THE YEAR AHEAD
No ‘Close-Season’ for the World Match Racing Tour Management
While most of the world’s match racing communities are currently focused on the end of their own calendar season and, of course, the culmination of one of the closest ever World Match Racing Tour seasons, those responsible for the management of the Tour are busy looking forward to 2012.
Jim O’Toole, the Tour’s CEO, explains: “The Monsoon Cup is the culmination of a long season of hard work for everyone involved, specifically for the three teams in contention for the world title. We’re all looking forward to watching the drama unfold in Malaysia however our team is also busy planning ahead for 2012 which promises to be another season of exciting growth.”
A good example is Sales Director Matt Strachan who has been busy on commercial matters: “We have signed two new sponsors, one of which is Garrard – the world’s oldest jewellers – and the fruits of that deal will be shown at this month’s Monsoon Cup with a
stunning new World Championship trophy and medals. The second sponsor is a major global car brand who will launch their World Match Racing Tour partnership in Europe in February. The level of activation planning that has gone into this deal at such an early stage is staggering and it’s sure to one of the most impactful car deals ever in sailing.”
Tour Director Craig Mitchell believes increased ‘ship to shore’ communications will play an increasingly important role in 2012. Fan feedback from the Tour’s 2011 internet television output demonstrates the desire to bring the action even closer to the shore and so boat audio, where fans can hear exactly what the sailors are saying in the heat of battle, will be a key focus.
Elsewhere, O’Toole said: “Our Head of Marketing, Ivan Tuen, is busy working with Tour partners Sail Racing who will introduce new merchandise items
after successful trial campaigns ran in 2011 in partnership with the St. Moritz and Bermuda events.
“As part of the Tour’s ongoing development plans, two new venues have been contracted, one of which will go live next season in July 2012. Full details will be announced in December alongside the existing Tour events. The other event is likely to launch in
2013.The fleets of boats are central to these new venue agreements and we’ve developed some exciting new propositions for potential host cities, all of which will be revealed in 2012.”
O’Toole says the final piece of the jigsaw is the Tour’s sailor line-up: “Finally, and most importantly, we look forward to unveiling our major asset - the 2011 Tour Card Holder line-up - in January. If early interest levels are any indication, we shall be welcoming some exciting new faces to the Tour in 2012.”
MATCH RACING 360° | NOVEMBER 2011
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