Contents 2
Introduction
4
Results
10
Sponsorship
12
Sponsor award and activities
15
Advertising campaign
19
Public relations campaign
21
Website
23
Media relations
26
Accredited media
30
TV distribution
32
Official functions
34
On site at the tournament
1
Introduction Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens 2012
Story of Success
The 2012 Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens will live long in the memory of the thousands of spectators and sponsors that converged on 7he Sevens for a fun-filled and historic weekend of rugby. Once again, Dubai’s favourite sporting event combined thrilling rugby sevens action with spectacular entertainment on and off the field to deliver a world-class event which will be remembered for records being set and tournament firsts. This time the weather played its part at 7he Sevens, and contributed to a somewhat wet and rainy HSBC Sevens World Series table. Off the field, the hordes of fans that turned up, many in fancy dress, refused to have their spirits dampened by the afternoon downpour. A superb Samoa side triumphed against the odds to lift their first ever Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens Cup in Dubai, beating tournament favourites New Zealand 26-15 in the final. Defending Champions England had to settle for the Shield and the much-fancied South Africans were beaten finalists in the Bowl. Running alongside the men’s event, the first ever round of the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series took place at the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens. The Cup was won convincingly by New Zealand, who beat South Africa 41-0 in the final.
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This year also saw the largest number of ‘invitation teams’ take part in the tournament (176). With them came some of the best known sports stars in the world, including stellar names as Percy Montgomery, Jason Robinson, Henry Paul and Olympic Gold Medalist and Tour de France winner, Bradley Wiggins. An extra pitch was added this year to accommodate all the action, taking the number to six; and while the men, women and under 18's battled it out on the field, families and party-goers packed the Rugby Village to enjoy the fun and activities afforded by the record number of sponsors’ stands. Tournament mascots Saba’a the camel and Scrummie were a huge hit with the families in the alcohol-free Air BP Family Stand. The DHL, Air BP, Airbus and Emirates stands were kept dancing and entertained by the latest music; the fantastic cheerleaders ‘Aggreko Dynamos’; pitch-side interviews; and by the many fan competitions and music including #SevensFan and the Emirates Fan Cam. Capping the tournament off perfectly was the news that it had once again broken all previous records for the live broadcast of any Sevens tournament - 250 hours of live rugby was broadcast and the tournament finals reached an estimated 230 million people in 140 countries across the globe.
3
Results (Men) Pool tables and scores
4
Pool A
W
D
L
F
A
+ PTS
Pool B
W
D
L
F
A
+ PTS
Fiji
3
0
0
50
24
26
9
New Zealand
3
0
0
62
28
34
9
Kenya
2
0
1
32
26
6
7
Wales
2
0
1
43
26
17
7
Spain
1
0
2
19
31
-12
5
Argentina
1
0
2
31
41 -10
5
Scotland
0
0
3
26
46 -20
3
Russia
0
0
3
29
70 -41
3
Fiji
14
0
Spain
New Zealand
14
7
Wales
Kenya
12
5
Scotland
Argentina
17
10 Russia
Fiji
22
14 Scotland
New Zealand
31
14 Russia
Kenya
10
7
Spain
Argentina
7
14 Wales
Spain
12
7
Scotland
Wales
22
5
Russia
Fiji
14
10 Kenya
New Zealand
17
7
Argentina
Pool C
W
D
L
F
A
+ PTS
Pool D
W
D
L
F
A
+ PTS
Samoa
2
0
1
51
43
8
7
Canada
2
1
0
74
35
39
8
Portugal
2
0
1
53
55
-2
7
France
2
0
1
24
34 -10
7
South Africa
1
0
2
34
32
2
5
Australia
1
1
1
47
47
6
England
1
0
2
50
58
-8
5
United States
0
0
3
33
62 -29
South Africa
0
20 England
France
0
20 Canada
Samoa
19
12 Portugal
Australia
19
12 USA
South Africa
17
14 Portugal
France
17
14 USA
