Three global brand and sponsorship leaders have been announced as guest speakers at the tenth Annual Mike Warne Marketing Communications Lecture taking place on Wednesday 24 February 2016 at Bournemouth University.

The trio from Barclays, Panasonic and Sainsbury’s will discuss the value of sponsorship to both their own brands and the commercial value it adds to ensuring major sporting events take place -such as this year’s Olympic Games in Rio.

The speakers announced this week include;

Peter Ward, Sponsorship Manager at Sainsbury’s who manages the company’s Active Kids scheme, coordinates all the fundraising carried out as part of Sainsbury’s corporate partnership with Comic Relief and manages the relationship with the British Paralympic Association. Ahead of the 2016 Paralympic Games, Peter is working on a number of initiatives to support the team and drive awareness of the Supercharge ParalympicsGB campaign. He is also exploring how Sainsbury’s will show support for ParalympicsGB, including an above-the-line marketing campaign, an in-store look and feel, the development of a donating merchandise range, and experiential activity to bring colleagues and customers closer to the Games in Rio.

Nathan Homer who leads Barclay’s Global Sponsorship Group, managing partnerships around the world, including the Premier League. 

Gaele Lalahy, Head of Brand and Communications at Panasonic UK, Gaele led the Panasonic Digital Strategy for the London 2012 Olympic Games and deployed the project in 23 countries worldwide.

Graham Goode, Senior Lecturer in Marketing Communications at Bournemouth University and CIM in Dorset committee member, who is working closely with the student organising team explains: ”Sponsorship can be an effective means to get your brand in front of your target audience. In terms of the Olympics the revenue generated, by commercial partnerships, accounts for more than 40% of its total revenue, and their partners provide vital technical services and product support. Our team wanted speakers to explore the commercial value to the brand and to the event ahead of this year’s Olympics – they have secured industry leaders which should provide a fascinating lecture.”

This year’s tenth anniversary lecture is organised by final year BA undergraduate marketing students at Bournemouth University with support from CIM (The Chartered Institute of Marketing) the world’s largest community of professional marketers. The event was named in honour of CIM Regional Director, Mike Warne, who was a strong advocate of building relationships between aspiring marketers at Bournemouth University with CIM and business.

The lecture provides an opportunity to hear from leading industry professionals and provides great networking opportunities - it usually attracts around 300 BU students, CIM members, local marketing professionals, faculty staff and local business leaders. Tickets for the evening lecture are available from just £10.00. Book here. https://www.cim.co.uk/eventbooking/?crid=74643