Business Spotlight On: Clipper 2017-18 Race Review

Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Google+ Reddit StumbleUpon

CLIPPER CONNECT BUSINESS SERIES

The Clipper Connect Business series was established to act as a catalyst for conversation and collaboration between race partners, crew, alumni and the different business hubs the Clipper Race engages with throughout the race. The series aims to build a global community that inspires courageous leadership and provides a platform for like-minded people throughout the world to build their own personal and professional networks.

The 2017-18 edition of the race saw Clipper Connect Business Series events take place in eight Host Ports around the globe including; UK, South Africa, Australia, China, the USA and Northern Ireland.

Co-hosted in collaboration with several prestigious organisations and Partners including Liverpool city’s Mayoral 100 club, Wesgro, Invictus Games Sydney 2018, Sanya Serenity Coast, the Qingdao Organising Committee, Seattle Sports Commission, Nasdaq, and the Derry City and Strabane District Council/Londonderry Chamber of Commerce, the events focused on topics such as global connections, economic opportunities, entrepreneurs and sport, travel and tourism, international waterfront development, women as leaders, data futures and building international connections.

During the Clipper Race stopover in New York, the business series had the opportunity to co-host an event with Team Partner Nasdaq at its impressive Marketsite location in Times Square. Centered around ‘A Data Future` theme, the evening explored how data is used in the world of sport, business, financial and social sectors with main discussion points exploring how big data will be utilised to problem solve, revolutionise, and create positive impact across the globe.

Speakers at the event included Mike O'Rourke, Vice President, Global Head of Machine Intelligence & Data services, Nasdaq; Kevin Ashley, Sr. Architect Evangelist, Microsoft; Antony Phillipson, Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for North America and Hamish Young, Chief, Humanitarian, Action and Transitions, Unicef.

Whether taking place in Times Square, at a Town Hall, a Museum, or even on board a boat, all events were attended by leaders in their fields who educated guests and answered questions through speeches and panel Q&A sessions providing insight from various backgrounds and industries on a range of distinct themes.

At all of the Clipper Connect events attendees were given the opportunity to grow their own personal connections through networking sessions, having the opportunity to link with new contacts, spark ideas and conversations and creating opportunities to develop new and exciting collaborations.

Throughout all the different venues and all the different themes, the Clipper Connect Business Series once again demonstrated how the Clipper Race can be used as a diverse platform for business that works for brands and destinations in different ways, such as brand awareness, research and development, press opportunities or by simply building connections and creating collaboration opportunities.

Reflecting on his involvement with the series, Martin Newman, Production Manager - Yacht Sails for Hyde Sails, commented: “Hyde Sails has had success in securing further business in some of our key markets through the Clipper Race – specifically Australia and the US.”

To find out more, visit the Clipper Connect Business Series page

CONSUMER AND CLIENT EVENTS

The Clipper 2017-18 Race offered Official Partners the opportunity to leverage their partnership by hosting customers, prospects, partners and media on sailing experiences, in-port events and yacht tours, providing the perfect backdrop to strengthen existing relationships, showcase products and services and create new opportunities.

Debut Clipper Race Fleet Partner, Dell, maximised the opportunity to drive awareness of its Latitude Rugged portfolio during the 2017-18 edition hosting events for customers, prospects, industry leaders and journalists in Cape Town, Qingdao, New York and Derry-Londonderry. As part of the partnership, Dell supplied the Clipper Race fleet with its Latitude Rugged laptops allowing teams to operate and communicate in some of the most challenging conditions on the planet as they raced around the globe. Hosting talks, yacht tours and sail days allowed Dell to showcase the Latitude Rugged portfolio and how the products are capable of withstanding the harshest conditions, to a variety of different audiences.

In South Africa the Dell Latitude Rugged team hosted an engaging press event to showcase the portfolio and demonstrate its capabilities to partners. During the event, press had the opportunity to learn about the products and hear from Clipper Race Dell ambassadors who shared their experiences of using Dell Latitude Rugged products on board. They also listened to Clipper Race Chairman and Co-Founder, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who spoke about the benefits of having Dell products and how technology has evolved throughout the history of the race.

