Baku appoints top agencies for its 2020 Olympic bid

Lausanne, 4 November 2011 – The Baku 2020 Bid Committee took a significant step forward today in its campaign to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games when it appointed three leading international agencies, pmplegacy, Burson-Marsteller and Adore Creative.

pmplegacy, part of the Chime Sports Marketing division (CSM) of Chime Communications plc, will be lead strategic and technical advisors to the Bid, responsible for brand positioning, narrative and messaging; the development of the Applicant and Candidature Files and assisting the Baku 2020 team with its interaction with and presentations to the Olympic Movement.

Burson-Marsteller, a leading public relations and communications firm with a worldwide network of offices in 96 countries across six continents, will provide strategic communications counsel, as well as media relations and PR services to the Baku Bid team.

Adore Creative, the international advertising and creative services agency involved in both the 2014 Winter Olympics and 2018 World Cup campaigns for Russia, will be responsible for producing the bid films, new media and advertising campaign.

"We are delighted to have secured the services of such high quality agencies," said Yaqub Eyyubov, the Deputy Prime Minister, who heads the Baku 2020 Bid Committee. "These three agencies are the leaders in their respective fields. We know that they will do an excellent job for us, as we set out our credentials to be selected as a 2020 Candidate City in May 2012."

Azad Rahimov, Minister of Youth and Sport, said: "We are very focussed, following our 2016 Applicant City campaign, to demonstrate to the IOC, that Baku really does have what it takes to host the 2020 Games. Our economy is amongst the fastest growing in the world thanks to our natural reserves and our position as a transportation hub; we have extensive modern sports venues throughout the city and we will demonstrate to the IOC, a genuine sporting legacy for our country, the region and the whole Olympic Family."

Peter Mann, Chairman of pmplegacy said: "Baku is putting down its marker as a very serious contender in the race for 2020. The city is currently one of the best kept secrets in the region and a successful 2020 campaign will help it achieve its rightful position, recognised as one of the most progressive, inclusive and exciting cities in the world.

"We are very pleased to be working with a city that has such visionary sporting ambitions and aspirations. The Baku story is an excellent fit with the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship and it will, through the bidding process, establish many long lasting and sustainable sporting and social benefits."

Jeremy Galbraith, CEO of Burson-Marsteller in Europe Middle East and Africa, said: "We are thrilled and honoured to be appointed by Baku to help them communicate their vision to the Olympic Movement and realise their dream of hosting the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in 2020.

"Baku is an untold story. It is a beautiful city in a beautiful country, rich in history and culture – and with an abundance of natural resources. Having met the bid team, led by senior Azerbaijani political figures, I am convinced that Baku has both the ability and the commitment from the top to host the greatest show on earth."

Rupert Wainwright, Founder, CEO, and Executive Creative Director of Adore Creative, added: "What an amazing surprise Baku is! The most cutting-edge modernist architecture competes for your attention with millennia-old palaces and towers. Baku is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. With its hi-tech future, rich cultural heritage and inspiring passion for sports, Baku has an incredible story to tell and we are honoured to be chosen to bring that story to the world."

-ENDS-

For media enquiries, please contact:

Dennis Landsbert-Noon, Managing Director, Burson-Marsteller:

Email: dennis.landsbertnoon@bm.com, or tel: +32 473 68 55 59

or Valerie von Eberhardt, Director, Burson-Marsteller:

Email: valerie.voneberhardt@bm.com, or tel: +32 478 58 60 05

For pmplegacy, contact:

Peter Mann, Chairman

Email: petermann@pmplegacy.com, or tel: +44 7887 546488

or Helen Rowbotham, Director of Consulting

Email: helenrowbotham@pmplegacy.com, or tel: +44 7900 057 864

For Adore Creative, contact:

Patrick Levno, Worldwide Production Manager

Email: patrick.l@adorecreative.com, or tel: +1 310 278 8342

Marat Savelov, VP of Business Affairs, Russia

Email: marat.savelov@adorecreative.com, or tel: +7 903 798 5157

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About pmplegacy:

pmplegacy is an international management consultancy whose association with Olympic and other mega events bids spans more than 20 years. The company acted as strategy, technical and legacy advisors to Madrid in the 2016 campaign, helping to take the city to second place, behind Rio.

Alan Pascoe, a senior member of the pmplegacy team, was Vice-Chairman of the London 2012 bid and its founder and chairman, Peter Mann, who led the work with Madrid, has recently, with his team, been championing the company’s work for Hambantota (Sri Lanka) in their head to head contest with the Gold Coast for the rights to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

pmplegacy has brought together a world class team of international bidding and event professionals to work with them on the Baku bid. These include Bob Elphinston, the former President of FIBA and a highly respected expert on sport and venues who has worked on several IOC Evaluation Commissions and is an advisor to London 2012 and Rio 2016. The team also includes Ann Duffy of the Ann Duffy Group. Ann is widely regarded in Olympic circles as one of the leading proponents of Olympic sustainability and following her work with John Furlong on Vancouver 2010, has been advising Sochi 2014.

Other companies within the pmplegacy led team, include Steer Davies Gleave as transport planners, Cannon Design as master planners and architects; PwC on finance and 4 global as security advisors and Brand Oath on brand development.

As a service to our readers, Around the Rings will provide verbatim texts of selected press releases issued by Olympic-related organizations, federations, businesses and sponsors.

These press releases appear as sent to Around the Rings and are not edited for spelling, grammar or punctuation.

Your complete source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only.