FEI appoints The Sports Consultancy As Global Sponsorship Sales Agency

The FEI has appointed The Sports Consultancy as its official global sponsorship sales agency up to and including the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 in Bromont/Montreal (CAN).

The Sports Consultancy, appointed after a competitive tender earlier this year, has a proven track record working with the FEI on a variety of commercial consultancy projects over the last seven years.

“With our partners Longines, Furusiyya, Reem Acra and Ariat International, the FEI has already proven the benefits of being associated with equestrian sport,” said FEI President Ingmar De Vos. “We still have a lot of high profile FEI events and assets for which we believe we can attract new partners. We are looking forward to working with The Sports Consultancy again, this time to develop our partnership programmes and to build relationships with premium brands who will greatly benefit from their involvement with the FEI and its wide-ranging portfolio.”

“We are delighted to have been appointed by such a prestigious international federation,” said Marc Hope, Director, Rights Marketing at The Sports Consultancy. “The high interest and participation of equestrian sport in major economies around the world, combined with its distinct positioning and demographic is incredibly appealing and we are extremely confident that our experience, use of data and understanding of the market will deliver significant results for the FEI and for the sport as a whole.”

New Commercial Director

In other commercial news, Ralph Straus (NED) has joined the FEI as Commercial Director. He takes up the post at FEI Headquarters in the Olympic capital of Lausanne (SUI) this week.

Straus was previously Vice President of Marketing and Communications in the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in the United Arab Emirates, with the primary role of developing the global marketing and communications strategy for the 2020 World Expo in Dubai.

Prior to taking up the Dubai role, Straus was Head of Strategy and Brand Management at FIFA for seven years, in charge of planning and executing the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup marketing campaigns, spearheading global licensing and brand development, and implementing all FIFA experiential marketing initiatives, including the FIFA Fan Fests.

He also oversaw the FIFA Interactive World Cup, an annual international competition of football video games recognised by the Guinness World Records Gamers Edition as the biggest global gaming tournament, collaborated with FIFA sponsors for global consumer engagement programs and developed social media strategies for FIFA event brands.

Ralph Straus (NED) has taken up the post of FEI Commercial Director at FEI headquarters in the Olympic capital of Lausanne (SUI). (Hugues Siegenthaler/FEI)

Straus has held several senior roles in the private sector, including at telecommunications company Swisscom and oil and gas company Royal Dutch Shell. He is also a regular speaker at conferences on sports marketing.

“The wealth of equestrian events, its rich history and the extensive global fan base presents compelling sponsor opportunities and provides fascinating content for broadcasters and digital platforms”, Straus said. “I am joining the FEI at a very exciting time and I am also keen to see how the changes in the digital landscape provide new opportunities to service the equestrian community and grow its fan base.”

“Ralph Straus’ extensive international marketing and commercial expertise in both the sport and private sectors will be massively beneficial to the FEI,” the FEI President said. “His leadership skills and experience in building up expert teams is crucial as we look to maximise our commercial goals into 2016 and beyond.”

Ariat Signs Exclusive Licensing And Sponsorship Agreement With The FEI

Ariat International®, the US-based leader in Western and English footwear and apparel, today signed an exclusive licensing and sponsorship agreement with the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) at the FEI World Cup™ Finals in Las Vegas.

Working alongside the FEI, Ariat will develop a new co-branded product collection to launch at the prestigious Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final in Gothenburg (SWE) in 2016, with a share of the sales proceeds going to FEI Solidarity. The product range will also be available for purchase on-site at the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Western European and North American League qualifier events from 2016 to 2018, as well as at Ariat retailers and online in Europe and North America. Additionally, this new three-year partnership includes a supporting sponsorship of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Finals starting in 2016.

Ariat was the first company to bring athletic shoe technology to equestrian sports and is now one of the leading brand of equestrian footwear and apparel in the world. The US-based company now operates across the US, Europe and Australia. Ariat also sponsors top equestrian athletes from a variety of disciplines, including Beezie Madden, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, Jur Vrieling, Tina Fletcher, Shawn Flarida, Mary King, William Fox-Pitt, Chester Webber, Gina Miles, Phillip Dutton, Boyd Martin, Will Simpson, and Hannah Selleck.

Ariat International, the US-based leader in Western and English footwear and apparel, today signed an exclusive licensing and sponsorship agreement with the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) at the FEI World Cup™ Finals in Las Vegas – pictured left is Beth Cross, founder and CEO of Ariat International and right is Lisa Lazarus, Chief of Business Development & Strategy at the FEI. (FEI/Dirk Caremans)

“The FEI is revolutionizing equestrian sports on a global basis, bringing every discipline to the highest level of competition,” said Beth Cross, founder and CEO of Ariat International. “Ariat is proud to partner with the FEI as the official equestrian footwear and apparel supplier. We offer the most innovative performance footwear and apparel for the world’s top equestrian athletes, making our partnership with the FEI a terrific match. Our goal is to work together to continue to grow the sport globally.”

“The partnership with the FEI represents a perfect opportunity for Ariat International to extend its visibility and brand awareness by engaging with our global equestrian fan base,” said Sabrina Zeender, FEI Secretary General. “With Ariat’s additional sponsorship and a share of the proceeds from the sale of the new product ranges going back into the sport via FEI Solidarity, this is a win-win situation.”