Samoa
28
28 England
Australia
28
28 Canada
England
26
7
Portugal
Canada
26
7
USA
South Africa
7
0
Samoa
France
7
0
Australia
0
3
Cup, Plate, Bowl and Shield Competitions
Cup Winner
Samoa Cup Final Samoa
26 - 15
New Zealand
Cup Semi Final France
5 - 12
Cup Semi Final
Samoa
Kenya
7 - 27
New Zealand
Cup Quarter Finals Fiji
5-8
France
Samoa
19 - 7
Wales
Canada
7 - 19
Kenya
Plate Semi Final Fiji
5 - 27
New Zealand
28 - 7
Portugal
24 - 12
England
Plate Semi Final
Wales
Canada
28 - 12
Portugal
Plate Final Wales
21 - 14
Canada
Wales Plate Winner
Bowl Winner
Argentina Bowl Final South Africa
10 - 14
Argentina
Bowl Semi Final USA
14 - 22
Bowl Semi Final Scotland
South Africa
5 - 12
Argentina
Bowl Quarter Finals Spain
12 - 14
USA
South Africa 25 - 12
Russia
Australia
Shield Semi Final Spain
26 - 24
14 - 29
Scotland
Argentina
Shield Semi Final
Russia
Australia
12 - 40
England
Shield Final Spain
5 - 26
England
England Shield Winner
5
Results (Women) IRB Women’s Sevens World Series Pool tables and scores Pool A
Pool B
Pool C
England
Canada
Australia
Spain
New Zealand
USA
South Africa
Russia
Netherlands
Brazil
China
France
Cup Winner
New Zealand Cup Final South Africa
0 - 41
New Zealand
Cup Semi Final South Africa
19 - 17
Cup Semi Final
Spain
New Zealand
28 - 14
Australia
Cup Quarter Finals Spain
7-5
Russia
South Africa
12 - 7
Netherland
New Zealand
31 - 0
England
Plate Semi Final Russia
21 - 5
Australia
Plate Semi Final
Netherland
England
0 - 24
Canada
Plate Final Russia
14 - 10
Canada
Russia Plate Winner
Bowl Winner
USA Bowl Final France
12 - 26
USA
Bowl Semi Final France
6
22 - 0
Brazil
Bowl Semi Final USA
36 - 7
China
14 - 10
Canada
7
International Invitation Men’s Trophy: Samurai International 36 - 15 Samurai hfw Wailers 7s
Invitation Tournaments International Invitation Men’s Plate International Invitation Men’s Trophy International Invitation Women’s Trophy International Open Men’s Plate International Open Men’s Trophy International Open Women’s Trophy
Samurai International 36 - 15 Samurai hfw Wailers 7s Maple Leafs 27 - 5 Kenya Lionesses MB Building Maintenance & Investment 0 - 24 Racing Wyvern Harlequins 10 - 12 Moosa-Daly Wild Geese Almaty 31 - 14 OES Predators
International Social Bowl
PwC Rugby 54 - 12 Islamabad Jinns
International Social Plate
Wyvern Harlequins 7 - 14 Ibiza Tour Boys
International Social Trophy
Dinamo-Energy 19 - 31 Hunters 7
International Veterans Plate
Racing Vets 24 - 5 Brussels Barbarians
International Veterans Trophy
8
Reservoir Group Pyrenees 33 - 5 UAE Selection
CNCF Legends 10 - 14 Xodus Steelers
Gulf Under 18's Trophy: Dubai College A 50 - 0 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Invitation Tournaments International Under 18's Trophy
Llandovery College 45 - 14 Rsdyusshor Dinamo
Gulf Men's League Plate
Abu Dhabi Saracens 10 - 22 Jebel Ali Dragons 2
Gulf Men's League Trophy Gulf Men's Social Plate Gulf Men's Social Trophy Gulf Veterans Plate Gulf Veterans Trophy Gulf Under 18's Trophy Gulf Women Plate Gulf Women Trophy
Jebel Ali Dragons 1 14 - 5 Abu Dhabi Harlequins 1 Dubai Celts 12 - 7 Beaver Nomads Barasti 17 - 5 Emirates Airline Flying Muppets Dubai Exiles 0 - 5 Serco Seniles Al Ain Amblers 12 - 10 Jebel Ali Dragons Dubai College A 50 - 0 Abu Dhabi Harlequins Kuwait Scorpions 5 - 0 Sharjah Wanderers Ladies Abu Dhabi Harlequins 34 - 5 Dubai Wasps
9
Sponsorship
Official Suppliers
Affiliate Sponsors
Team Hosts
Media Sponsors
Main Sponsors
Title Sponsor
Sponsors and partners behind the success of the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens 2012:
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Sponsor award and activities Airbus Top Try Scorer Award There were four winners of this award, all of whom scored 6 tries: New Zealand’s Kurt Baker, Kenya’s Collins Injera, England’s Dan Norton and Fiji’s Paul Perez. The players were presented with the award by John Parkinson, Sales Director at Airbus.
