More than 500 people gathered last night at the JW Marriott Marquis in Dubai for the third edition of the Sports Industry Awards where the major players in their respective fields were celebrated for their achievements over the past year.
– #Quiz360: WIN a group paintball session at Zayed Sports City
– VIDEO: SPIA 2015 – bigger and better
The 2015 SPIA put the spotlight on some of the region’s best sports organisations, facilities, brands and events, recognising the people who are responsible for making the UAE – as well as the Gulf – an important sports hub on the world map.
Congratulations to all the winners. Fantastic night #spia15 @Sport_360 @Sponsorium @HSBC_Sport @emirates @ADIBTweets pic.twitter.com/yfwYvgMHGx
— Dawn Flaherty (@DawnyDubai) March 26, 2015
A total of 191 entries were registered across 13 categories including 48 submissions from outside the Emirates.
“The SPIA was meant to recognise the people that are the backbone of the industry and I think more and more we’re doing that well. In our industry, it’s always the athletes that are being recognised and quite rightly so, but we felt that the backbone of the industry, the people that gave those athletes the platform to perform, to be at their best, also have to be recognised,” said Michael Chalhoub, the CEO of Sport360°, organisers of the awards.
“The SPIA is becoming an industry event, growing year after year. What we didn’t imagine is that not only did the quality of applications increase over time, but also people are making more effort in their events.
Last night at #SPIA15 @Sport_360 interviewing @damekellyholmes on the growth of the health/fitness industry in UAE. pic.twitter.com/YMnhGex6xV
— Anna Louise Roberts (@ImAnnaRoberts) March 26, 2015
“I felt that with the SPIA, people get a benchmark to how well they perform compared to the very, very best of the region and they’re trying to match these performances. So at the end of the day, people are getting better and better at their jobs.”
Last night, 41 awards of gold, silver and bronze, were given out. Two new categories were introduced in this edition: ‘Best Use of PR in Sport’, which was won by Nike/Sun and Sand Sports for Winner Stays DXB, and ‘Best Sports CSR Initiative’, which was claimed by MoneyGram Cricket Ke Badhsha – an incredible project that created a cricket tournament for workers at construction sites in Saudi Arabia.
Spanish Soccer Schools won Gold award – Best Youth Development Project at #SPIA15. Congrats team & @TheRealSalgado pic.twitter.com/KnSfBa9rXa
— DubaiSportsCity (@DxbSportsCity) March 26, 2015
“We’ve worked really hard on that tournament. It’s a really unique property which brings entertainment to a very deprived class of people in Saudi Arabia – South Asians who work in construction camps, they’re running really busy schedules and are very short on entertainment,” said Youssef Tarek, Marketing Manager Middle East at MoneyGram.
Two-time Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes and UAE-based European swimming champion Velimir Stjepanovic were both in attendance and presented some of the awards.
Adventure HQ won the ‘Best Sports Retail Experience’ award for the third-straight year while IMG Middle East grabbed gold in the ‘Sports Agency or Organisation of the Year’ category.
EAFL wins BRONZE for Youth Sport Development Project of the Year at #SPIA15 Congrats to all our sporty friends! pic.twitter.com/eytqzL0D5d
— EAFL (@EAFL_UAE) March 25, 2015
“I think people set aside that evening (of the SPIA) in their calendar now. The awards are great, it’s a fantastic showcase for people that have worked really hard,” said Greg Sproule, managing director of IMG Middle East.
“But it’s also about having a drink with your competitor and getting to know the people that maybe you haven’t had the chance to get to know before. People mark it out in their calendar and they want to be a part of it. And I think that shows the enthusiasm and really the feeling that we’re all in this together in many ways.”
Delighted to present Best Sport Sponsorship awards to @HSBC_Sport @emirates @CocaCola at #SPIA15 @Sport_360 @Sponsorium #sponsorship
— Rob Mitchell (@Rob_RJMC) March 25, 2015
Sproule believes mass participation events are becoming more and more popular in this region which was evident as showpieces like the Color Run, We Run DXB and Challenge Bahrain were all recognised last night.
The 2015 SPIA is organised by Sport360° and sponsored by Cadillac, Emirates Airline, National Ambulance, FGB, Lacoste, Davidoff and Dubai Sports City.
Outdoor Sport & Recreation Facility of the Year
Gold – Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club
Silver – Wadi Adventure
Bronze – Emirates Golf Club
Bronze – Zayed Sports City
Indoor Sport & Recreation Facility of the Year
Gold – Bounce
Silver – Adventure HQ
Bronze – Zayed Sports City
Best Sports Retail Experience
Gold – Adventure HQ
Silver – Adidas Retail Outlets &
Franchise Stores
Silver – Nike Women (Sun & Sand Sports)
New Sporting Product of the Year
Gold – TIMA Sports Apparel (TIMA Love Life)
Silver – Nike Magista (Sun & Sands Sports)
Bronze – The Watt Bike (800 Sport by Raymond)
Youth Development Project of the Year
Gold – Spanish Soccer Schools (Dubai Sports City)
Silver – ADIB Future Champions League (ADIB / IMG)
Bronze – Emirates American Football League (EAFL Events)
Best Sport Event (Amateur)
Gold – The Color Run (IMG Middle East)
Silver – We RUN DXB (Sun & Sand Sports)
Bronze – Tri Yas (Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management)
Sports Agency or Organisation of the Year
Gold – IMG Middle East
Silver – Fast Track
Bronze – Challenge Bahrain
Bronze – MMC Sportz
Best Integrated Sports Marketing Campaign
Gold – Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship (Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority / IMG)
Silver – Winner Stays DXB (Sun & Sand Sports)
Bronze – All Time Greats (Emirates Airline)
Best use of PR in Sport
Gold – Winner Stays DXB (Sun & Sand Sports)
Silver – Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship (Four Communications / IMG)
Bronze – Abu Dhabi International Triathlon (Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority / Fast Track)
Best use of Social Media in Sport
Gold – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management)
Silver – Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship (Four Communications / IMG)
Bronze – The Color Run (IMG Middle East)
Best Sponsorship of a Sport or Sports Event
Gold – The 7s World Series & Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens (HSBC / Fast Track)
Silver – DP World Tour Championship (Emirates Airline)
Bronze – FIFA World Cup (Coca-Cola / Fast Track)
Best Sports CSR Initiative
Gold – MoneyGram Cricket Ke Badhsha (MoneyGram International / Radar World)
Silver – Active Life by Daman (Daman National Health Insurance Company)
Bronze – ADIB Future Champions League (ADIB / IMG)
Best Live Experience at a Professional Sports Event
Gold – Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship (Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority / IMG)
Silver – Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens (Promoseven Sports Marketing)
Silver – HBZ Stadium Showcase – Al Ain vs Manchester City (Al Ain Investment Company)
