Man City preps hospitality experiential push

Manchester City are stepping up corporate hospitality efforts by increasing the number of branded boxes created with sponsors in a bid to boost revenues at the club’s Etihad Stadium.

ManCityEABox
Premier League club partners with sponsors such as Electronic Arts to transform hospitality boxes into branded hubs.

The Premier League club are working with sponsors to transform boxes into branded spaces around specific matches and for non-matchday corporate events.

Sponsors such as Hugo Boss and luxury watch brand Richard Mille could join Electronic Arts, Heineken and Harvey Nichols in launching similar iniatives with the club in the future.

The push comes as the football club looks to encourage clients and more affluent fans to use hospitality boxes after research it conducted in partnership with sports marketing data insight specialists Two Circles revealed that their needs were not being met. It marks the latest in a series of investments from the club to boost commercial revenues to exploit the club’s growing profile and as well as meet UEFA’s new financial fair play rules.

In its most recent accounts, for the year to May 2011 hospitality revenues jumped 13 per cent year-on-year to 6.1m and commercial revenues were up 49.7 per cent on the previous year to £48.5m.

Local rivals Manchester United are also looking at how they can boost income from their hospitality services. The club is readying a corporate hospitality push around its executive club lounge experiences.

Manchester City’s branded hospitlality boxes includes the following:

  • Electronic Arts – the box accommodates up to 10 people and features four gaming chairs, a flat screen TV and a Playstation 3 console, offering the latest EA sports gaming releases.
  • Heineken – The Dutch brewer partnered with the club to recreate its ‘Walk in Fridge’ TV spot, by transforming the box into the wardrobe featured in the spot.
  • Harvey Nichols’ – the luxury department store launched a concept box where visitors could purchase designer clothes and accessories from designers including Jimy Choo, Christian Louboutin and Dolce & Gabbana.

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