Whilst in New York, the Clipper Race fleet once again provided the perfect backdrop for a Dell product showcase event. Damon Munzy, Corporate Communications for Dell, and Craig Brandt, Dell Rugged Product Marketing Director, used the Clipper Race to speak about the Rugged range and boldly demonstrated its resilience by freezing one of the laptops in an ice sculpture of a Clipper 70 yacht, successfully demonstrating its ability to work in such an extreme environment condition.

Whilst in Derry-Londonderry,Dell showcased the latest Dell Rugged/OEM, featuring IoT Technology specific to the Marine industry to guests from across the EMEA including representatives from Costa Crociere, Safehaven Marine and the UK Ministry of Defence and Royal Navy. The two-day event included talks from Clipper Race Co-Founder and Chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Trevor Austin from the UK’s Ministry of Defence, and Dan Eden from Dell EMC. The talk was followed by a private yacht tour on-board a Clipper 70, which gave guests an opportunity to explore the yachts ahead of their sailing experience the following day. It also gave guests the chance to see the extreme capabilities of the Dell Rugged range first-hand as the products were demonstrated and put through a series of tests.

Clipper Race Official Suppliers also took the opportunity to host events for customers and prospects during the 2017-18 race. Official Standing Rigging Partner Sta-Lok Terminals recently celebrated ten years of being established in the United States by inviting staff and partner suppliers in both the marine and construction industries to a sailing experience in New York on board a Clipper 70.

Following the morning sail, guests were joined by Clipper Race Director Mark Light and some Clipper 2017-18 Race crew members for a Q&A discussing exactly what it takes to both manage and participate in a 40,000 nautical mile adventure of a lifetime, and how the Sta-lok rigging stands up in some of the world’s harshest environments.

Luke Gusman, Marketing Manager, said: “Our time in New York and partnership with the Clipper Race, allowed us to strengthen existing and build new relationships that will hopefully help to bring further success for Sta-Lok in the US during the next 10 years and beyond.”

Official Supplier’s Marlow Ropes and Coppercoat also both hosted sail days, with Marlow Ropes hosting customers in Sydney and Coppercoat choosing to leverage stopovers in both Sydney and New York by inviting customers to join them on board a Clipper 70 for a sailing experience.

From a CSR perspective, Charity Partner Unicef leveraged its partnership with the Clipper Race by inviting business guests, key stakeholders and partners in Australia to showcase its involvement with the race and reinforce key commercial relationships. Hosting a sailing experience on Sydney Harbour, Unicef Australia invited guests from Ikea, Qantas, Australian Rugby Union, DLA Piper and 3P Learning, as well as senior representatives from the Unicef New York office to enjoy a day out on the water on the Unicef branded Clipper 70.

Whilst in Cape Town, South African wine brand, Stormhoek, took full advantage of the Clipper Race fleet’s stay in Cape Town by taking out three Clipper70s to entertain customers, suppliers and employees whilst raising the profile of its partnership with the Clipper Race. Split into groups, the morning session saw Stormhoek entertain wine makers, shipping agents, industry governing bodies and local customers to recognise those that have been invaluable to the business and enhance business relationships for future success.

Stormhoek’s guests donned their bright orange Stormhoek buffs and jumped aboard the yachts for an exhilarating morning sail in Table Bay. In between morning and afternoon sails, Stormhoek hosted a large lunch at Mitchell’s for all guests and crew to debrief and enjoy. Afterwards, an afternoon sailing session with employees of Stormhoek and Origin Wines engaged employees in the Stormhoek brand and its values.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

With Corporate Social Responsibility becoming increasingly important for many businesses, the Clipper Race provided the perfect unique platform for Race Partners to activate around this important business goal.

Charity Partner Unicef led the way with a number of varying activations kicking off in South Africa when Clipper Race Crew and CEO William Ward visited the Isibindi Safe Park in Grabouw. Initiated in response to the HIV epidemic which has left many children orphaned or vulnerable, Isibindi is a community-based programme that strengthens families and helps to protect children from abuse, neglect and violence. The model is a community-based response to the HIV/AIDS crisis as well as the children who have been made vulnerable for other reasons. As part of the itinerary crew visited the homes of families that are also supported by the Isibindi programme.

