BDS Sponsorship is proud to announce its brokering of a new naming rights sponsorship.
BDS was employed by AECC (Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre), a leading venue in the Aberdeen business community and host venue for Offshore Europe, one of the largest oil & gas events in the world.
The work encompassed the full sales cycle, from initial research and the creation of a bespoke strategy which was then brought to market. The final deal involves a 10-year agreement which will see the Arena being re-named the ‘GE Oil & Gas Arena, Aberdeen’.
Richard Busby, CEO of BDS Sponsorship said, “Seeking sponsorship on behalf of AECC was a fascinating challenge as the venue and the Aberdeen business community is unique. Whereas many comparable venues attract sponsors from B2C brands, we at BDS were convinced that sponsorship of AECC would be even more attractive for Aberdeen-based B2B brands.
Several insights led BDS to this approach; the Aberdeen business community is expanding incredibly fast, primarily fuelled by the oil & gas sector and yet the city’s overall population is relatively small. As a result recruitment and staff retention are key objectives for many companies there. Since AECC hosts not only A-list entertainment acts but also a number of prestigious business conferences an Aberdeen-based B2B brand can engage with its customers, staff and potential employees all under one roof.”
Brian Horsburgh, Managing Director of AECC, commented: “We are delighted to have a global brand company such as GE Oil & Gas as a key sponsorship partner. We see many positive benefits from working with them and we are looking forward to developing these with the GE Oil & Gas Team. This is the first stage of our plan to secure two or three key sponsors for the Venue to develop long-term partnerships with.”
“GE Oil & Gas are delighted to have concluded an agreement with the AECC to be the Title Sponsor of the Arena ahead of the Offshore Europe event in September,” confirmed Neil Gazeley, Communications Leader – Subsea Systems GE Oil & Gas. “The Arena is a hugely important venue for Aberdeen, hosting a range of industry and social events that support the local economy and community. Being just across the road from the Global Headquarters of our Subsea Business, we already had very strong links with the venue and strengthening the relationship seemed a natural thing for us to do.”
Gazeley went on to explain the key factor for GE Oil & Gas; “our business is experiencing tremendous growth, we are busy recruiting additional employees and this deal will help us to create awareness of the fantastic opportunities the oil and gas Industry offers and promote the GE Oil & Gas brand across the region as an employer of choice.”
With over 600 events, and 300,000 people coming through the Venue each year, this new partnership will further enhance AECC’s position as The National Energy Exhibition Centre and the key conference and exhibition Venue in the North-East of Scotland.
The Arena hosts concerts, comedy and sporting events, large dinner dances (including the annual Energy Ball), trade and public exhibitions (Offshore Europe, Your Wedding Exhibition, The Scottish Home Show) and many large conferences each year.
More info on GE Oil & Gas:
GE Oil & Gas is a world leader in advanced technologies and services with 43,000 employees in more than 100 countries supporting customers across the industry – from extraction to transportation to end-use. Our unrelenting commitment to the environment, health and safety, quality and integrity defines us: it’s The Way We Work.
We develop smart solutions for our customers across the oil and gas value chain delivering innovation, and customised service solutions, training programs and technology that help them to maximise their efficiency, productivity and equipment reliability.
We partner with our customers to develop their next-generation workforce; help them to fully benefit from the megatrends of natural gas, the growth of subsea and hard-to-reach reserves and the revolution in asset health management.
