The Leading Brands of Spain Forum was one of the organisers of the “Role of sport in place branding” conference, which was held in Madrid on May 13th. Place branding experts, businesspeople and sports clubs alike stressed the importance of successful athletes and sports entities in enhancing their respective countries’ images abroad. In addition, they analysed how businesses can benefit from internationalisation through sponsorships and promotional activities in the world of sport.

The conference was held at the IESE headquarters in Madrid and Club Atlético de Madrid and the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) also helped organise the event in addition to the FMRE and the aforementioned educational institute.

The programme included a wide variety of topics, all with a common theme, i.e., the concept of place branding, and brought together representatives of Spanish and international sports entities, such as Tottenham Hotspur, Milan and Inter; companies like Santander, Iberdrola, Joma and Cosentino; professors from the IESE Business School and the Yonsei University in Korea; public institutions like ICEX and the Madrid City Council, in addition to the chairman of Club Atlético de Madrid, Enrique Cerezo, and the vice-chairman of Real Madrid, José Ignacio del Rivero. The closing ceremony was officiated by HRH Infanta Pilar de Borbón.

Sandalio Gómez, IESE professor and chairman of CSBM, and Ángel Martín Acebes, vice-chairman of ICEX, gave the welcome speech, in which the ICEX vice-chairman pointed out that “sporting achievements enhance our image. Athletes’ images create value and companies use sport and athletes to market their products. Brands contribute value to a country’s image and are an example of leadership, motivation and teamwork, all of which contribute to the success of companies at the international level”.

After the welcome speech, well known Professor Dae Ryun Chango of Yonsei University in South Korea gave an interesting speech on sport sponsorship in which he said that “sports stars can be the best ambassadors for place brands. We are talking about a market that is constantly growing and where countries and brands can go hand-in-hand if planned effectively. Even the smallest sports sponsor can reach the consumers of a global brand”.

It was then time to listen to the experiences of FMRE member companies. Juan Manuel Cendoya (General Manger of Corporate Communication and Marketing at the Santander Group) was extremely pleased with the company’s return on investment from major sporting events, such as the Copa Libertadores and the Formula 1, while Luis Gómez (Iberdrola Marketing Director) spoke of their experience in creating brand awareness through the sponsorship of a team in America’s Cup.

Joma Sport also had the opportunity to talk about a Spanish brand’s experience competing with multinational giants; Cosentino spoke about how it was the first Spanish company to advertise –with very successful results- during the Super Bowl and, finally, Carolina Pina from Garrigues law firm gave an interesting presentation on Guerrilla Marketing.

After this, the sports clubs took the floor. Paul Barber (Executive Director of Tottenham Hotspur), Alejandro Andreu (Chairman of the Superleague Formula), Katia Bassi (Sales Director of Inter de Milan) and Laura Masi (Marketing Director of A.C. Milan) spoke about the marketing strategies of their respective clubs.

In her speech, the CEO of Madrid 2016, Mercedes Coghen, said that “bidding for the Olympics boosts a country’s image and that, in addition to talking about nation branding, we can also talk about city branding. Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid really strengthen the city’s image”.

Before the closing ceremony, the Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid football clubs –both members of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum- gave their views on the matter. Enrique Cerezo, chairman of Atlético de Madrid, pointed out that “it has been shown that rigorous studies on matters concerning the sports industry are required, because it is a fact that football and sport are valuable tools for the promotion of a country’s image abroad”. Furthermore, José Ignacio del Rivero, vice-chairman of Real Madrid, pointed out that “brands are built through success, which enables you to consolidate your image worldwide and defend the values associated with it”.

Finally, the Deputy Mayor of Madrid, Manuel Cobo, and HRH Infanta Pilar de Borbón gave the closing speeches, which were followed by an official dinner at the VIP area of the Vicente Calderón Stadium.