OSN Player of the Tournament Award Kurt Baker was voted the OSN Player of the Tournament for his contribution to New Zealand as the Kiwis powered their way to the tournament final. He was chosen by the fans via SMS after the tournament referees had shortlisted four players. Baker was presented with his award by Steve Thompson, World Cup Winner with England and current OSN rugby analyst.
Rugby Village The Rugby Village was the central hub for sponsor activations and stands. As such, the Rugby Village was the ‘go to’ place with fun activities to engage the crowds throughout the tournament. This year, the Rugby Village was all about awareness through interaction, with more sponsors than ever developing inspirational ways to generate customer-contact with their brand. With competitions, giveaways and spot-prizes, scattered throughout the village, it was alive with activity for families and fans of all ages. • The 7DAYS headline booth encouraged the public to pose for photographs inside a mock-up of the newspaper’s front page. ‘Hi7’ hands were given away near the entrance with a chance to win a trip to the Maldives by doing a ‘Hi5’ to the 7DAYS team around the ground. A new mobile phone charging station was a welcome addition for people to charge their phones and keep in touch throughout the tournament. • Aggreko sponsored the ever popular cheerleaders from Australia. The ‘Aggreko Dynamos’ performed routines on both Pitch 1 and 2 this year. They also handed out Aggreko-branded ‘Thunder-light Sticks’ for the fans to enjoy. • Banana Boat branded the popular kids and crèche area and also provided 250 umbrellas around the ground. In addition to this, sun-screen samples were given away and they hosted a popular Karaoke stand.
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• Big Bus could not be missed with their 12m long and 3m high bus parked near the main entrance to the ground. Big Bus prizes were given away through the well-known game ‘play your cards right’. Additional double decker buses were also provided, helping with the public transportation back to Dubai. • Coca-Cola made themselves heard again this year with their energetic entertainment provided by the ever-popular Dubai Drums. • Dubai Duty Free conducted a ‘Finest Surprises’ draw for the chance to win a luxury Jaguar. Members of the Scottish 7s team were on-hand to assist with the draw and select the lucky winner. • DHL provided an inflatable passing challenge and the now famous ‘rumble sticks’ were given away to people of all ages creating a buzz around the stadium. • dnata once again entertained families with an inflatable passing challenge whilst their ambassador Victor Matfield was on hand to provide autograph signing sessions for fans in the Rugby Village. In addition, people were selected to spend time on the dnata VIP couch by being the most exciting fans in their promotion, ‘scream for your team’ shown on the big screen. • Dubai Eye broadcast The Grill sports show live from the VIP area where they interviewed a number of legends who attended the event. • Emirates Airline provided the popular EK Tussle inflatable which proved to be a great hit with the children. Emirates also sponsored the mini tag rugby event on Pitch 1, supporting the emerging talent at grass-roots level. Their very popular Tez mascot was a great addition to the BP family stand in his debut year. Giveaways were handed out to children by Tez. This was filmed on the big screen and attracted a lot of attention. • Fitness First used a number of sports games to encourage participation in physical activities. • HSBC entertained their valued customers in their impressive Premier Suite and interactive World of Sport area which included a number of sporting activities, a children’s face painter, HSBC Ambassador signings and Q&A session. • In collaboration with the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens, HSBC conducted the #SevensFan competition, in which the best dressed fans had their photos taken and were entered into a competition to be the Fan of the Tournament winning a Lafayette Gourmet Hamper and ProSports goodies, and to enter into the Fan of the Series to win a trip to any round of the competition next year. • Land Rover’s stand attracted lots of attention with their innovative rugby ball passing activity from one Land Rover to another. They also had a ‘test your strength’ hammer hit and Land Rover product giveaways.
