How Galway won the Volvo Ocean Race

HOW GALWAY WON THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE

Maria Moynihan LeeFestival Director, Volvo Ocean Race Galway Stopover

23 May – 6 June 2009

HOW GALWAY ‘WON’ THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE



Economic Impact

• 55.8m economic impact on Galway and Ireland

• 36.5m of spending by race spectators from outside the local region

• 650,000 spectators at Race Village and Salthill

• Over 200,000 bednights• 99% of international visitors would recommend Galway as a holiday destination


Media Report

• 269 media attended Galway• TV audience globally of 1.327 billion

• Radio listenership globally of 1.1 billion

• Green Dragon US$43m media coverage (TV, Print & online)

• Discover Ireland: 11,200 media items• Galway: 13,427 media items• Galway print cumulative readership of 234 million



• 750 volunteers contributing

30,000 man hours, • 100 free events, • 15 day free festival, • 17,000 photographs shared• 9 Red Arrows• 5km of bunting flags,• 1000 performers, • 500m of pontoons,• 500 spectator boats, • 4km of fencing, • 3km of cabling

A LOT OF COURAGE

What did it take?


Marketing .....•Year to go launch

• Building community

• Communications integrated with Green

Dragon

• Media partnerships

• Ad campaign with Failte Ireland

• Challenge to broaden appeal beyond sailing

community

• Outdoor Advertising

• Competitions

• Festival Programme distribution


Volunteers......• 750

• NUI Galway partnership

• Training


• Legacy

• 7 Month Programme

• 16,000 participants

• 10,000 visits to the Race Village

• Introduction to sailing





Maria Moynihan LeeFestival Director, Volvo Ocean Race Galway Stopover

23 May – 6 June 2009

HOW GALWAY ‘WON’ THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE

Business

How Galway won the Volvo Ocean Race