SportsMark Launches Sales of Hospitality Products for 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™

In conjunction with MATCH Hospitality AG, the worldwide exclusive rights holder of the FIFA Hospitality Programme, SportsMark has launched their sales of official hospitality products and services for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ and the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013.  SportsMark previously served as the exclusive hospitality sales agent in the USA for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ and is the exclusive sales agent of MATCH Hospitality in the USA for the sale of hospitality packages for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™.

SportsMark Client NFL Debuts NFL House at Super Bowl

In a clear response to the hospitality troubles that marred Super Bowl XLV in Dallas, the NFL is moving forward on a new level of league-administered hospitality called NFL House — a high-end, drop-in facility for business partners that will operate from Thursday through Sunday of Super Bowl week in Indianapolis.

Connexions Client Brian Deegan Makes Surprise Announcement with the Unveiling of the Metal Mulisha Monster Truck

Brian “The General” Deegan, continues to break barriers in the action sports world. Metal Mulisha founder, thirteen-time X-Games medalist and action sports icon, has just added Monster Jam^® monster truck driver to his title.

FIFA Announces World Cup Ticket Deal with Match Hospitality

FIFA has announced a $300M deal that gives Match Hospitality the "rights to market corporate tickets" at the '18 Russia and '22 Qatar World Cups. FIFA said that it would get a share of Match's profits "on high-end ticket sales" for the two tournaments. The deal also covers Confederations Cup and Women's World Cup tournaments from '17-23. Match payed $240M for hospitality rights to the '10 South Africa and '14 Brazil World Cups. The company acknowledged "heavy losses in South Africa, reported to be almost $50 million, but predicted returning to profit in Brazil" AP, 11/1

London Calling

With less than nine months to go, SportsMark’s London office is in full planning mode for the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games.  Our portfolio of clients has grown over the last year, and we are pleased to add several new world-class brands to the mix.  These new clients include the global steel company, ArcelorMittal, the iconic airline, British Airways, as well as Sainsbury’s, the third largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, whose LOCOG agreement is the first sole Paralympic sponsorship of its kind. Other SportsMark London Olympic clients include adidas, Cisco, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Nielsen, Omega, Procter & Gamble, and Visa.

SportsMark Kicks Off in Brazil with New Office

SportsMark Brazil has moved into a new office and is ready to grow, as we move closer to the planning and development stages of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The new office is located on Avenida Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek in São Paulo, along with fellow Omnicom agencies Rapp Brazil and GMR Marketing. With ten years of sports marketing experience in Brazil, Kevin Smith, SportsMark’s Business Director, is taking the lead in helping SportsMark establish its presence in Brazil.

A Lively Summer Around the Football World

SportsMark traveled around the world this summer, developing and managing programs at high profile global football events for our valued client, Visa, a FIFA Partner.   In Germany, SportsMark managed and hosted Visa’s consumer sweepstakes winners and guests at the Final of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Guests experienced the excitement of the Final match, which saw Japan defeat the USA in an exciting penalty shoot-out. Visa’s guest experience program included accommodation, dedicated transportation, pre-match hospitality, tickets, and a day excursion to historic Heidelberg.

Event Marketer Names SportsMark Among Top Event Agencies

As part of their annual “It List” of top 100 event agencies in their August 2011 Issue,  Event Marketer Magazine recognized SportsMark as “the go-to name in big-time sponsorship hospitality.”  This marks the ninth consecutive year we have been recognized as a top event agency by Event Marketer.  We couldn’t be more proud to be included on this impressive list of qualified agencies, because as the publication says, “they are literally the 100 greatest event agencies found anywhere.”

To read about SportsMark in Event Marketer, please visit http://www.eventmarketer.com/agencyitlist/sportsmark

MATCH Hospitality AG Appoints SportsMark as Authorized Sub-Agent in the USA for the Club Prestige Hospitality Programme for the UEFA EURO 2012™

MATCH Hospitality AG, the official sales agent of the Club Prestige Hospitality Programme for UEFA EURO 2012^TM in most global territories outside of the 53 UEFA member countries, has appointed SportsMark as its authorized sub-agent in the USA.  SportsMark previously served as the exclusive hospitality sales agent in the USA for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 Germany™, and currently serves in the same role for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™.

America’s Cup Event Authority Appoints SportsMark as Exclusive Sales Agent of America’s Cup Club at the America’s Cup World Series San Diego

The America’s Cup Event Authority has appointed SportsMark as the exclusive sales agent of the America’s Cup Club hospitality program for the America’s Cup World Series San Diego. The America’s Cup World Series San Diego will be the first AC World Series sailing event to be hosted in the United States and will take place inside San Diego Bay from November 12-20, 2011.

Countdown to America’s Cup World Series San Diego

The World’s Best Sailors to Compete in Only 2011 U.S. Event this November 12-20

SAN DIEGO – AUG. 25, 2011 – In under three months’ time, the America’s Cup World Series will land in San Diego for the U.S. debut of the new look America’s Cup. A new professional global circuit, the AC World Series features the sport’s best athletes competing on some of the most physically demanding boats in the world - the AC45 wing-sailed catamarans.

