Daimler-owned automotive manufacturer Smart has agreed partnerships with the Association of Volleyball Professionals US beach volleyball tour and the European Volleyball Federation (CEV) continental governing body.
Smart has signed a one-year, multi-faceted deal with the AVP to become the official automotive partner of all seven tournaments of the 2014 AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour.
Smart will receive title sponsorship of two of the AVP’s marquee Southern California events. The Smart AVP Manhattan Beach Open will take place from August 14-17 and the Smart AVP Championships at Huntington Beach will be played from September 18-21.
During the Southern California events, Smart vehicles will be used as player boxes, an area where players rest during timeouts and between matches. In addition, fans attending the two tournaments will have access to various Smart-themed activations such as interactive elements, promotional giveaways and customer display vehicles.
Smart will also benefit from signage on the stadium court throughout the entire Pro Beach Volleyball Tour, in addition to television advertising and website and social media integration.
The deal also includes options to extend for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Meanwhile, Smart has also agreed a three-year deal to become the official car partner of the CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship Final from 2014 until 2016. The deal includes the possibility of extending sponsorship to other CEV beach volleyball tournaments.
“We all know that Smart has a very strong connection with beach volleyball and that their involvement in the sport started already more than 10 years ago,” CEV president André Meyer said. “The association of the Smart brand with the CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship – Final and the possibility to extend such cooperation also for other CEV beach volleyball competitions provides the opportunity to further grow European beach volleyball together.”