IPC to Launch London 2012 Paralympic Marketing Summit

"Top-level speakers and some of the world's biggest sport sponsors will share how they have activated their partnerships with the Paralympic brand and the benefits they have enjoyed."

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement, has announced it will launch the first edition of the IPC Marketing Summit during the London 2012 Paralympic Games. The event will be held on 5 September at the London Media Centre.

The objective of the IPC Marketing Summit is to examine the London experience and its impact, and allow for conversational debate on how partners can benefit from the Paralympic brand. This groundbreaking event will welcome international experts who will share their insights on the tangible benefits of working with the Paralympics.

Perspective attendees of the event include Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 partners and prospects, IOC top partners, companies interested in Paralympic sponsorships, bid cities and stakeholders as well as marketing communication and Games industry agencies.

In addition, it is open to National Paralympic Committee and organizing committees' marketing staffs as a fantastic networking opportunity, as well as TV rightsholders and business, marketing and Games journalists.

The London 2012 Paralympic Games will be watched by a combined audience of more than 4 billion viewers, and more brands than ever benefit from Paralympic partnerships and the growing profiles of athletes.

Xavier Gonzalez, Chief Executive Officer of the IPC, said: "We are extremely excited to announce the first edition of the IPC Marketing Summit, an opportunity to discuss and exchange the potential and future of the Paralympic brand. Top-level speakers and some of the world's biggest sport sponsors will share how they have activated their partnerships with the Paralympic brand and the benefits they have enjoyed. I am very much looking forward to hearing what comes out of the event."

Gonzalez joins a distinguished lineup of speakers already confirmed to take part in the Summit, which provides a unique chance for attendees to debate many key topics regarding the Paralympics.

London & Partners CEO Gordon Innes added: "We are delighted that the London Media Centre will be hosting the IPC Marketing Forum. 2012 marks the Paralympics coming home to the UK where they originated. The vision, engagement and inspiration that surround the Paralympics will play a crucial role in London's global profile this summer and this event will provide insight in to just how powerful the Paralympics are for brands."

Phil Savage, Publishing Director of SportBusiness Group, said: "We jumped at the chance to be a media partner to the IPC Marketing Summit when it was offered to us. SportBusiness focuses on the business side of sport and when we learned of the kind of hard returns Paralympic sport delivers for sponsors we knew it was something our readers would be interested in. One of the challenges of Paralympic sponsorship is for brands to learn how to engage and activate it and I'm sure that the experiences of London 2012 partners presented at this important conference will provide great lessons for the future."

Others confirmed to take part include: Suzi Williams, Group Marketing and Brand Director at BT; Ulrich Lacher, Managing Director at IFM; Jat Sahota, Head of Sponsorship at Sainsbury's; Nathan Homer, Sports Marketing & Olympics Project Director at P&G; Joe Gross,Executive VP and Head of Group Market Management at Allianz SE; and Lucien Boyer, General Commissioner of the Global Sports Forum.

Nathan Homer, Sports Marketing & Olympics Project Director, P&G, said: "Meeting many of the Paralympians on the journey to London 2012 has revealed the critical importance of their friends and family in achieving their sporting and life goals, and revealed the depth of their uniquely compelling stories with which to bring alive our corporate and brand campaign."

Ulrich Lacher, Managing Director, IFM: "The defining moment for me of registering the Paralympic Games was in Athens in 2004, when we carried out the global media and sponsorship analysis for the first time. As with any new event, we bet internally on the level of media impact that would be created by the event - and nobody even came close, as the final results were surprisingly high. Nobody expected the values to be so good. And when you consider, that the media impact and the value for sponsors have grown at every event since then, it is a testimony to the potential of the event."

Free registration

The IPC Marketing Summit will take place at the London Media Centre (LMC), One Great George Street, Westminster, London, on 5 September. Interested delegates are invited to register online at: www.paralympic.org/events and follow the on-screen instructions. Only a very limited number of entry passes are available.

The Paralympic Ball

The Marketing Summit will be followed by a spectacular evening event that includes reception, dinner, entertainment, live action Paralympic sport and an after party. The Paralympic Ball will be a unique celebration of Paralympians held jointly by the Agitos Foundation and the British Paralympic Association.