MATCH Hospitality AG Launches Dedicated Registration Page on FIFA.com for Sale of Hospitality Packages for the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ and FIFA Confederations Cup 2013

With the sale of hospitality packages due to kick off in November 2011, MATCH Hospitality AG, the worldwide exclusive rights holder of the FIFA Hospitality Programme, has launched its dedicated registration page on FIFA.com. Interested parties who register will be first to know about the best offers for a unique hospitality experience with outstanding catering and services at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ and the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013.

Connexions Client Brian Deegan Takes Down the Heavy Hitters in RallyCross

Sitting in his Ford Fiesta at the starting line of the RallyCross final on Figueroa Street, Brian Deegan thought about the other seven drivers there with him on Sunday. Some were elite rallycross racers from Europe, others were America's best in the sport. Of them all, he was perhaps the greatest underdog, just a dirt-bike rider who dabbled in rally racing.

Connexions Client Jackson Strong Wins Moto X Best Trick Gold

Strong, who was knocked unconscious while competing during last year's X Games, takes gold ahead of two fellow Australians. X Games legend Travis Pastrana breaks his right foot and ankle while attempting a trick.

One Year From London: LOCOG Organizers Confident Games Are On Track

The '12 London Games will begin one year from today, and organizers are "pleased with what they've done and confident they'll put on a great show," according to a sports section cover story by Traci Watson of USA TODAY. LOCOG Chair Sebastian Coe said, "We stand exactly where we want to be. We've met every deadline. ... We're in good shape." Three of the Olympic Park's "five entertainment venues for Olympic competition are done," and the aquatics complex opened today during the official one-year-out ceremony.

UK Set to Celebrate One Year To Go to the Games with 1,200 Events for Open Weekend

This weekend hundreds of thousands of people across the UK will be participating at more than 1,200 unique sporting and cultural events to celebrate the ‘One Year to Go’ countdown to the Olympic and Paralympic Games as part of Open Weekend.

Hospitality Sales Set New Record at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011™

With more than 28,000 commercial hospitality packages sold for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011™, sales reached record levels.

Women’s football is going from strength to strength and nowhere was this more apparent than at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011™. A capacity crowd of 48,817 at the final saw Japan coming back from behind twice before defeating USA 3-1 in the penalty shoot-out.

SportsMark Client Visa Celebrates 25 Years of Olympic Sponsorship

Visa’s head of global marketing tells Around the Rings his company’s Olympic sponsorship isn’t about being “the only card accepted” at the Games for 25 years and counting. “The Olympic and Paralympic Games begin and end with the athletes,” Kevin Burke tells ATR, and so too does the partnership.

America's Cup Preparations Under Way for the Bay

Almost 500,000 people could crowd onto the shores of San Francisco and Marin to watch sailboats whiz past Alcatraz in a race for the America's Cup, according to the first complete look at the unique benefits - and headaches - the event will bring to the city.

U.S. Ready to Move On with World Cup Semifinal vs. France

They screamed and hugged. They laughed and cried. Then they went to a late dinner with family and friends, hit the sack in the wee hours and woke up working on their game faces. The U.S. women's soccer players, heroic in an incredible, emotional comeback victory in a World Cup quarterfinal against Brazil on Sunday, were ready to get back to business on Monday.

IOC elects PyeongChang as the host city of 2018 Olympic Winter Games

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today elected PyeongChang (Republic of Korea) as the host city of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in 2018 during its 123rd Session in Durban, South Africa. PyeongChang won in the first round of voting with 63 votes, against Munich (25 votes) and Annecy (7 votes).

SportsMark Announces Promotion

We are pleased to announce that Cynthia Smith has been promoted to Senior Account Manager.

Cynthia has been an integral part of the Visa account team for 8 years and has successfully managed multiple programs, including 8 Super Bowls, 7 Kentucky Derby’s, 8 Tony Awards, 2 Olympics and a host of other national and global events in her time at GMR and SportsMark. She has also been the lead contact for Visa’s Global Sales/Client Advocacy Team in the development of their hosting programs for the last 3 years.

Please join us in congratulating Cynthia on this well earned promotion.

Yingli Green Energy Announces Sponsorship of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™

The Company becomes the only Chinese and the only renewable energy company to team up with world football's governing body once again

Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited (NYSE: YGE) ("Yingli Green Energy" or the "Company"), a leading solar energy company and one of the world's largest vertically integrated photovoltaic ("PV") manufacturers, which markets its products under the brand "Yingli Solar", today announced the sponsorship of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ on the occasion of the 2011 Intersolar show in Munich, Germany.

What I Like: Keith Bruce Profiled in Sports Business Journal

PROFESSIONAL - What I Like …
AN OUT OF THE BOX IDEA: MLB All-Star winner gets home-field advantage in the World Series.
A TIMELESS IDEA: The real-time score graphic on all sports game broadcasts. (Can’t imagine life without it!)
A BUSINESS DEAL: The CBS/Turner NCAA deal … a game changer for college basketball.

Marketing Firms Flock to Brazil

The 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics in Brazil have triggered a push by sports marketing agencies to open outposts in the fast-growing South American country. IMG, Octagon, GMR Marketing, Momentum, Wasserman Media Group, SportsMark and Helios Partners are among the North American agencies that have opened offices or signed joint ventures in Brazil in recent months. Their hope is that hosting the world’s two biggest sporting events within two years will jump-start Brazil’s sports economy and that the country will go from being the center of the sports universe to having viable business long after the last ball is kicked and medal awarded.