On top of your game

Setting our sights on the action in 2012

Without a doubt, 2012 will be a thrilling year in the sports world, and we are excited for the incredible experiences and record breaking performances it will bring. At SportsMark, 2012 will be a groundbreaking year for many reasons: helping our clients achieve their important business goals, establishing new business relationships with global sports properties, and creating events and experiences that will set a new level of excellence.

Of the many events we will be involved in this year, including the NFL Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four, Masters, Ryder Cup, and America’s Cup World Series, the London 2012 Olympic Games will be a pinnacle event. We have been preparing for this momentous event for four years, working side by side with our clients to create unparalleled guest experiences and optimize their brand building and sales objectives. SportsMark will host more than 15,000 guests for our 15 London 2012 clients throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games, working with a staff of over 1,000 and managing 40,000+ Olympic event tickets.

This is a particularly important Olympic Games, marking the third time London has played host. The last time was in 1948, the first Games after World War II, bringing the world back together through sport. This time, the city has experienced a massive redevelopment of East London, with a focus on sustainability. SportsMark, along with LOCOG, embraced this idea and has worked with each of our clients to incorporate legacy initiatives in their Olympic programs.

Concurrent with the planning for London 2012, our London office has built relationships with clients for other European sports events, including UEFA 2012, Wimbledon, and the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games. We’re very excited for the opportunities that lay ahead in London and throughout Europe after the 2012 Games have closed.

While 2012 will be a culmination of years of preparation and planning, it will also be a year for building for the future. A new and exciting area of expertise for SportsMark is America’s Cup, and we are working closely with the America’s Cup Event Authority to develop their global hospitality program and sales strategy.

Our team of event and hospitality experts is aiding the development of the hospitality model, as well as the sales process for hospitality packages for the America’s Cup sailing events over the next two years, including the 2012 America’s Cup World Series, 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup, and America’s Cup Finals. The hospitality venues at each event will provide first-class hospitality services and breathtaking views within an exclusive and vibrant hospitality environment.

The Louis Vuitton Cup and America’s Cup Finals will be held near our corporate headquarters in San Francisco, and are expected to generate $1 billion for the local economy. Renovation and revitalization of piers and infrastructure have already begun, as the city prepares to host ten America’s Cup teams and 200,000 spectators a day along the historic San Francisco waterfront.

From the ocean to the pitch, SportsMark is also in the midst of preparing for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™. 2014 is expected to be the largest and most complex FIFA World Cup ever, and SportsMark is well into the planning phase. Our São Paulo office, which opened last year, has been building business relationships with sponsors and developing strategies for the management of guests, tickets, accommodations, and transportation.

For those in the United States wishing to attend the FIFA World Cup, we are the company to get you there. SportsMark is the exclusive sales agent in the USA for the sale of the Official Hospitality Programme of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ and the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013, appointed by MATCH Hospitality AG, the worldwide exclusive rights holder of the FIFA Hospitality Programme.

The Official Hospitality Programme offers visitors to Brazil a comprehensive menu of hospitality products, catering to the various needs and expectations of the corporate or individual client. Whether using the tournament as a business building platform or taking your family to the experience the greatest sporting event on Earth, there are multiple products to meet your needs.

Sales are already in high gear for World Cup tickets and hospitality packages, with some packages already selling out. If you are considering hosting a program in Brazil, or just want to see a few matches, I recommend you start planning now. If you would like more information about the Official Hospitality Programme of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, please send us an email at soccerhospitality@sportsmark.com.

Here’s to the great action ahead in 2012 and beyond –

Keith