London Offers Best Chance Of Attracting New Commercial Partners For Sports Events

LONDON, Monday 24 October: A recent survey carried out by IFM Sports Marketing has identified London as the sporting destination guaranteed to provide the highest return and media profile for sponsors. More than half of the global industry leaders polled believe London offers the best opportunity to increase new commercial revenues.

The IAAF World Athletics Championships is one of the largest sporting events in the world and sponsors are categoric in their assessment that London offers an unrivalled opportunity to increase their brand visibility. Highlighting the appeal that a major event in London would bring to potential sponsors, industry leaders ranked the capital city as the world's top destination for providing an excellent return on investment - 20% more popular than its closest rival Sydney.

84% of those polled cited strength of brand presence as one of the reasons why investing in events in London is attractive. Associated media platforms (84%), the city's diverse population (74%) were also key drivers for event sponsors. The impact of London as a sporting host extends to a range of commercial benefits and more than 50% of the 110 global industry leaders polled believed London offered a gateway to new brand markets.

The event is broadcasted to over 200 countries, with a global audience of 95 million during peak times. With an expected media value for London alone expected to be in excess of £60 million in 2017, the impact for potential commercial partners is enormous.

2000 athletes, 450,000 spectators and 14,000 personnel from over 200 counties in London for nine days mean that the economic benefit of hosting the Championships to the UK is in excess of £100 million.

Niels de Vos, Chief Executive of UKA said: "This survey echoes the conversations I've had with global sports sponsors and the message is loud and clear; London is the preferred destination for major brands.

"But this isn't just about attracting the sponsor dollar for London 2017. A strong sponsorship programme combined with full stadium and record TV audiences could provide our sport with a significant legacy and a real foundation on which to build a global commercial platform."

The London 2017 bid has been put together by UKA, DCMS, the Mayor of London, London & Partners and UK Sport.

For more information, contact: alexandra.dallas@pitch.co.uk

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