Emirates has extended its involvement with European Golf by announcing support for ten additional tournaments between 2014 and 2017 and by becoming the official airline partner of the tour.
Emirates adopted the same role with the Irish Open two years ago when it was the first major sporting sponsorship here since opening up daily flights between Dublin and Dubai. There was no mention of an extension of that relationship to become title sponsor of the Irish Open, though an announcement on that is expected shortly.
“Golf is one of the most popular sports in the world, and as a global sponsorship platform it has been immensely successful for us. Emirates’ increased investment in The European Tour is a natural move which will expand our global reach to golf enthusiasts across Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia,” said Nigel Hopkins, the airlines Executive Vice President.
“Engaging with our customers and fans through sports has been part of Emirates’ brand strategy since our early days. It makes sense for us – as an airline that connects the world – to align our brand with prestigious golf tournaments where the world’s most talented players come together. We will continue to work with our partners to celebrate the value of sport and deliver meaningful experiences for golf fans,” he added.
In November the European Tour committed to keeping the Race to Dubai as the centrepiece of the tour across the same period through to the end of 2017. It is understood the Emirates deal was a major factor in that decision.
The additional tournaments that will now be included as part of the deal include events in Germany, Norway, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Italy and South Africa.
There will be hospitality and promotional booths at all the European Tour events, similar to those at Carton House for the Irish Open last June. Emirates stewardesses will be positioned at some of the signature tee boxes to enhance the visual branding for TV audiences.
There will also be a major digital element to the deal with Emirates branding of the Tour’s Virtual Eye. This provides GPS and statistical information on players and is the kind of sports analytics solution that will be discussed as part of the Sport for Business Business of Sports Science Conference in Dublin on January 9th
