Visa announces sponsorship of London Media Centre
LONDON, 23 January 2012 — Visa Europe has today been announced as the first sponsor of the London Media Centre, which will provide extensive facilities and news generation services to around 10,000 non-accredited media who are expected to be in the UK during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Run by the Greater London Authority, the London Media Centre at One Great George Street off Parliament Square, will welcome journalists from across the world throughout the Games, providing state of the art reporting and distribution facilities and a central London location. The London Media Centre, along with its partners, will also be proactively producing and distributing content to journalists using the centre about the wider London 2012 story on topics such as tourism, finance, economics, lifestyle and technology.
Importantly, the London Media Centre will welcome both non-accredited and accredited media, of which there are anticipated to be in excess of 12,000 and 23,000 respectively. Non-accredited media will be unable to access Olympic venues so the London Media Centre will act as an important hub for these journalists looking to tell wider stories about London and the UK in and around Games time.
By sponsoring the London Media Centre, Visa will also share its news with international, European and local journalists. This will include content showcasing mobile and contactless payment innovations at the Games and regular reports on economic impact and consumer spending during Games time as well as providing access to the wide range of athletes in Team Visa.
As the biggest show on earth, Visa plans to use London 2012 to showcase the Future of Payments. It will do so by enabling contactless payments across Olympic and Paralympic Games venues, retail outlets and in the London Media Centre, as well as through its partnership with Samsung to launch the Samsung Olympic and Paralympic Games mobile handset, which will support mobile contactless payments.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has already made special arrangements to accommodate journalists at the Centre, equipping it with workspaces for over 250 journalists and press conference facilities to sit 200 members of media. Visa will contribute to this further by providing the Centre with a Visa innovation showcase, regular briefings for media, and up-to-the minute information about consumer spend and Team Visa.
Colin Grannell, Head of Partnership Marketing at Visa Europe, said: “As a global sponsor of the Olympic and Paralympic Games we are proud to announce our additional sponsorship of the London Media Centre. We will be sharing our latest news on contactless and mobile payments innovation in and around the Games direct to journalists based at the Centre, as well as showcasing payments technology.
We’re working closely with the Greater London Authority to make sure it is the best possible base for non-accredited media throughout the Games.”
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: “With the eyes of the world looking towards London next summer, the 2012 Games will be a major opportunity for firms to promote their brands to audiences right across the globe. It is fantastic to have Visa on board through their sponsorship of the London Media Centre, which will play host to thousands of journalists who will be here to tell the story of what will be the greatest show on earth.”
The GLA is looking for several official partners for sponsorship of the London Media Centre. The benefits package will be tailored to deliver each partner’s business objectives and will be worth about £120,000.
About Visa Europe
In Europe, there are 438 million Visa debit, credit and commercial cards. In the 12 months ending June 2011 those cards were used to make purchases and cash withdrawals to the value of€1.7 trillion. 12.5% of consumer spending at point of sale in Europe is with a Visa card, and more than 70% of that is on Visa debit cards.
Visa Europe is owned and operated by more than 4,000 European member banks and was incorporated in July 2004. Visa Europe is independent of global Visa Inc., with an exclusive, irrevocable and perpetual licence in Europe, while both companies operate to ensure global interoperability. As a dedicated European payment system Visa Europe is able to respond quickly to the specific market needs of European banks and their customers – cardholders and retailers – and to meet the European Commission’s objective to create a true internal market for payments.
Visa enjoys unsurpassed acceptance around the world. In addition, Visa/PLUS is one of the world’s largest global ATM networks, offering cash access in local currency in over 200 countries.
For more information, visit http://www.visaeurope.com/
About the London Media Centre
It is predicted that during Games-time there will be upwards of 25,000 international and UK media professionals (accredited and non-accredited) in London. Up to two-thirds of these of these journalists will be accredited by the National Olympic Committees of competing countries and eligible to use their facilities in the Olympic Park, namely the International Broadcast Centre and the Main Press Centre.
The non-accredited media will not have rights to the Games but will be in London to cover news and features on London as a venue and the 2012 Games. The content of their work will be informed by a pre-planned programme of activities and editorials designed specifically to showcase London to their audiences. The non-accredited-by-LOCOG media professionals will also have the opportunity to access not just the London Media Centre (LMC) but also its satellite broadcast positions, which will be in key iconic locations around the city.
Located in the heart of London’s cultural and political life, the One Great George Street conference and wedding venue is surrounded by many fantastic landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and one of London’s most ornamental parks, St James’s Park. This elegant and historical building has been described as a ‘monumental neo-classical design’ and a ‘modern rendering of the late Renaissance’. The exterior, foyer and grand staircase are made of Portland stone and many of the rooms are ornately decorated with French Walnut and oak panelling, elegant carved plaster ceilings and elaborate crystal chandeliers.
