Emirates, a global connector of people and places, has announced as the naming rights sponsor of one of Britain’s tallest landmarks outside London, Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, UK. Emirates will be the first ever sponsor of the Tower which will be rebranded as Emirates Spinnaker Tower from July 2015.
The new agreement which will span five years and is worth £3.5million will see Emirates’ eye-catching red branding running up the length and breadth of the Tower. Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline and Leader of Portsmouth City Council, Councillor Donna Jones fittingly announced the new partnership 105 metres in the air.
“As the most prominent landmark in Portsmouth we are honoured to be the inaugural sponsor of Emirates Spinnaker Tower,” said Sir Tim. “This sponsorship represents our vested interest in the UK where we currently operate 16 daily flights and where we are responsible for injecting and stimulating over £2.1 billion into the country’s GDP each year. Part of the reason that this sponsorship opportunity was so appealing to us is that it will enable the local City Council to reinvest this partnership money into the local community, something that we are proud to be able to support.”
The Emirates Spinnaker Tower is situated on the waterfront in Portsmouth, 100 kilometres from London Gatwick and London Heathrow, where Emirates operates a total of eight daily flights. Portsmouth is renowned for its rich naval and maritime history with the Emirates Spinnaker Tower designed to honour this heritage by representing sails billowing in the wind.
The prominent new branding is expected to be in place in time for the arrival of the America’s Cup World Series in Portsmouth from 23rd-26th July. Emirates already has close ties with the America’s Cup, as sponsor of Emirates Team New Zealand, one of the challengers for the 35th America’s Cup.
In addition to the airline’s UK based sport sponsorships Emirates is also the sponsor of the Emirates Air Line, London’s popular cable car across the Thames. In total Emirates invests over £70million into its various UK sponsorship properties each year.
The UK is Emirates’ largest European market with 112 weekly flights spanning the breadth of the country via six gateways including; London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Birmingham, Newcastle, Manchester and Glasgow.