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• MMI continued to bring excitement to The Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens through the ever popular Heineken Tavern, a new premium lounge featuring an upside down bar and entertainment. The MMI Grapevine wine bar offered fantastic choice and value for money on pitch 2 and a popular Strongbow bar featuring an ‘apple dunking’ challenge was enjoyed by all. • Motivate provided some great crowd interaction with the ever-popular ‘What’s On’ ball surfing the crowds in the stand. Tournament programs were sold from various places around the stadium and from their information booths in the village. • Pocari Sweat helped to keep the crowds refreshed by selling their Ion Supply drink to thirsty customers from their booths in the village. • Premier Inn’s activation was one of the most original this year. Their hugely popular flash mob took place around four times a day in the Rugby Village near the Premier Inn tent. Balloons were also given away. • The merchandise outlets provided by Pro Sports in the Rugby Village and the VIP areas generated high foot-fall with fans purchasing tournament-branded shirts, hats, key rings and more. • RSA sponsored the ‘Face in the Crowd’ along with Dubai 92 and handed out wigs to fans. • Wrigley’s stand was popular thanks to their in-stand games and their chewing gum and Skittles giveaways. • Xerox provided seven different activities for children to get involved. The ever popular ‘Seen at the Sevens’ fancy dress competition continued throughout the tournament offering branded photographs of people with their friends having fun in fancy dress.
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Advertising Campaign Get Closer To The Game At 7he Sevens, it is possible to watch rugby matches just yards from the action and it was this uniqueness combined with the fun of the tournament that was the main focus of the 2012 creative campaign. The final designs included models in fancy dress involved in real-life rugby scenarios. Three main adverts were created along this theme. The hero advert featured a clown scoring a try. The other two had a girl dressed-up celebrating with a team after they had scored a try; and a boy dressed as a smurf being lifted in a lineout. These visuals were rolled out across all media in a through-the-line campaign that included print media, printed collateral, official and ticket websites, social media platforms, e-shots, TV adverts and outdoor advertising. The campaign had a soft launch at the Long Lunch on September 20 before the main reveal when tickets went on sale on 1 October 2012. Business emailers, targeted at various embassies and nationals to support their teams, were sent out shortly before the tournament began. Advertorial adverts gave more information on the event to potential new-comers.
Full Page Ad
Full Page Ad
Half Page Ad
15
Opening Four Page Wrap
Advertorial
16
Business Emailer
Corporate Hospitality
Printed Collateral A mini pocket guide was printed and readied for distribution through our partner channels in preparation for 1 October 2012 when tickets went on sale. Over 30,000 were printed and given out to fans at various places across the city. Designed to be used as a quick reference, the pocket guide contained the core tournament information including ticket prices, outlets, dates, times, teams and a map to 7he Sevens.
Leaflets, Posters and Pull-Ups 1,000 posters, 20,000 leaflets and 20 pull-ups were printed and distributed through 15 schools, 16 restaurants and bars, and numerous rugby clubs across Dubai. They were also distributed through official ticket outlets, including Emirates HQ, four dnata Travel outlets, 7he Sevens, seven Costa outlets including Abu Dhabi, eight Virgin Megastores, six MMI stores, Decathlon at Mirdif City Centre, two Spinneys Supermarkets in Abu Dhabi, ITP Box Office, What’s On Box Office and Mr. Ben’s Costume Closet.
Mini Card
Pull-Up
Poster
Leaflet
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Media Partners Newspaper Partner - 7DAYS 7DAYS was the newspaper partner for the second consecutive year and provided excellent coverage of the tournament both in terms of advertising and editorial. The four-page ‘Get Closer To The Game’ wrap helped promote ticket sales on 1 October 2012, whilst weekly columns with rugby coaches and players raised the profile of the tournament in the lead up to kick-off. A 32-page supplement which covered aspects of the event, from what to wear to teams to watch and entertainment to expect was released days before the tournament at the event.
