The inaugural World Yacht Racing Forum took place in Monaco last week – one highlight amongst this ‘who’s who’ of sailing was the iShares Cup which looks set to be a benchmark for successful event organization and sponsor returns – a high ROI & ROO concept for tougher economic times. Created by Herbert Dercksen of Tornado Sport the Extreme 40 concept makes sailing a spectator entertainment – close racing; close to shore –  allowing brands to connect with the audience and achieve hign brand visibility.Mark Turner, CEO of iShares Cup organisers OC Events, “The iShares Cup is taking the sport into the future by bringing sailing to new venues and new audiences, using the ultra-modern Extreme 40 catamaran – exactly what the sport needs as marketing budgets get the squeeze.”

Stars of the sport are involved, including Olympian and TV commentator Shirley Robertson, skipper of JPMorgan Asset Management during the iShares Cup and winner of the opening event in Lugano, Switzerland. “The iShares Cup demonstrates the exposure of sailing in the media and on broadcast television – the 2008 iShares Cup achieved media values of over 5 million Euros, including over 10 hours of international news television coverage and a six-part iShares Cup TV Series shown in 119 territories.”

“An Extreme 40 team, boat and entry into the iShares Cup costs between £350,000-£500,000, dependent on activation levels, yet can generate fantastic returns for sponsors in terms of pan-European exposure, global media coverage, business to business networking, and the unique ‘fifth man’ positions and hospitality in the iShares Cup village,” explained Mark Turner. “We’re big supporters of other higher cost campaigns like a £3-5 million IMOCA Vendée Globe investment or a £9-30 million Volvo Ocean Race team, but we are happy to have a product in the iShares Cup where teams can keep sponsors excited in the next few years at a much lower level.” www.iSharesCup.com/