Nick Tarratt, director of the European Tour International, Dubai office, is convinced that the renewed partnership with Emirates will only enhance their digital media platform and make it more appealing at the 2018 Ryder Cup.
Emirates and the European Tour extended their agreement for another four years until 2021 last week in a deal which sees the Dubai based airline return as an official partner for next year’s Ryder Cup.
The Ryder Cup has gone from strength to strength since it was first played in 1927 and is now considered as not just one of golf’s elite tournaments but as a sporting global phenomenon.
The 2018 event will see the US defend their trophy at Le Golf National in France in September in the 42nd edition. While the game continues to evolve, so does the media platforms and Tarratt believes Emirates adds an extra dimension to reaching a wider fan-base.
Two of the benefits Tarratt outlines are the official Ryder Cup website and app, and other European Tour platforms through advertising impressions and territory activations, as well as access to collaborative databases.
“The digital media platform is moving so fast all the time, so some of these digital benefits are flexible with the event still, or just, 13 months away depending on your perspective,” he said.
“Being on the ground in Dubai we have the advantage and privilege of sharing strategies face to face at short notice with Emirates and other partners and if it is mutually beneficial to both parties we will agree additional enhanced benefits.
“Emirates are such a huge partner for the European Tour on the world stage that they can move the needle with some of their activations. We are happy to join these initiatives when and where appropriate and add our European Tour and Ryder Cup value through players and other television access or invite Emirates to join our initiatives.”
Tarratt says there are also opportunities for sponsor partners to join in FanZones and City Activations.
“As we all know sponsorship is moving at a fast pace with sponsors demanding new forms of benefits, through digital assets,” he added.
“We have to be parallel and, in fact, ahead of the game with these opportunities and be pro-active and not reactive to these new sponsor requests. We have to be always respectful to our sponsor and partners’ wishes and demands; they always have a choice with their sponsorship and marketing spend.
“They must continue to be a number one priority for the European Tour, alongside other huge partners of tournaments in Dubai and the region including DP World, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai Duty Free, our Race to Dubai government partners as well as our Challenge Tour and Senior Tour supporters in Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Destination Authority and the Sharjah Government through Shurooq respectively.
“If the funding model is correct for tournament and other European Tour projects, everything else takes care of itself.”
Emirates are a tour partner of the European Tour and the Race to Dubai and will continue to be a sponsor for the nine existing events which culminate in the prestigious DP World Tour Championship, Dubai: BMW PGA Championship, Nordea Masters, D+D Real Czech Masters, Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, Portugal Masters, Italian Open, Joburg Open, Nedbank Golf Challenge and South Africa Open Championship.