Publishing Partner – Motivate Editorial coverage was widespread throughout Motivate’s stable of magazines, with the front cover of the November 2012 issue of What’s On dedicated to the tournament. What’s On also provided the match planners for the final day of the tournament.
Radio Partner – ARN First class coverage of the tournament from ARN (Arabian Radio Network) took the tournament to a different audience. As well as ‘30 second’ Get Closer To The Game advertising slots that received terrific feedback from listeners, ARN’s stations carried interviews, news and competitions to encourage greater interaction with the tournament brand; these were carried by Dubai 92, Virgin Radio and Dubai Eye. This year, greater focus was placed on Dubai 92, due to the dovetailing of their listenership and the tournament target market. The tournament also featured heavily on Dubai Eye’s weekly sports show, The Grill.
TV Partner – OSN Tournament partner OSN provided wide coverage to a TV audience with an energetic 30 second advert that was played 750 times across popular sporting and entertainment channels. Total media partner value:
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Media
Amount
Local Newspaper - 7DAYS
Dhs
1,605,516
Publisher - Motivate
Dhs
367,000
Radio - ARN
Dhs
1,194,983
TV - OSN
Dhs
917,500
Dubai Calendar
Dhs
900,000
Total
Dhs
4,984,999
Public Relations Campaign The public relations campaign was coordinated to launch on 1 October 2012 along with the Get Closer To The Game campaign and tickets going on sale.
Community Activities Promotional activities were strategically arranged to coincide with key dates in the rugby calendar including the winter international matches and also around school breaks and religious holidays to ensure maximum exposure for the tournament. Again this year, the tournament’s commitment to families and children was reinforced with a large number of PR activities taking place at schools and fairs. Malls were targeted to capture the high footfall and numerous bars across Dubai played host to promotional activities. The key PR resources used were: •
Activity Sheets were distributed to all schools to educate and encourage students to become involved in the tournament.
•
Passing Challenge – an interactive game used to engage people of all ages with the tournament brand.
•
Saba’a the tournament mascot –used to excite younger members of our core audience and to add greater visibility in stores and areas not able to accommodate the Passing Challenge.
•
Hostesses – used to interact with customers and dispense information, which was particularly useful in stores where tickets were sold.
•
Cheerleaders – used to great effect in bars, malls and in interviews on the radio to build the excitement of the tournament.
•
T-shirts – tournament branded giveaways to encourage brand loyalty and awareness.
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Other Activities: The DESC fair in November was attended by Saba’a the mascot and our rugby inflatable game ‘The Passing Challenge’ and both were extremely popular thanks to the high number of children and families attending. Hostesses were used to hand out flyers and engage with attendees. Three season tickets were given away as raffle prizes – with the winners being drawn by Saba’a. The DC7s rugby tournament at Dubai College proved to be a terrific event to publicise the tournament. The Passing Challenge, Saba’a and hostesses were there to engage with the crowds.
Malls: An intensive weekend campaign in malls was developed for the weeks leading up to the tournament, with a presence in Virgin Megastores and Costa outlets in the Mall of the Emirates and Mirdif City Centre Saba’a the mascot interacted with children, while the hostesses were used to hand out flyers, engage customers and inform them that they could buy tickets in store. The same tactics were employed in Decathlon in Mirdif City Centre, with the added benefit of being able to use the Passing Challenge.
Bars: Hostesses and the Passing Challenge made regular appearances in some of the most popular bars around Dubai. Barasti was targeted as a key place for PR activity due to its customer demographic, its capability to house the Passing Challenge and also because The Grill radio show is broadcast live from there on Saturday evenings. The Irish Village also hosted the Passing Challenge, Saba’a, hostesses and the Aggreko Dynamos.
Publicity with Players: This year, the Argentina team made a visit to the Burj Khalifa and the Burj Steps to see the fountains. A photo-shoot at the top of the Burj captured the players in various rugby scenarios. Another photo shoot on the Steps was used as the main PR shot and sent out to all the press with a press release. The final PR activity took place at 7he Sevens with the USA team, the Eagles, who had the opportunity to get up close and personal with the UAE’s national symbol, the falcon in the week leading up to the tournament and the 41st National Day celebrations. Again, a press release and photo of the event was disseminated to over 200 members of the press.
