Sail Townsville - Hop on board to enjoy recipe for sponsorship success

by Tracey Johnstone on 1 May 2014 2014 SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week - The event organisers of Sail Townsville and the SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week are seeking sponsors and supporters.

While sport events regularly look for partnerships with the corporate world to assist their event to succeed and develop, what is unique and attractive about Sail Townsville’s sponsorship opportunities is the event’s proven ability to deliver value to sponsors and supporters and to grow the event.

Executive Chair of Sail Townsville, Paul Victory, is enthusiastic about the event’s potential. 'SeaLink has partnered with the Magnetic Island Race Week since its inception. We have seen the event numbers, both competitors and spectators, steadily grow and we expect that growth to continue well into the future.

'Through proactive marketing outside of Queensland the regatta has seen a good showing in the number of non-Queensland competitors and their family and friends attending the event more than once. This proves to me we are achieving brand recognition outside of our immediate area and within the broader Australasian sailing community.

'We would now like to see other businesses partner with the event to benefit from that broad recognition and to help us to attract more national and international classes,' Victory said.

Sail Townsville is made up of several ingredients and is getting very exciting. With Yachting Queensland, Townsville Yacht Club and Townsville Sailing Club support Sail Townsville is all about building Townsville’s wonderful sailing base. We are in strong discussions to host a number of National and International sailing events over the next few years and we have secured firstly some wonderful international Kite Boarding in 2014 that will run parallel to Race Week.

The SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week will kick off a month long sailing programme in Townsville this year. Magnetic Island Race Week, coming into it’s eighth year is a week-long event, conducted for yachts and multihulls, small and large. Racing is held off of Magnetic Island in the aqua waters of Cleveland Bay in view of Townsville. Visitors to the city are able to enjoy the racing while also attending race week activities conducted along The Strand.

Race Week has previously attracted sailors and boats from as far south as Tasmania, Adelaide and Victoria, all of them enjoying the fierce competition and stunning location. The have bought with them their family and friends to experience Magnetic Island. The 2014 Race Week will again attract strong competitor and supporter numbers.

Two other base ingredients are international media exposure and the participants.

Australian sailing is on a sustainable high with its profile and results from the 2012 London Olympic Games, the 2014 America’s Cup and most recently, its medal-winning results from the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Hyeres, France. The international sailing media want to know more about Australia – about its sailors and about its events.

Broader media exposure is also achieved through the partnership with Tourism Queensland’s Season of Sailing, an international marketing campaign designed to attract more visitors to northern Queensland during the winter months.

In terms of participants, Sailing attracts employers, business leaders and decision makers. The successful marketing of sponsor products and services into the sailing marketplace is made easier by this participant demographic.

The second part of the recipe has been the introduction of the Sail Townsville brand which encompasses both the SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week and a month long Sail Townsville International Sailing Regatta.

The Regatta hosts dinghy and board events of both national and international status. The vision of this regatta is to continue to develop Townsville and Magnetic Island as a premier marine activities location.

In 2014 there will be two international kiteboarding events, Discover Sailing experiences, catamaran classes and youth dinghies racing. In 2015 and 2016, the Executive Committee are aiming to attract other World Championship events.

Sprinkled in on top of the Sail Townsville recipe is a range of social activities which engage the local community and visitors in fun, marine based activities. So whether a visitor is a sailor or not, there are social activity choices to suit all ages.

Throughout all of these events, sponsors and supporters are recognised, engaged with and positively promoted.

So it’s not just the stunning north-Queensland location that is attractive! The opportunities for brand exposure through the partnership with national and internationally recognised Sail Townsville are extensive and rewarding.

There are a variety of sponsorship and support partnerships available from Premium Partnership at $20,000 to Event Partnership at $10,000, Race Day Partnerships at $7.000 each and Team Partnerships at $3000 each.

For more information on the sponsorship and supporter packages available, contact Paul Victory on 0408 157154.

Magnetic Island Race Week is hosted by Townsville Yact Club and Townsville Sailing Club. Sponsored by SeaLink. Supported by Magnetic Island Marina, Townsville City Council, Tourism and Events Queensland, Yachting Queensland, Townsville Enterprise Ltd.