Sails have the numbers

PERTH accounting firm Moore Stephens BG have employed a regatta of yachts to raise their profile in the corporate community in 2001.

This is the second year Moore Stephens BG have sponsored a corporate regatta for their clients through the Western Australian Yachting Foundation.

Although only one of the yachts will bear the Moor Stephen BG corporate identity, this year the firm has negotiated naming rights for the regatta and exclusive rites to have their logo on any communications and merchandise.

“We are trying to get Moore Stephens known around the marketplace,” Moore Stephens BG partner Dino Travaglini said.

The WA Yachting Foundation is a non-profit organisation set up 13 years ago after the America’s Cup in recognition of the benefits of sailing for Perth.

The Foundation manager is Skip Lissiman, a crewman from Austr-alia 2.

The fleet of nine yachts worth $120,000 each are used for a variety of purposes including youth training and the annual Australia Cup.

Since the initial government grant, the Foundation has relied on sponsorship, boat charter fees and grants for training programs.

Any profit is fed back into the foundation and the community training programs.

On the sails of each yacht there are two specially designed panels for companies to place their corporate logo.

“We were active in finding companies that wanted to develop closer relationships with clients or staff,” Mr Lissiman said.

For Moore Stephens BG, the regatta works for them both as a marketing tool and a memorable evening building client relationships.

“ We are concentrating on doing things differently and doing different things,” Moore Stephens BG partner Ennio Tavani said.

“We need to do things differently to meet the needs of a changing environment.”

For Moore Stephens BG there were two main considerations when looking at different corporate entertainment options.

“Essentially we wanted something that would engage all the senses of the participants, we believe that when you are using all your senses the experience is more memorable,” Mr Tavani said.

Some of the companies competing in the Moore Stephens BG regatta include Mercantile Mutual, Shell Development, Commonwealth Bank and BHP Petroleum.