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Website The website, www.dubairugby7s.com, was used as the main source of official information on the tournament. The website underwent a mini-rebrand in line with the Get Closer To The Game campaign and social media icons were added to the site on each story so fans could ‘Share’ news. Links to our media channels were also added to the homepage. For the first time, the official website carried a live webcast of the Invitation Tournament action from pitches 1 and 2 on day three. This was done through embedding a YouTube feed on a pre-designed page on the website. This was viewed by over 2,700 fans from around the world. Location
Sep 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
% of visits: 100.00%
Map Overlay
Site Usage
The total number of visitors to the website between 1 September to 31 December 2012 was 180,011. The vast majority of traffic came from Google search; the second highest ranked traffic source was direct to the URL: www.dubairugby7s.com and the third was Facebook.
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Facebook Facebook ‘Likes’ grew by over 150% during the period 1 Sep. to 6 Dec. An advertising campaign targeted at UAE residents alongside constant posts on the Timeline helped to increase the ‘Likes’ from 5,990 to 15,628 in three months. News and creative Facebook games such as ‘Tag Rugby’ also helped to grow the ‘Likes’. A Facebook advertising campaign was created for the tournament’s first ever Facebook application, Rugby Heads – a fun application that involved fans uploading pictures of themselves, choosing their favourite team and making their heads look like a rugby ball. Each Rugby Head was ‘Liked’ by friends, with the most popular each week winning tickets.
1.9%
Female 29.1% Male 70%
2.1%
0.4%
0.3%
6.5%
12.1%
5.7%
13-17
18-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65+
5.7%
19.4%
26.9%
12%
4.2%
0.9%
0.9%
Countries
Cities
Languages
4,615 United Arab Emirates
3,935 Dubai, United Arab Emirates
8,491 English (US)
2,258 Saudi Arabia
912 Riyadh, Ar Riyad, Saudi Arabia
4,342 English (UK)
1,075 United Kingdom
735 Kuwait, Al Kuwayt, Kuwait
1,438 Arabic
944 Kuwait
518 Manama, Al Manamah, Bahrain
357 French (France)
624 Qatar
461 Abu Dhbai, United Arab Emirates
236 Spanish
605 Bahrain
447 Doha, Ad Dawhah, Qatar
103 Portuguese (Portugal)
589 Oman
407 Jeddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
92 Indonesian
Show All
Where Your Likes Came From New Likes 2K
Unlikes
Like Sources 4,649 Mobile 1,815 Third-Party Apps 1,577 On Page 672 Like Box and Like Button
1K
264 Ads and Sponsored Stories 168 On Hover 119 Timeline Show All
The teaser advertising campaign which used Page Post adverts created 2,763,373 impressions and 52,102 clicks. This was followed by an advert for the Rugby Head App itself which created 26,434,193 impressions and 7,610 clicks. The App ran for four weeks and total reach during this time peaked at 2,497,333 and people talking about this at 8,697.
Emails: For the first time, a commercial partnership was struck with an email database company – Emailciti. Based on the tournament’s core audience, Emailciti’s database of 14 million GCC email addresses was segmented to 50,000 UAE email addresses. We sent our e-shots to this database, beginning on 1 October 2012, to maximize ticket sales on this day and on ‘7s’ days – 7th, 17th and 27th of October and November 2012 – thereafter. The design of the emails and focus changed with each e-shot to include a different key message, such as Buy Early and Save, Family Fun and Corporate Hospitality.
Team Specific Emails: A number of emails specific to supporters of the 16 HSBC Sevens World Series teams were created. They carried the message ‘Support Your Team’ and were translated into the different languages of each team. They were passed on to the business councils in Dubai of each country to pass on to their database.
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Media Relations Organisers worked closely with local and international media to ensure the Emirates Airline Dubai Ruby Sevens was publicised as widely as possible.
Press Conference The press conference was held at the Crowne Plaza, Dubai Festival City on Wednesday 28th November, 2012. It was attended over 60 members of the press, including international television rights-holders, journalists and photographers from all over the world. Speaking at the press conference were representatives from Emirates, the IRB, UAE Rugby and three of the major participating teams.
