News: Global Sports Marketing Firm Aiding SBP Bid To Host World Cup; FIBA’s Evaluation Commission To Visit In Late January The head of an Australian-based global sports marketing and advertising firm is currently in the Philippines to help the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), the country’s governing body in basketball, in its bid to host the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. SBP executive director Sonny Barrios told InterAksyon in a telephone interview that Sean Nicholls, president of the Octagon Asia-Pacific agency based in Sydney, Australia, arrived late Monday night to meet with SBP president Manuel V. Pangilinan and other key officials and help the country’s preparations for the FIBA Evaluation Commission’s visit to the country later this month. Nicholls and his team, who had earlier joined the SBP’s representatives in Geneva, where the Philippines made its pitch for the hosting along with the other shortlisted countries, has been tapped by Pangilinan’s group for their experience in the bidding process for sporting events. “Boss MVP felt na hindi natin kakayanin ng tayo-tayo lang, so we hired Octagon. They’re well-versed in bidding process such as this one in the World Cup,” Barrios said. The SBP and Octagon will be working together on a presentation that will be ready in time for the arrival of the FIBA Evaluation Commission, which is due to arrive in the Philippines on the 26th of January. The FIBA group is expected to inspect the existing venues that could potentially be used in the World Cup – the SMART-Araneta Coliseum, the Mall of Asia Arena and the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan. The Araneta Coliseum hosted the FIBA World Championship in 1978, the last time the country staged the biggest basketball event in the world. The MOA Arena, meanwhile, served as the main venue of the FIBA Asia Championship in Manila in 2013. The Philippine Arena was used as the site of the PBA Opening Ceremonies this season, with more than 52,000 fans packing the venue. The SBP is hoping to get the support of key government officials during the FIBA commission’s visit. Recently, Rep. Yeng Guiao, a congressman from Pampanga’s 1st district and a veteran basketball coach, filed a resolution calling on the government to support the SBP’s hosting bid. Original Link: interaksyon/interaktv/global-sports-marketing-firm-aiding-sbp-bid-to-host-world-cup-fibas-evaluation-commission-to-visit-in-late-january
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 10:42:21 +0000