RACE TO MEET YOUR AUDIENCE

Horse Racing in Ireland is steeped in history and success with Irish horses and jockeys rated among the very best in the world. The Industry itself is big business with two of the largest Irish Racing Festivals bringing in huge revenue to the local economy; Punchestown (€45m) and Galway (€60m), with Galway rated the fourth largest race meet in the world based on attendance. In addition to the home support, an estimated 80,000 tourists go racing in Ireland each year. 85% of a recent online survey has gone racing in Ireland within the past 12 months, with 37.5% aged between 25 and 34.

KEY STATISTIC

SPONSOR CASE STUDY - POWERS WHISKEY

“We feel that there is a good fit between Powers Whiskey and the Irish Grand National as both are icons of Irish heritage, quality and tradition....sponsorship of this race allows us to reach our target consumer via a sporting event that is of great interest to them, thereby helping them to relate to the brand. The association also helps reinforce key elements of our brand image: Irishness, tradition, authenticity and quality.” Media Value: The 2008 Powers Irish Grand National Campaign resulted in wide spread media attention for which the print coverage alone evaluated at €280,000.

BENEFITS - SOME OF THE BENEFITS YOU CAN GET FROM SPONSORSHIP

YOUR PACKAGE FOR YOUR BRAND

Each racecourse would be delighted to work in conjunction with you, the sponsor, to create the perfect package to suit your brand, product or service. Choose the media mix that gives you the greatest visibility and value at both a local, national and international level. Introduce a live brand experience by utilising the racegoers to showcase and trial your product. Horse Racing sponsorship is more than brand naming rights. Work with us to promote the day through mutually beneficial ways such as on-course or off-course promotions - generating interest in your product and attracting footfall to your race.

DID YOU KNOW
For the price of a full page advert in a national newspaper you can avail of a full Horse Racing sponsorship package!

SPONSOR CASE STUDY - YES TO CARROTS

“We viewed Punchestown as an excellent opportunity to get Yes to Carrots seen by thousands of potential customers......in an innovative manner, thus leading to increased awareness which in turn led to more sales. 40,000 people on the day saw the branding on the big screen and on the banners on the racecourse.”

MEDIA EXPOSURE

At The Races is the UK and Ireland’s largest, dedicated racing channel reaching up to 1.5 million individuals each month in the UK alone. In less than five years the At The Races website, attheraces.com, has become the clear market leader amongst horse racing websites in the UK and Ireland and now attracts over 500,000 monthly unique users.

Coverage of Horse Racing on Ireland’s highest viewed television station RTE, results in a sponsor’s brand exposure to a mass audience. In 2008 ratings from Ireland’s horse racing festivals captured a huge share of the overall television ratings:

• Fairyhouse receiving 476,000 viewers and an average audience share of 25%
• Galway receiving 932,000 viewers and an average audience share of 23%
• Punchestown receiving 589,000 viewers and an average audience share of 22%

SPONSOR CASE STUDY - DUBAI DUTY FREE

“The Irish Derby is a major race meeting attracting widespread media coverage across Europe and beyond and is therefore in line with our global strategy of promoting Dubai and Dubai Duty Free. Ireland is becoming an increasingly important market for Dubai and the United Arab Emirates in terms of travel and business and the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby is a flagship event that heightens interest further.”

HRI SPONSORSHIP OVERVIEW 2009

Horse Racing Ireland, the national authority for racing in Ireland, can offer your business outstanding sponsorship and hospitality opportunities that beat other corporate events at a canter. You’ll be surprised at how affordable race sponsorship is. In broad terms, sponsorship is available from contributions as little as €2,000 upwards. The rule of thumb is that the sponsor pays 20% of the value of the race eg. a race valued at €10,000 will have a sponsor’s contribution of €2,000. Similarly, if a race is valued at €100,000 the contribution would be €20,000.

Whether you’re building a brand, entertaining valued customers or rewarding your staff, we’ll create a racing sponsorship package that meets your specific needs. Just provide us with details of your priorities and we’ll find you the right race, at the right racecourse, on the right day - for you!

SPONSOR CASE STUDY - CENTRA

“Racing attracts such a wide customer profile......young families on family days and social young females/males.....the exposure to the brand in terms of media and numbers attending the meeting is huge.” CENTRA Leopardstown Festival 2008 Race Sponsor.

ALIGN YOUR BRAND WITH ONE OF IRELAND’S MOST POPULAR AND SUCCESSFUL SPORTS

• In 2008 Irish trained horses won 29 of the 44 Group 1 Flat races in Britain & Ireland.
• Aidan O’Brien became Champion Trainer in both Britain & Ireland for the 2nd consecutive year and also recorded a remarkable 23 Group 1 wins worldwide.
• Crowned 2008 World Champion, New Approach, was bred and trained by Co. Carlow Trainer Jim Bolger.
• 2009 Cheltenham Festival was a huge success for Ireland with 9 Irish trained and 13 Irish bred winners.
• 24 out of the 26 Cheltenham winners were ridden by Irish jockeys incl. Ruby Walsh’s record breaking 7 wins.
• 6 out of the last 9 Aintree Grand National winners were Irish Trained & Ridden.

Click here to download the Sponsorship Overview brochure.