FC Barcelona to share stage with local rights holders at Sports Sponsorship & Marketing Conference

Qatar Airways became the club's global main partner, which is the first time that the airline has engaged in a sponsorship agreement with a major football club. This alignment has been described as a "fitting match for both organisations, which will elevate the brands to a new platform on the global stage".

As more and more corporates are diversifying their sponsorship portfolio and moving away from sports, this kind of deal reinforces the market's faith in sports sponsorship. Clearly rights holders and brands are still seeing the value of in-depth sponsorship strategies which best complement their marketplace and optimise potential revenue.

Cristina Pena Bages, International Business Development Manager for FC Barcelona, comments, "Sports marketing and sponsoring is nowadays one of the most valued and powerful differentiation tools for companies. Being part of the sports world, companies can enhance their brand, creating an emotional connection through the sports' fans. Thanks to the platforms provided by the rights holders, companies can reach new markets and get worldwide exposure. Rights holders are working towards developing new ways to give added value to companies in order to match their needs and objectives as much as possible. A win-win collaboration is considered as a key and strategic tool for being successful and competitive in the market."

Cristina Pena Bages will be among the speakers lined up to discuss these issues and share their expertise at the Sports Sponsorship & Marketing conference, which will be taking place on 16-18 July 2012 at The Wanderers, Illovo, Johannesburg.

For more information, visit the website, www.iir.co.za/sportsmarketing or contact IIR on +27 (0) 11 771 7000 for more details.