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Raghuvir Srinivasan

What does AB Volvo gain from sponsoring the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) and how much does it spend? Is it left with a surplus after accounting for all the sponsor payments? All that Glenn Bourke, CEO, VOR, would say was that Volvo does not lose any money.

The funds for the VOR come from Volvo Events Management, headquartered in Brussels. It reports to a Board of Directors with equal representation from AB Volvo and Volvo Cars, which is owned by Ford Motor Company, USA. Since both companies share the Volvo brand, the promotional expenses are also shared equally.

The race has several official sponsors. Schenker AG, a Vienna-based leading international provider of logistics, will be the official logistics sponsor. Thrane & Thrane, a leading manufacturer of terminals and earth stations for global mobile satellite and radio communication, is the official communication partner along with Inmarsat and France Telecom, while Wallenius Wilhelmsen, which provides global ocean transportation and logistics management services, is the official shipping line.

Financial returns apart, what Volvo seeks from its sponsorship is the opportunity to build its brand worldwide. The VOR is among the top-20 sports events in the world and an estimated 811 million viewers watched the last edition of the race on television. This time they hope to touch a viewership of 1.3 billion. The Walt Disney entry this year is expected to get American viewers interested in the race

The television coverage of the event is billed as the most advanced because the boats are out sailing in high seas while the programming is done at the VOR headquarters in Whiteley, Hampshire (UK). The ten cameras on board continuously transmit pictures through satellite link, and these are downloaded at the headquarters and the edited clips given to broadcasting companies.

There will even be a camera in the toilet (mercifully only at the face level!) and the objective of the coverage is to offer a fly-on-the-wall account of life on board. In India, Doordarshan is likely to broadcast the clips but VOR is also in talks with private channels to telecast the race.

The race can also be monitored through the Web site, www.volvooceanrace.org, which will feature regular updates, reviews, photos, e-mails and video and audio footages sent by the crew through the media stations on board.

Pictures courtesy: Volvo Ocean Race

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