Velux wins award

Solo round the world race picks up trophy at the annual Hollis Sponsorship Awards

The Velux 5 Oceans celebrated last night at the annual Hollis Sponsorship Awards in London as it won the prestigious ESA International Sponsorship Award. Velux, the worldwide roof window and design company, was recognised for its success in supporting the 5 Oceans event, the classic solo round the world yacht race organised by Clipper Ventures PLC. Clipper Ventures delivered a winning platform for Velux, creating over €66 million of global media value for their sponsor.

Collecting the award at the gala dinner, Velux Marketing Director Kent Holm commented, “I am delighted to accept this award on behalf of everyone at Velux. We have undertaken a thorough evaluation and saw a substantial return on our investment. We are a global company and needed a truly international platform on which to build our brand equity. We are proud to continue our involvement with ‘The Ultimate Solo Challenge’ into 2010, an event which supports our key values of daylight and fresh air, and which helps to build our brand image across the planet.”

Joining Holm on stage was Clipper Ventures’ Chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. Knox-Johnston, who was recently awarded the title of UK Raymarine YJA Yachtsman of the Year for an unprecedented third time on the back of his inspiring performance in the Velux 5 Oceans, added: “Clipper Ventures took over this race in 2002 when it was struggling both commercially and financially. We started our winning partnership with Velux in September 2005 and with less than 12 months to prepare, we delivered a fantastic race in 2006-07 which brought this classic race back to the forefront of professional offshore yacht racing and engaged with an enormous global audience.

“Now with three years to prepare for the next race, and a productive and positive relationship already established between Clipper Ventures and Velux, the potential to develop the Velux 5 Oceans further is huge and we have high ambitions for the future in 2010.”

The Velux 5 Oceans was up against respected and high profile sponsorships, such as the Eon FA Cup and the Guinness Rugby Premiership. The race was the only yachting event to even be shortlisted this year and illustrates the global commercial success of the event, and in turn providing a massive boost for the sport of sailing and its sponsorship profile. The Race Management looks forward to taking the 2010-11 event to even greater levels of success.