A launch event last week marked the official call for entries to the 14 highly-contested awards that celebrate commercial excellence in sport.
Brands, governing bodies and agencies will gather at the gala event on April 28, 2005 at the Old Billingsgate Market, London, looking to join last year’s list of esteemed winners. They included Stella Artois, awarded Best Sponsorship of an Event or Programme for the Stella Artois Championships, Mitre for Superstar Netball Kit (Best Designed Sport Kit), Warrington Wolves (Best Sport in the Community Programme) and The Times (Best Newspaper Sport Coverage).
This year's entries will be judged by some of the most respected names in the world of sport. The panel, chaired by John Inverdale, will include Mark Cornish, managing director of TNS Sport, Rachael Heyhoe-Flint, the first female board member of the MCC and Sally Gunnell, Olympic Gold Medallist and BBC sports broadcaster.
They will be joining current panelists Roger Draper (chief executive, Sport England), Marzena Bogdanowicz (director of marketing, BOA), Marcel Knobil (founder of the Brand Council and Super Brands), Michael Nutley (editor, New Media Age), David Owen (sports editor, FT), Bruce Haines (group chief executive, Leo Burnett), Jon Holmes (chairman, SFX) and Mike Reynolds (director, ISS and Sportsmatch).
A new award for the 2005 event will be the Sports Business Person of the Year honour, which will be presented in conjunction with the Financial Times, which joins Sport England and Ernst & Young as the award's major partners.
For more information on the Sport Industry Awards contact Catherine Green at the awards office on 0207 240 7702 or visit www.sportindustry.biz
