MSc Sport students' projects assessed by the Olympique de Marseille and the Formula 1 Grand Prix P.I.G at the Paul Ricard circuit

02/12/2021
Two real-life cases were on the first semester agenda for the MSc International Sport & Event Management students. The panel of prestigious jury members who evaluated their work was made up of programme Alumni and professionals from the Olympique de Marseille and the F1 Grand Prix.

Sponsorship strategies central to the MSc International Sport & Event Management

The "Commercial & Social Sponsorship and Operational Activations" course is one of the key modules of the MSc International Sport & Event Management programme. Through real-life case studies, students learn how to shape a commercial offer related to sponsorship as it applies to the organisation of sports events.

Sponsorship offers have a significant impact within sport businesses; investment solution, notoriety and image, influence, are just some of the objectives of a sponsorship strategy. In order to fully grasp the issues at stake, students were given a challenge with one objective this semester: to create personalised sponsorship offers using activation and ticketing techniques.

As part of an experiential teaching approach, the projects are real cases that address the problems of existing companies. Students met KEDGE alumni and the Olympique de Marseille teams and went to Le Castellet to discuss with professionals from the Formula 1 Grand Prix who assessed their work on 24 November:

  • Loïc Corbi, Hospitality and Partnership Products Manager at Prix F1 de France
  • Jérémy Minucelli, Commercial Director at Grand Prix F1 de France
  • Bertrand Kalkias, Head of Strategic Alliances at Olympique de Marseille
  • Clément Le Belleguy, Jérémy Stroh et Elsa Guibert, partnerships specialists at Olympique de Marseille

Closer look at the student projects

Several teams worked on the case of Olympique de Marseille, the following two groups stood out to the jury:

  • Gaetan Ternes' group, composed of Malory SALMON, Gaetan TERNES, Theo COTHENET, Benjamin VRIGNAUD, Zachary WIGLE, Leo DE RICARD, Olivier TARIEL, Matteo BEVILACQUA, Lucas JOFFRE, Arthur MAILLARD, took the decision to develop OM's existing partnership with Hotels.com. The students presented new activation ideas based on the promotion of Marseille, international development and data collection.

"As Masters students, getting feedback from professionals in the sector has been rewarding and will help us progress in our future professional projects."

Gaetan Ternes, MSc International Sport & Event Management student
  • Raphael WARNIER and his team - Karamveer BAKSHI, Ashutosh SINGH, Fábio DA GRAÇA, Georges TARUS,  Yash PANJABI, Sofiya MOROZ and Kairat AIDARBEKOV - worked with Puma and delivered innovative and creative activations linked to both the club's 125th anniversary and the 30th anniversary of the Champions League title. They work involved the production of limited edition shirts, social marketing, a cross partnership and innovative branding.

"Through this project, we have identified all the parameters that are essential for effective sponsorship activations... a truly exciting challenge!

Raphael Warnier, MSc Sport & Event Management student

The other two winning groups addressed the sponsorship strategies of the Le Castellet Formula 1 Grand Prix:

  • Guillaume AMATO's group - Pauline BRAUN, Thomas DUTILLY, Héloise Leurent, Corentin MALINCONI, Eleonore NICOLLE, Fabien REMY, Alexandre TAGUIGUE, and Margaux ZULIAN - presented two complementary partners: Izipizi, a French sunglasses brand already established in the sports sector, and the Vinci group, focused on the GP's B2B target. 

"This day at Le Castellet allowed us to present our work in front of professionals from the sector, a real opportunity for our promotion to exchange on these subjects, to visit the Grand Prix facilities and thus to get closer to the professional world. A big thank you to the GP teams and to Lionel Maltese!"

Guillaume Amato, MSc International Sport & Event Management student
  • Mika SANDRIN and her group - Arthur ANDERSON Arthur CHARDON Clément CADIOU Gaspard BOUQUET Matthieu GUERBARTCHOUK Sofiane ABDELALI Céline JAEGER and Emma JULIEN - have been working on a new sponsorship activation for the French Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Circuit Paul Ricard. To meet the challenge of addressing the spectacular fan experience that Formula 1 offers during a Grand Prix, they chose the Orangina brand.

 

" With Lionel Maltese, Jérémy Minucelli and Loïc Corbi as the jury, we were able to get a foot in the door of the sports business industry and deliver a professional presentation that an internationally renowned event like the Formula 1 Grand Prix can use. "

Mika Sandrin, MSc International Sport & Event Management student

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