GUANGZHOU, China - May 8, 2009 - The 16th Asian Games (www.gz2010.cn/en), part of the worldwide Olympic movement and governed by the Olympic Council of Asia is on pace for a record amount of corporate sponsorships in the run up for next year’s Games - including more than RMB600 M ($87 M USD) from Guangzhou Automobile Industry Group.
The total amount of corporate sponsorships is already more than four times the amount of sponsorship generated by the 2006 Asian Games in Doha.
Mr. Fang Da’er, Director of the Marketing Department of the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (GAGOC) said Games’ organizers are bullish after attracting a record haul of sponsors, despite the global economic crisis.
"We have tried to avoid the impacts of the global financial meltdown since last year," said Fang Da'er, director of the Games organizing committee's market development department. "Our hard work has paid off because the initial goal of finding adequate sponsorship was realized one and a half years ahead of the Games' opening."
So far, 28 companies have signed sponsorship deals with the Games organizing committee - the largest number in Asian Games' history.
"About five to eight more agreements with big companies like China Southern Airlines are expected to be signed before June," Fang added. Agreements were signed with companies including large multinationals and top domestic firms from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
According to Fang, as many as 23 companies have been authorized to produce officially licensed products for the Games, and 12 more can merchandise the goods.
Fang said that GAGOC has signed sponsorship agreements with 28 enterprises, including six prestige partners, two partners, five sponsors, eight exclusive suppliers and seven suppliers. With the marketing program still being implemented, the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games has already made history, surpassing all previous Asian Games by large margins in terms of total sponsorship amount and the number of sponsors.
Ten major categories and more than 1,000 kinds of licensed products are currently on sale, such as precious metals, clothing, handicrafts, stationery, cases and bags, toys (plush and non-plush), badges, non-precious metals, jewels and postal items. There are more than 30 franchised stores for these products located throughout the Pearl River Delta Region and more will be set up in other parts of China.
GAGOC has launched three stages of solicitation for franchised dealers (including manufacturers and merchandisers) since May 2007, receiving applications from more than 100 enterprises. GAGOC has currently authorized 23 franchised manufacturers and 12 franchised merchandisers.
Authorized television broadcasters for the Guangzhou Asian Games have been tentatively selected in four regions - Mainland China, Hong Kong, North Korea and South Korea, and the Middle East. The four regions’ copyright fees have surpassed the Doha Asian Games. With Cricket’s entry into the Asian Games for the first time, Guangzhou 2010’s broadcast right is attracting unprecedented interests in South Asia.
Co-organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (GAGOC), the "Road of Asia" campaign has brought the Asian Games to countries and regions across the continent, said Yuan Yue, Vice Director of GAGOC's Marketing Department.
The "Road of Asia" campaign has visited 20 countries and regions in West Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia and recieved tremendous support from presidents and secretary generals of respective national Olympic committees and senior officials of each host government.
At each stop, the campaign held a variety of official and non-official activities, which were extensively covered by hundreds of international and Chinese media, such as the Reuters, the Associated Press and Xinhua News Agency
Each national Olympic committee visited by the Guangzhou delegation has stamped a "Road of Asia" commemorative book, which will become an important legacy of the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games. GAGOC is planning to apply for a Guinness World Record for this unprecedented book.
The "Road of Asia" campaign includes promotional tours along two routes - the ancient maritime and land-based Silk Roads, undertaken respectively by a replica ancient boat named Cocachin and a convoy of vehicles made by Guangzhou Automobile. With "Fun Games, Fun Party" as its theme, the campaign held press conferences, fun runs and signings for Guangzhou 2010 among other activities.
The campaign was officially launched on November 12 last year, two-year countdown to the 16th Asian Games. On March 11, 2009, as the OCA held an inauguration ceremony for its new headquarters, The Cocachin set sail from Kuwait and began its ocean journey on the "Road of Asia" with the land-based convoy to start its tour along the land-based Silk Road.
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