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Media Centre and Photographers Room A crucial part of the favourable coverage of the tournament depends on the smooth running of the Media Centre and Photographers Room. These rooms in the heart of 7he Sevens give the media a place from which to operate and receive information which is disseminated as promptly as possible by the Communications Manager and the team of volunteers. These rooms are also where interview requests and media enquiries are handled.
Editorial Campaign The editorial campaign for the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens 2012 began in August with the announcement of the tournament dates. This began a regular flow of press releases in both English and Arabic, which were distributed nationally and internationally. The value of local print editorial alone amounted to $869,369.
24
25
26
27
Accredited Media
Over 340 members of the media were accredited to cover the tournament in 2012. These included the following publications and organisations:
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7DAYS
ANP
Discover Dubai
AF400 Photography
Arab News
Dubai Eye
Africa Media Online
Saudi Gazette
UAE Sports Guide
Fujairah Observer
Arabian Business / ITP
Dubai One
Agence France Presse
Asia Business Channels
Dubai Sports Channel
Ahlan / ITP
Associated Press
Dubai Sports Council
Aigle Sport
Bayt Lothan
Emirates 24/7
Al Bayan
Brisbane Rugby
European Pressphoto Agency
Al Emarat Al Youm
BSKYB
Explorer Publishing
Al Ittihad
Buenos Aires Herald
Eye of Riyadh
Al Khaleej
City 7 TV
Friday Magazine
Al Medmar Magazine
City Times
Getty Images
Al Naher Newspaper
CityPress24 – Germany
Good Taste
Al Watan
Coffee Table Books
Grazia
Al Jarida Newspaper
Connector Publishing
Gulf Business – Motivate
All About Life
Corporate Publishing Intl.
Gulf News
Harper’s Bazaar Arabia
Outdoor UAE
Telegraph Media Group
Haydoo Printing and Publishing
Pro Rugby magazine
The Associated Press The Daily Telegraph
HELLO! Middle East
Project magazine – virgin publishing
Hindustan Best Samachar
Puls Media
Concierge
Infusion Magazine
Radio 1
The Gulf Today
Kanoo World Traveller
Radio Sport
The National
Kawalis Magazine
Read. (Dubai Metro)
Time Out Bahrain
Khaleej Times
Reuters News Agency
Time Out Dubai
Le Mag du Golfe
Safar
Total Sport
Media Prima
Scene – Gulf News
Mojeh Magazine
Sport360
Travel and Tourism News – Al Hilal Publication
Dubai Voyager – Motivate
UK Rugby Sevens Magazine
Hello – Motivate
Sports Illustrated – South Africa
What’s On – Motivate
Stuff magazine
Womens Health and Fitness
My Dubai My City
Style Middle East
www.rugby15.co.za
New Television of Kuban
Sunday Times
Novoe Televidenie Kubani
Supersport – Kenya
Xinhua News Agency – Dubai Bureau
One8one magazine
Talkabout Media
XPRESS
The Dubai Magazine
Whitefox Media
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TV Distribution
The following table gives details of World Wide Television Coverage.
