Boutros told Emirates Business 24/7 that sales gimmicks used by agencies to lure more sponsors to cover an event are not helping the growth of sport.
"We have been receiving proposals for sponsorships with designations of sponsors' categories such as gold, silver and bronze," he said. "As a sponsor, I am not gratified by such offers, because at the end of the day my intention is to stand out and have a voice.
"Seeing my logo, however, along with 50 other logos of brands and companies does not serve my strategy to distinguish the name of my brand. I don't see any benefit.
"Our understanding of sponsorship needs to change. In general, sponsorship should not cover more than five per cent of the total cost of an event. Events organisers in this region, however, believe that they are to cover the entire cost of their event through sponsorships. Sports events, in particular, are expected to cover a major portion of the costs from audience attendance and tickets.
"Our sponsorship for Arsenal represents three per cent of the club's total expenditure. I am not expected to pay the players. It is up to those clubs to manage their revenues and multiply their revenue sources. Some complain that certain sports have no field audiences, yet, we have had experiences where we were able to attract thousands of fans to sports fields, by running professional event organisation."
In addition to its sponsorship of Premier League club Arsenal, Emirates has spearheaded sponsorships of several international and local sports events including the FIFA World Cups in 2010 and 2014.
For the full interview click here http://www.business24-7.ae/companies-markets/media/gcc-sports-sponsorshi...
