Lagardre Sports gears up for growth in China with launch of Shanghai office

Lagard re Sports gears up for growth in China with launch of Shanghai office

As China s importance in the global economy and the sports industry continues to rise, the agency is expanding its Chinese operations to support the growing ambitions of international and domestic clients.

Leading global sports marketing agency, Lagard re Sports, today announced its plans to substantially increase its operations in Shanghai to deliver against the burgeoning business needs and ambitions of the agency's international and domestic clients. With China fast becoming a major hub for sports and business, the agency will use its deep local knowledge and insights to help brands and rights holders achieve long term value in the Chinese territory.

Lagard re Sports has bolstered its capabilities and resources at its office in Jing'An Shanghai's vibrant central district since December 2016. The core team of local Chinese experts will provide rights management, brand consulting and market development advice to both domestic clients looking to increase their brand profile internationally, and to international brands and rights holders seeking to expand their businesses in China.

As the leading sports agency in Asia, Lagard re Sports has been operating in China for over two decades, with its exclusive partnership with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which has spearheaded the development of national and club football across Asia. The agency is a long-term investor in the region and generates over US$1 billion in revenues per year for clients locally and globally. Its extensive knowledge of the local market and international capabilities places the agency in pole position to advise international brands on their expansion plans for China.

With its unparalleled experience in international sports marketing, Lagard re Sports is also the trusted partner for Chinese enterprises looking to advance their presence and brand profile globally. The agency has unprecedented access to the most important relationships in the business of sport with a network of more than 60,000 rights-holders, brands, hospitality clients and broadcasters across the world including 100 European football clubs, partnerships with three FIFA confederations and several major U.S. professional sports leagues.

The launch of our new office in Shanghai marks the next chapter in the history of Lagard re Sports in the region, said Andrew Georgiou, CEO of Lagard re Sports and Entertainment. We have great aspirations for China, a country brimming with exceptional talent and immense resources that has made it a frontrunner in business, technology, sports and entertainment.

By leveraging our extensive network, international experience and local market knowledge, we want to help Chinese businesses showcase their brands on the global stage as well as support international brands and rights holders to build their business in China through strong local partnerships. Our vision in China is to be an authentic, long-term partner to Chinese enterprises, while strengthening the connections between the East and the West, and being a catalyst for the development of sport in this part of the world.

With a strong local team driving Lagard re Sports' China strategy, the Shanghai office will be able to deliver a full range of services for sports rights holders, brands, athletes and media companies. These capabilities include:

Marketing, sponsorship and brand partnerships

Content creation, media rights, production and distribution

Brand consulting, activation and digital services

Stadium and arena management solutions

Athlete management

Event management

NOTE TO EDITORS:

See Annex A for a historical timeline of Lagard re Sports' milestones in Greater China.

ANNEX A

LAGARD RE SPORTS' MILESTONES IN GREATER CHINA

YEAR

MILESTONE

1992 Our Hong Kong office was established.

1993 Lagard re Sports was appointed the exclusive commercial partner of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), a relationship that continues until this day. We have worked in China on the most important Asian football assets including:

AFC Asian Cup Asia's biggest football tournament

AFC Champions League the region's number one club competition and the second richest continental club competition

FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers

1994 From 1994 to 2002, Lagard re Sports was the commercial partner of the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC). Key events staged in China included the Asian Basketball Championships, the Junior Men's Championships and the Under-20 Championships.

It was these early events that then-teenagers Yao Ming and Wang Zhi Zhi competed in before they became NBA stars. The ABC was a springboard for their careers.

We launched the Asian PGA Tour the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia (excluding Japan) with multiple events held in China now known as the Asian Tour.

1995 Since 1995, Lagard re Sports has promoted over 100 golf tournaments in Asia Pacific, including 20 of China's biggest golf tournaments such as:

1997 to 2004: Volvo China Open (Asian PGA Tour)

1998: Volvo Asian Matchplay (Asian PGA Tour)

1998: Orient Masters (Asian PGA Tour)

1999 to 2004: Tianjin TEDA Masters (Asian PGA Tour)

1999: Omega PGA Championship (Asian PGA Tour)

2002: TCL Classic (Asian PGA Tour)

2010: Luxehills Chengdu Open (OneAsia)

1999-2009 Lagard re Sports distributed media rights to 27 individual badminton events including the Asian Championships.

2001 We were involved in the staging of the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, which saw China qualifying for their first World Cup, held the following year in Japan and Korea.

2002 We represented exclusive media rights for Asian Table Tennis Union events and recently extended to 2021.

2003 Lagard re Sports first started working w

LINK:	http://www.lagardere.com/index.php?coe_i_id=363&idpress=7378...
	See more stories from lagard

Most recent headlines