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Company spreads its wings across international sports market
A midlands-based company are making moves in the sports business market, after winning management contracts at a series of world famous sports stadiums.
Birmingham-based Investors In Sport has cut through the current commercial downturn and has already managed personalised stone projects at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium. The company is now working with Wembley Stadium on a similar project around the famous concourses at the National Stadium.
So far, the Emirates project has resulted in sales of over 30,000 personalised stones, while the recently announced opportunity for fans at Wembley, already includes personalised stones for each of England's 1966 World Cup winning side as well as seven current England players who have each reached 50 international caps.
The personalised stone projects reflect just one part of the company's activity and Investors In Sport, which operates out of its Birmingham base, specialises in maximising commercial opportunities for clients in all areas of business.
The company also works with sponsors - or potential sponsors - to generate maximum leverage within a partnership and as such has worked collaboratively with sports clubs and their commercial partners to maximise engagement for mutual benefit. Investors In sport has effectively managed or worked on licensing projects with twelve English or Scottish Premier League Football Clubs and has recently been engaged by Lancashire County Cricket Club. The company is run by Aston Villa's former Head of Marketing, Phil Smith.
Phil Smith said: "The personalised stones projects are just a part of what we can offer but its an area that has certainly taken off and put us on the map with sports clubs and their administrations. Sports businesses are clearly attracted to the proposition of having a complete project managed from top to bottom after identifying an opportunity and we're hoping we can roll this out to international clients in the near future.
"We are fortunate to work with some excellent suppliers but the overall responsibility to deliver results to the client is ours, and ours alone and we've found this to be the basis for efficient project management. Our overall aim is to help clubs, associations and their sponsors realise commercial potential by managing projects and marketing their products more efficiently and successfully. We've been delighted with our progress, especially in such a difficult commercial climate and the response has been tremendously encouraging."
