 2012.”
Gordon McKinnon, Director of Operations at The Trafford Centre said “The Trafford Centre has in the past been involved in sponsorship with major sporting activities such as the Commonwealth Games, the Salford Triathlon, and Salford City Reds Rugby league Club. As an iconic destination in the North West we are keen to support events of this nature which do so much to promote and grow the region and are delighted to support the FINA World Swimming Championships.”
Geoff Muirhead CBE, Chief Executive of the Manchester Airports Group said ”We are delighted to be supporting the FINA World Swimming Championships in 2008. More than 650 of the world’s premier athletes from 120 different countries will be arriving in the city many through Manchester Airport, not to mention all their supporters, so we are proud to be able to give them the warm Mancunian welcome they deserve.”
Sharon King, United Utilities partnerships manager, said “We are pleased to be providing such essential support for the FINA World Swimming Championships. We’re part way through an £8 million scheme to upgrade Manchester’s water supplies so we decided this was a great chance for us to splash out and thank the people of the city for their patience while the work continues.”
Head of PR, 5 Times World Swimming Champion and Mancunian James Hickman says “It’s fantastic news that the Trafford Centre, Manchester Airport and United Utilities are on board as some of the planet’s best swimmers will be in Manchester to hone their skills for the Olympic Games in Beijing just a few months later. It will be an incredible experience and the fact they’re being held in a concert venue will add to the anticipation, with the addition of lighting and sound effects it will be very rock and roll!”
The eyes of the world will be on Manchester as 650 athletes from 120 different countries will take part in this 5 day event which will be the first FINA World Swimming Championship to ever be staged in the UK. Manchester always does things differently and it promises to be like no other swim meet with two huge temporary pools being built in one of countries most popular concert venue – The Manchester Evening News Arena. BBC Television have also committed to provide 10 hours of coverage across the 5 days of the event.
Ends
For sponsorship enquiries please e-mail sponsors@m2008.org or call Marc Hope on +44 (0) 7799662187
The 9th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) will be held at the Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester, England from April 9th to 13th 2008. For further information please contact: James Hickman on email james.hickman@m2008.org or Sarah Gormley on tel: 07919 886488 or email sarah.gormley@m2008.org
Notes to Editors
Fast Track
Fast Track is one of the leading sports events, communication, consulting and rights marketing agencies.
The agency creates award winning, world class sponsorship programmes and events for our clients across a multitude of sports – football, athletics, rugby, rowing, swimming, sailing, golf and disability sport.
Fast Track work across a wide portfolio of clients including Heineken, Land Rover, Lucozade Sport, MMC, UK Athletics, the National Lottery, Sainsbury’s, Camelot, Polar, JCB and Group 4 Securicor.
Fast Track has recently become part of Chime Communications plc, the marketing services group chaired by Lord Bell.
For more information, please visit www.fasttrackagency.com.
FINA World Swimming Championships
The 9th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) will be held at the Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester, England from April 9th to 13th 2008. www.manchester2008.org.
FINA is the world governing body for Aquatics (Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo, Open Water and Masters) and has 194 national member federations. Manchester will stage the 9th FINA Swimming World Championships in the same year that FINA celebrates its Centenary. Current Official Partners of the 9th FINA Swimming World Championships (25m) 2008 are Yakult, AstralPool and Omega.
The 9th FINA World Swimming Championships, Manchester 2008 is being delivered through a funding partnership which includes:
Manchester City Council - Following the success of the XVII Commonwealth Games, Manchester City Council is now synonymous with the successful hosting of major international sports events. The World Swimming Championships is one of three World Championships coming to the City in 2008, a year that will also feature the Track Cycling World Championship and the Hi-Tec World Squash Championships. Add to this, the UEFA Cup Final and it really will be a sporting year to remember. Manchester is working in partnership with UK Sport, British Swimming and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) to deliver the World Swimming Championships. The event will showcase the City and Region to the World whilst creating long-term economic and social benefits for its residents.
British Swimming is the National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo and Open Water in Great Britain. It is responsible internationally for the high performance representation of the sport. The members of British Swimming are the three Home Countries national governing bodies of England (Amateur Swimming Association), Scotland (Scottish Amateur Swimming Association) and Wales. (Welsh Amateur Swimming Association) British Swimming seeks to enable its athletes to achieve gold medal success at the Olympics, Paralympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games.
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) leads the economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest and is responsible for:
- Supporting business growth and encouraging investment
- Matching skills provision to employer needs
- Creating the conditions for economic growth
- Connecting the region through effective transport and communication infrastructure
- Promoting the region’s outstanding quality of life
More at www.nwda.co.uk
UK Sport’s National Lottery funded World Class Events Programme aims to secure sporting events of strategic importance that deliver a range of lasting benefits. These include economic, social and cultural benefits as well as improving sporting performance by home athletes, encouraging participation and leaving a legacy of facilities and development initiatives. Over 100 sporting events have been staged in the UK through the Programme since 1997.
More at www.uksport.gov.uk.
