How Events Can Benefit from the Yas Island Sponsorships: An Interview with Gerardo Llanes

by  Rachael Rajan Industry Watch | January 23, 2017 | Interview

Yas Island

EVENTFAQS recently reported on the announcement by Yas Island on the inaugural window of opportunity to event organisers based locally and internationally who are interested in applying for sponsorship to host their event on Yas Island, to help encourage people to visit, dine, shop and stay on the island. 

The window, which closes tomorrow, provides the opportunity for event organisers to secure sponsorship from Miral, for events being held between July 1, 2017 and December 31, 2018.

In this interview with Executive Director for Yas Island Destination Management, Gerardo Llanes, we find out more.

What are the criteria/standards that proposed events will have to meet to get sponsorship?

Miral, on behalf of Yas Island, are seeking events which will help the continued growth of the island into a globally renown events location.  Events are assessed on their ability to deliver one or more of the following outcomes:

• The level of economic impact which will be generated based on the ability to drive overnight visitation and event related expenditure
• In terms of social impact, our aim is to attract local attendees to Yas Island creating a sense of community, celebration cultural diversity and bring world-class experiences to Yas Island
• In terms of broadcast exposure, this will enable us to have exposure for Yas Island via broadcast or media coverage into our key domestic and/or international markets

Events are assessed on the outcomes they deliver, as well as the alignment with other sponsored events in the Yas Island event portfolio. This includes taking into consideration additional elements such as (i) how does the timing align with other events in our portfolio, (ii) is this a one-off event or annual, (iii) how do the forecasted event outcomes align with the overall performance of the event portfolio.

How many such events will Miral be looking to sponsor?

There is not set number of events being targeted via this window. Miral wants to secure event content which will complement our existing events and ensure we have event content to continue positioning Yas Island as a vibrant event location all year round.

Will the sponsorships be monetary, as direct investments into the events?

All sponsorships event applications from Miral will be monetary & in-kind marketing support.

How many visitors will be expected at Yas Island as a result of these events?

The Yas Island event strategy will assist the island with meeting our ambitions which are outlined in the Yas Island vision 2022. By 2022, Yas Island has an ambition to be one of the world’s top 10 destinations for families, with over 48m visitors. Yas Island secured 25m visitors in 2015; 2016 results are still pending but it is expected the attendance will increase 15% YoY.

How will Yas partner / support potential organisers beyond the sponsorships?

Outside financial support, Miral is happy to liaise with event organizers to ensure any event hosted on Yas Island is a success. We have strong connections with all YI stakeholders and can assist in finding event venues, providing marketing support and connecting you with key stakeholders to make events on Yas Island a success.