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Country / Region Middle East
Broadcaster Dubai Sports Channel
Middle East SA & Pan Africa New Zealand UK Wales USA Pan Asia Hong Kong Australia Croatia Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide UK Brazil Mexico
OSN MNET + Supersport Sky NZ Sky Sports S4C NBC + NBC Universal ESPN STAR TVB Fox Australia CRU Transworld Sport SNTV Reuters EBU Sky News Band Sport TDN
Notes Taking all matches Live on DSCH2. This is for their terrestrial and Satellite channel Taking Both Days Live and giving ad spots during the whole coverage Taking all matches Live plus the 26 min highlights programme Taking all matches Live Taking both days Live Taking 26 mins highlights tape Taking Day 2 Live Taking Live matches 40-45 + Highlights Taking 26 mins highlights tape Taking Matches 25-45 Live Taking the 26 mins highlights 3-5 mins news –1st December 3 mins news – 1st December 3-5 mins news – 1st December 3 mins news- 1st December 3 mins news – 1st December Taking Live Matches 21-24 WSW 13 + 15 WSW 27+28 Matches 39-45 Taking Live Matches 33-45
Country / Region Portugal
Broadcaster Sport TV
Latin America Japan Canada Tonga Fiji American Samoa Samoa Solomon Islands Papua New Guinea Cook Islands Niue Israel Ex Yugoslavia Poland Pan India, Pakistan France Spain In-flight In-flight
ESPN Sur Jsports Rogers Sports Net Digicel Fiji TV PCS SBC Solomon Telekom PNG Cook Islands TV Niue Broadcasting Ananey Sportklub Sportklub Taj Sports (Ten) Ma Chaine Sports Canal + Emirates Cathay
Notes Live Matches 7-8 13-16 20-24, + Portugal matches day 2 + 41-45 plus the highlights tape Taking all Argentina matches + 26 mins highlights programme +26 min highlights programme Taking matches 39-45 on tape + 26 min highlights Taking all matches 1-45 LIVE Taking all matches 1-45 LIVE + half hour highlights Taking all matches 1-45 LIVE Taking all matches 1-45 LIVE + half hour highlights Taking all matches 1-45 LIVE Taking all matches 1-45 LIVE Taking all matches 1-45 LIVE Taking all matches 1-45 LIVE Taking half hour highlights Live Matches 41-45 Live Matches 41-45 Taking half hour highlights Taking LIVE Matches 39-45 + half hour highlights Taking 26 min highlights (New this year) Taking half hour highlights show Taking half hour highlights show
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Official Function
Long Lunch The Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens 2012 officially kicked off on 20th September 2012 with the Emirates Airline Rugby Long Lunch. It continues to be one of most popular and best attended events of its kind in Dubai, bringing together rugby fans from all over the region for a fantastic afternoon’s entertainment with some of the biggest names in the sport. This year was particularly special, with New Zealand legend Justin Marshall taking the stage to entertain the audience with tales from his playing days at the forefront of one of the best teams the game has ever seen. He was followed by former British Lion and all-round raconteur, Martin Bayfield, who regaled the audience with hilarious stories of his days in the England team and of his early career as a policeman.
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Players Party The official pre-tournament party was held on the leisure deck at the Crowne Plaza, Dubai Festival City and once again enjoyed a huge turnout, with all the men’s and women’s teams, cheerleaders, suppliers and sponsors in attendance. The Aggreko Dynamos did an impromptu routine on the stage, whilst the illusionist wowed crowds with card tricks with his sleight of hand. The Mystic Desert Queen Show wowed the teams with a belly-dance routine which included swords, fire and a 12ft long snake.
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Onsite at the Tournament
Corporate Hospitality The exclusive Corporate Hospitality area was hugely popular with sponsors and VIP guests. Each area was specifically designed to each sponsors’ specifications and positioned to give maximum exposure to each partner. The general corporate areas were a hub of activity also giving all VIPs that extra something that is expected in Corporate Hospitality.
On–pitch Entertainment 2012 saw the return of the Australian Aggreko Dynamos who wowed the crowds with their dancing, flipping and acrobatics. 12 girls performed a wide range of routines that ensured the party atmosphere was kept going in between matches. MC Dave Crane and his experienced team also swung into action between matches and kept everyone entertained with interviews with legends and with the #SevensFan competition on the big screen. The crowd loved the music and joined in dancing to the Gangum Style, YMCA and other popular tracks. The Mardigras parade extravaganza continued in style despite the pouring rain. Families and school children grouped together to walk around the pitch and represented their favourite team. The fire dancers heated things up with a breathtaking display before the rocket man took off into the evening sky bringing the show to a spectacular climax.
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Rugby Rock Fans were once again treated to some top class entertainment once the tournament had come to an end with the ever-popular Rugby Rock. Dubai-based diva Salha and the Million Dollar Band had the Rugby Village rocking well into the night with a fantastic performance of popular sing-along hits.
Transport Once again, ensuring that fans and families made it back home safely from 7he Sevens was a top priority. Over 150 buses and 500 taxis were booked and scheduled to take people back to a number of convenient locations across Dubai including, Mahiki, Citymax, Bur Dubai, Domeland by Chi@ The Lodge, Barasti, the Irish Village, McGettigan’s, Downtown, Dubai Media City, Dubai Festival City, and more.
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