- September 1, 2018
- Posted by: SportsV
- Categories: Event News, Home News, Industry News, News, Press Releases
England Rugby and British Airways have announced a ground-breaking new partnership, which will see British Airways become the inaugural principal partner to Twickenham Stadium, as well as a principal partner and official airline partner to England Rugby.
The new multi-year deal will see British Airways and England Rugby work closely together on the digital experience at Twickenham Stadium, including developing and launching a new stadium app and e-ticketing in the future. It also sees the new top floor facility of the redeveloped East Stand named as the British Airways Rose Garden, which will be a modern relaxed environment featuring live music and a mix of open cooking stations.
As the principal stadium partner, British Airways will also benefit from exclusive stadium branding, including the roof of Twickenham, visible from incoming British Airways flights into Heathrow Terminal 5.
RFU Chief Executive, Steve Brown, said of the new partnership:
We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with British Airways and are extremely excited about working together.
Twickenham Stadium is the home of rugby and we’re so pleased to have an iconic British brand as our first ever principal partner of the stadium. We are proud to be working with British Airways, a brand that has such a strong heritage that is aligned with our core values.
RFU Chief Commercial Officer, Simon Massie-Taylor, commented on the innovative nature of the partnership:
We are delighted to be working with British Airways and offering some new, engaging opportunities to rugby fans.
Collaboratively, we will be launching a new live digital content offering on match-days, ‘British Airways Match-day Live’, which will deliver fans at home some of the Twickenham experience. Our plans for the Twickenham app and digital ticketing are also very exciting.
Alex Cruz, Chairman and CEO of British Airways, said:
We’re getting behind England Rugby and looking forward to supporting the Men’s and Women’s squads, by delivering them ready to win on their travels all over the world.
Twickenham Stadium also sits on the flight path in to Heathrow, so our partnership with the home of England Rugby will be visible to British Airways customers from the skies.
British Airways will also be flying the England men’s and women’s teams around the world, including to the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan and Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2021. The partnership will also bring exclusive memorable experiences to England rugby fans and British Airways’ customers, including the chance to join the England men’s team on a summer Test series.
The East Stand redevelopment
The East Stand extension will see the first significant redevelopment of Twickenham Stadium since the South Stand was completed in 2008, and will provide over 11,000sqm of hospitality and debenture space for 6,800 premium ticket holders.
Although the overall stadium capacity will remain at 82,000, the new facilities will provide a major extension of the current hospitality and conferencing facilities, and just as importantly a much wider range of food and beverage offers in far more comfortable surroundings.
Each level will be distinctive in its design with rugby themes subtly embedded, celebrating and bringing to life the unique aspects of the home of England Rugby, and delivering a truly bespoke hospitality experience.
The new facilities are due to open at the end of the year.
KSS, the architecture firm behind the new East Stand at Twickenham Stadium, will be taking part in Europe’s first Premium Seat event, ALSD International, where KSS Director, Andy Simons, will be providing insights on the strategic designs and innovative upgrades employed not only on this project, but also on Wembley Stadium’s One Twenty and on the redeveloped No.1 Court at Wimbledon.
Some 40+ industry experts will be delivering the comprehensive conference program, with interactive panel sessions including: “Leveraging Technology for Enhanced Premium Amenities & Hospitality – Presented by LiveStyled”; “Creating A Winning Service Culture”; “Innovations in Hospitality”; “Renovate with Success: The ROI of Venue Transformations”, “Innovative Tech Panel: Emerging Mediums for New Business Opportunities – Presented by AVIXA”; and “Premium Consumer Trends: Analytics, ROI, and Naming Rights”.
Check out the latest program: ALSD International Agenda
Main image (top), courtesy: The RFU/Twickenham Experience
#ALSDInternational – Europe’s first Premium Seat event
#SportsVenueBusiness – the leading platform for sector news, views & developments
