“THE dream begins in Perth” is the in-house motto for organisers of the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships, with 1,500 competitors expected for the Olympic qualifying event.
“THE dream begins in Perth” is the in-house motto for organisers of the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships, with 1,500 competitors expected for the Olympic qualifying event.
The ISAF championship event is poised to generate more than $41 million for the local economy when the world’s best sailors converge in Fremantle for the 2012 London games qualifier.
An estimated 5,000 visitors, including 1,500 sailors from 80 nations, are expected to arrive in the state for one of the largest international sporting events in Western Australia’s history.
Western Australia 2011 Pty Ltd (WA 2011) won the bid to host the event against seven other cities three years ago, after being backed by Eventscorp and sailing regatta co-host, the Warren Jones Foundation.
The company, which was established to coordinate the event, will spend more than $20 million by 2012 promoting the state as a sporting and sailing destination.
“Eventscorp looked for an entity with the right background to run the event and the Warren Jones Foundation was the obvious fit, as it had the track record and the people with both the expertise and contacts in the international sailing world to make the best of the opportunity,” Perth 2011 chairman Ian Campbell said.
“The foundation accepted an invitation to organise the event and set up WA 2011 Pty Ltd as an off-balance-sheet entity through which to operate.”
Renowned sailing identity and former Fremantle Chamber of Commerce chief, John Longley, is event director, while Darren Beazley is director of commercial operations for Perth 2011.
Also on the board are WA sporting identities RugbyWA chief Vern Reid, and Sydney 2000 Olympic sailing gold medallist, Belinda Stowell.
While the state government through Eventscorp will invest $8.8 million in the event, and the federal government promising $8.6 million, the success of Perth 2011 hinges on Mr Beazley’s success in securing major sponsors.
To date, Middletons and QBE Insurance have signed on as gold level sponsors, while Gibbscorp, Carbon Conscious, and Busara are silver level sponsors.
“In terms of sponsorship we are looking for the iconic brands that have some affinity with the sport ... suppliers and sponsors linked to the sport and those who wish to identify with a clean, green sport that has a gender balance,’’ Mr Campbell said.
“By partnering with people who share the Perth 2011 dream, we know that Perth 2011 will not only be something very special, but it will showcase our state and our expertise in sports administration.”
Skip Lissiman, chief executive of the WA Yachting Foundation, which co-hosts the Warren Jones Regatta, suggested the key to winning the bid to host the championships was that the Warren Jones Foundation was a not-for-profit entity not aligned with any government or sporting administration.
Mr Lissiman said Perth 2011 would deliver economic and tourism benefits for many years to come.
