“Lifetime Services to Arabian Sponsorship Industry” Award Presented to Colm McLoughlin of Dubai Duty Free
       
 
Thursday, December 17, 2009

At the inaugural Arabian Sponsorship Awards held to coincide with the Arabian Sponsorship Forum (14-15th December) at the Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi, Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free was presented with the “Lifetime Services to the Arabian Sponsorship Industry Award”.

The award, which was presented by British Gold Olympic medalist, Sir Matthew Pinsent CBE, recognized Colm’s role in driving Dubai Duty Free’s pioneering sponsorship programme in this region. Under Colm’s guidance Dubai Duty Free has utilized sponsorship as a means of reaching its target audience and building its business.

Commenting on the Lifetime Services award, Colm acknowledged the role played by the Government of Dubai in encouraging sponsorship of major sporting events which have succeeded in establishing Dubai’s reputation as a leading sports and leisure destination.

“Dubai Duty Free began sponsorship of sporting events back in the early-1980’s and have actively sought to bring international events to Dubai that would result in widespread media exposure. I am delighted to say that one of our biggest events, the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, which is owned by Dubai Duty Free is a great case in point. The tournament attracts the top tennis stars in the world, with a global TV audience of 400 million and TV exposure worth an estimated US$135 million,” said Colm.

“This would not have been possible without the support of the Government of Dubai. And while I am delighted to accept this award, I have to acknowledge the amount of hard work that our team at Dubai Duty Free puts into organizing our events and in ensuring maximum brand exposure for Dubai Duty Free,” he added.

Colm’s Lifetime Services award was one of two ‘special awards’ presented during the Awards dinner held at the Emirates Palace Hotel where guests included a mix of international sporting personalities, regional sporting bodies and corporate sponsors.