Emirates has extended its sponsorship of golf’s European Tour in a deal that expands its investment across an additional 10 tournaments from 2014 until the end of the 2017 season, along with granting it the status of the Tour’s official airline.
As part of the agreement, Emirates will become a worldwide partner of the Tour. Along with its existing nine European Tour events culminating in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Emirates will add to its event portfolio through tie-ups with the BMW PGA Championship, the Nordea Masters, the D+D Real Czech Masters, the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, the Portugal Masters, the Italian Open, the Joburg Open, the South Africa Open Championship and the Nelson Mandela Championship.
Emirates will benefit from highly visible branding across European Tour tournaments and the Tour’s media and digital platforms. In addition to enhanced hospitality rights, Emirates will also have its own exhibition booths within the tented village areas of the tournaments. The airline will gain additional branding exposure through the Tour’s ‘Virtual Eye’, an animated graphics system that provides real-time positioning and information about player performance and statistics.
Nigel Hopkins, executive vice-president of service departments at Emirates Group, said: “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.”
European Tour chief executive George O’Grady added: “Last month we were delighted to announce the extension of the Race to Dubai at Jumeirah Golf Estates through to the end of the 2017 and the commitment of Emirates was very much part of the reason we were able to make that announcement. This increased investment will give us the confidence to support our tournaments globally, enhancing not only our widespread geographical footprint but also the development of our business in new markets across the world – a strategy that we at the European Tour share with Emirates.”