IT vendors are tapping on major events in Singapore's sporting calendar over the next two years, but showcasing technology is only the tip of the iceberg.
For hardware company Lenovo, one of its key tie-ups is the Formula One (F1) race. Besides building up brand awareness and image, such events also "assist in the development of incremental revenue" and boost employee morale and pride, a spokesperson told ZDNet Asia an e-mail.
"Formula One provides an outstanding showcase for Lenovo technology," he explained. "The sport is highly dependent on technology and innovation, with all F1 teams using a wide array of information technologies to gain a competitive advantage.
"Teams use PCs at the track to analyze hundreds of data points transmitted by the car during a race and to optimize the vehicle based on that analysis, to manage the strategy of the race, and to manage the team as a business. This provides an excellent platform to showcase personal computing technologies that highlight innovation, reliability and performance."
Sponsorship or participation in such events can bring vendors closer to their potential customers. For instance, one reason why Lenovo has partnered the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team is the team's popularity "not only in Europe, but also in developing economies such as India, China, Brazil and Russia--a logical fit for our emphasis on growing our business in emerging markets", said the spokesperson.
Iris Wee, StarHub's head of marketing, said in an e-mail interview the company's involvement in sports events also serves to engage and delight key corporate customers. StarHub is the official infocomms provider for the Barclays Singapore Open, where it provides broadband Internet connections, fixed line voice service and IDD services to the organizers and participants of the golf tournament, and also broadcasts the event proceedings on its TV channels.
"[Key customers have] the opportunity to witness a world-class event in the comfort of our hospitality marquee or go up close and personal with the major competitors at the fringe events," said Wee.
Besides the 2009 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix and Barclays Singapore Open, another opportunity in the country's sporting calendar is the inaugural Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games slated for Aug 14 to 26 next year. The SYOGOC (Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee) has already signed a memorandum of intent appointing Atos Origin, which has been the chief integrator for Olympic events such as Beijing 2008, as the overall technology integrator for Singapore 2010.
According to the SYOGOC, there are opportunities for IT companies beyond the scope of the Atos Origin contract. The organizers, for example, have plans to implement a virtual world Web site. Singapore's Infocomm Development Authority earlier this year spelt out the requirements in a briefing document (PDF) used in a tender exercise.
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