The 2014 Sports Industry Awards (SPIAs) took place on March 26 at Atlantis The Palm, and despite the hectic build-up – brought on by the heavy rainfall – the event proved an enormous success.
The unexpected weather forced a last-minute relocation from the One & Only Royal Mirage but it was hardly noticeable as the great and good of the Middle East's sports industry descended on Dubai for the glitzy event.
It was a night to remember for all those in attendance and particularly for all of the worthy winners.
Here, Sport360 celebrates the achievements of our Gold winners (Part II):
BEST SPORT AGENCY OR ORGANISATION
GOLD: IMG
Greg Sproule, Managing Director of IMG Middle East: To win this for the second year, it truly is an honour. It’s also an honour to work for some truly great companies like the TCA Abu Dhabi, Flash, HSBC, ADIB, Daman and many others. We really work hard for them and we really care. I am very proud of my team. I think what gives us an edge is the fact that we have been around for a long time, over 50 years. There is an ethos and a standard by which we are held to. I think what we do best is listen to our clients…listen to what they want to achieve. And then come out with creative solutions, while being cost-effective. And finally, we are very aware that we have to set the bar higher every year, we just have to get better than the previous year.
BEST SPORT YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
GOLD: Mubadala Tennis Community Programme
Fleur Castle, Marketing Director, IMG: We’ve got two community programmes for Mubadala – the Mubadala Community Cup and the Tennis in Schools – and they’re really cool because we use the Mubadala World Tennis Championship and the star players in it and it’s so much more than just a three-day professional event. Yes, I think we’re making an impact on the community. We’ve made a concerted effort this year to focus on Emirati children.
GOLD: Emirates American Football Youth League
Dustin Cherniawski, General Manager: Just to be nominated among such great names was an ultimate validation of what we are doing, but to actually win it… I am speechless. Wow! We work so hard. My entire staff are volunteers. They give their blood, their sweat, their tears every single day. It means so much to them. I think we are successful because the passion that our players, our fans, all our mums and dads have for the game really shines through.
BEST USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN SPORT
GOLD: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Nick McElwee, Sales and Marketing Director, Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management: We put a lot of effort into connecting our audiences and socialising the Grand Prix last year. It was something we worked hard on during the whole campaign, and not just the weekend of the Grand Prix. During the Grand Prix weekend, we trended No5 globally on Twitter, which I think is a first for any Grand Prix event. We were trending No1 in the UAE for probably eight weeks before the Grand Prix as well.
Click here for Part I of 'SPIAs 2014: A night to remember for all the winners'
