SAIL FEATURE

FEATUR

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S A I L

J aco Beukes, COO of SAIL, might not like using the term ‘one-stop-shop’ but that is what the multi-faceted sports marketing, consultancy and hospitality agency offers

its clients – which include Cricket South Africa, Vodacom and ABSA among other big names.

A wholly owned subsidiary of MARC Group Ltd, SAIL Rights Commercialisation (Pty) Ltd, operates throughout South Africa and incorporates all aspects of sports commercialisation within its company. The Group has been operating for the past 13 years in the sport and entertainment fi eld.

2 www.southafricamag.com

South Africa Magazine talks to Jaco Beukes, COO

of SAIL, THE commercial sports entity in South Africa.

By Susan Miller

gameI N T H E

Recently nominated for four Virgin Active Sports Industry Awards, including Sports Agency of the Year, SAIL is focused on becoming “THE commercial sports entity in South Africa”.

Beukes says, “In the South African context we are definitely unique in the sense that most of our competitors have different companies for each of our service offerings.”

SAIL offer differentservice offering’s under one roof’, including hospitality, event creation and management; event infrastructure services, rights creation, representation and sales; ticketing, public relations, brand commercialisation; sponsorship and packaging rights, digital advertising, licensing and consulting to rights holders.

So, how does the holistic approach benefit clients? “As a corporate you can now deal with one person who can offer you hospitality linked to a sponsorship opportunity, linked to LED advertising who can implement that as well, this must be a huge benefit,” says Beukes. “On the other side of our value chain – we could be the rights holder or the stadium’s operator and in the same sense a corporate can deal with one party who can handle all their commercialisation needs – selling their sponsors, suites, doing their hospitality, as well as their stadium advertising.”

Part of SAIL’s growth strategy includes a seven-year commercial agreement, which they recently signed with Stadium Management South Africa (SMSA) for the collective commercial rights of world-class Gauteng venues Soccer City, Orlando Stadium, Dobsonville Stadium and Rand Stadium.

SAIL has exclusivity for all commercial rights including suite sales, advertising, rights and sponsorship, event hospitality and all leases at the four stadiums.

SAIL FEATURE

3www.southafricamag.com

In the South African

context we are definitely unique in the sense that most of our competitors

have different

companies for each of the service offerings


Other services such as ticketing, merchandising, LED screen rentals, PR and marketing will also be explored.

“How do we maximise the usage of the stadiums? Great question. We are realistic in terms of the demand. Should there be a move away from sport but an increase in the demand for entertainment Soccer City offers a unique opportunity in the sense that it has a 98,000 stadium capacity. Our responsibility is to make people aware of this and that it become the venue of choice for any substantial artist or promoter who wants to tour. From a sport point of view we are already in discussions with National Federations to bring their main events there and to establish a culture where Soccer City or FNB stadium becomes the National Stadium.

Delmont Caldow Caterers have been in the hospitality industry for over 30 years and our talented staff delivers a winning menu time and time again.

Notably in 2004, we collaborated with SAIL to host the Vodacom Year End Function at the Coca-Cola Dome, catering for 5000 guests. With our talent and their expertise in managing events of any scale and nature, we produced an event that grew over 6 successive years, finally catering to 6500 guests in 2009.

Our relationship with SAIL has grown over the years, and with the addition of Circa’s professional project management team, we have continued to creatively collaborate, delivering a well planned, perfectly executed, stylish and memorable occasion for their clients and guests.

For SAA’s Annual Awards evening, in December 2011 we were provided with an opportunity to show just how inspired this partnership is. Our service was impeccable, 400 waiters attended to the 4000 guests with ease as an on-site chef compliment of over 180 qualified personnel whipped, frothed and flambéd a magnificent plated menu.

We are humbled to be part of SAIL’s continued success.

Delmont Caldow Caterers

Soccer City offers a unique

opportunity in the sense that it offers a 98,000- stadium capacity

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“No other stadium in South Africa can compare with its commercial value and capacity.

“Event creation is also one of our strategic offerings. We will take, as an example at our Vodacom Challenge there and increase the number of events at the stadia which increase our probability to sell our inventory.”

SAIL has already taken the holistic, commercial process forward at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria. In its third year representing and working with the Blue Bulls, the company provides full commercialisation solution to the Bulls including sponsorships sales, hospitality, advertising and ticketing. MARC Group, also owns 50 percent shareholding in the Bulls , so, Beukes says, it was an ‘easy integration’. “Within the last two months we have gone one step further and introduced on online ticketing and CRM (customer relationship management) solution.

“It just adds more value, people might not see ticketing as a commercial opportunity but if you bring in a CRM model , you can really add value to the client but also to a potential sponsor,” says Beukes. “We can now give sponsors real, tangible benefi ts in the form of a value database and access to their target markets.”

Other big news for the company is a fi ve-year partnership with the Sunshine Tour and the International Federations of PGA Tours to host new golf competition, in 2013, which is the Tournament of Hope.

This event will be broadcast to over 98 countries worldwide and promote awareness of HIV/AIDS in Africa. It is set to run from November 25 to December 1, which will coincide with World AIDS Day.

SAIL FEATURE


Beukes believes that in terms of the event’s stature it’s going to be something that we haven’t seen in South Africa before.

“It is indeed part of the top fi ve World events. My understanding is that the top 70 players in the world are indirectly secured for this event,” he says.

After providing hospitality for the 2010 World Cup in a joint venture, SAIL is undaunted by big challenges and will be taking on the dual roles of event manager and promoter for the Tournament of Hope.

“The promoter is in essence the party who takes on the Financial risk to the event. This will include securing all the revenues related


to the event. We will in addition take the risk for all the guarantees and players cost. The challenge lies in securing revenues for the event which is a combination of the ticket sales, the various levels of sponsorships, the advertising opportunities and the auxiliary events (which are associated with the tournament) which will include aspects like gala dinners, additional golf events and we are also exploring other sporting events.

The company is proud to be associated with promoting awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention at the event.

“We want to make sure that we get a tangible return on the charity aspect of it as well. AIDS statistics have improved marginally over the last couple of years but HIV/AIDS is still a massive problem within the African continent,” Beukes says.

While it is cementing its South African successes, SAIL also has its eye on expanding into Africa, probably assisted by fellow MARC Group company EXP, which operates in “14 countries in Africa”.

With SAIL at the forefront of South African sport and entertainment, Beukes stresses the company’s commitment to innovation – whether it’s through LED board advertising or introducing a new ticketing system which both allows flexible pricing options and platform adjustments.

He’s confident about where the company is heading. “Sport is an ever-growing industry and SAIL is positioned extremely well in terms of our competitors.” END


SAIL FEATURE

Sport is an ever-growing opportunity and SAIL are

positioned uniquely in terms of our competitors

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