Following the visit from crew to the Isibindi Safe Park, children were excited to then step on board the Unicef yacht and try their hand at many sailing activities including testing their strength on the coffee grinders which help to hoist the sails. This provided huge inspiration to the children, all of which had never ventured down into Cape Town, let alone onto a 70ft ocean racing yacht.

As the fleet passed through Australia Unicef utilised its unique partnership with the race to showcase more of the important work it does internationally, this time raising its profile in how they are working towards the combat of climate change in Fiji. Although 1,700 nautical miles apart, the Unicef crew linked up with Unicef Fiji via Skype where a number of Fijian children spoke about the impact climate change has had on their lives and the important initiatives Unicef is doing in their communities to combat it. Unicef’s objective of the activation was to profile and raise awareness of the long-term work that Unicef does in communities related to the welfare of children. At times this work gets overshadowed by the aftermath and relief work that Unicef is heavily involved with immediately following on from a disaster. The interactive Skype call story was widely covered by regional tv and online media, including outlets such as the Fiji Times, Fiji Sun Online, and at a broader scale ABC, providing great exposure for Unicef’s local programmes.

In the final stopover of the race Derry City and Strabane District Council launched themselves as the first Unicef ‘Child Friendly Community’ in Northern Ireland. With expert training and guidance from Unicef UK, the ambitious three-year partnership will see local politicians, staff and volunteers from Derry-Londonderry turning to children’s rights to guide decisions that affect children and young people. The partnership was announced on board the Unicef Clipper 70 docked in Derry-Londonderry; providing a unique platform to showcase the Unicef UK brand. The Derry City and Strabane District Council joins four other councils in the UK taking part in the ‘Child Friendly Cities& Communities’programme, which transforms cities and communities into places where children’s rights are respected and their voices heard. Launched in 1996, Child Friendly Cities is a global Unicef programme that reaches close to 30 million children in 38 countries.

Turning to the environment, the Port of Seattle used its status as Team Supporter of the Visit Seattle yacht to implement pioneering scientific environmental research around the US coast-line. The port teamed up with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – an agency within the US Department of Commerce – as well as the University of Washington, Sunburst Sensors, Visit Seattle and the Clipper Race to raise public awareness of its Ocean Acidification Program, which studies changes in ocean chemistry in response to increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, associated with climate change.

In order to conduct the research, Visit Seattle was fitted with a special sensor for monitoring the effects of ocean acidification as the yacht makes its journey around the USA coastline from Seattle to New York via the Panama Canal. This Sunburst Sensor, the recent winner of a $2 million XPRIZE ocean health award, monitored ocean acidification during the 6,000nm US Coast-to-Coast leg of the race. Readings were taken every 30mins through the Sunburst Sensor, which has enabled researchers to access unique data around the ocean acidity levels in the water surrounding the USA coastline and holds great hope for the future of addressing environmental change in the USA and further afield.

Our Chinese Host Port and Team Partners Sanya Serenity Coast and Qingdao launched Ambassador Programmes for the 2017-18 race to help meet their partnership and CSR objectives. First time partner Sanya Serenity Coast designed its ambassador programme to help promote the city as a tourist destination and support the long-term development strategy of combining sports and tourism, as well as showcasing Sanya as a sailing destination in China. The sixteen Sanya Ambassadors selected were aged between 23 to 55 and from a broad range of backgrounds including yacht managers, dive and travel tour guides, television presenters, CEOs, marketeers, language interpreters, ocean race organisers and sailing school staff.

Returning for a seventh time as a Host Port and Team Partner, Qingdao’s Ambassador Programme continued from strength to strength, with fourteen ambassadors chosen to represent China’s ‘Sailing City’. In addition to their Ambassador Programme, working closely with the Qingdao Organising Committee, the Clipper Race developed an all-encompassing community engagement programme to help showcase the development of sailing in Qingdao. This included a series of school and university visits to engage local children and young adults in the sport. Students were given private tours of the Clipper70 racing yachts by intrepid crew members to find out what life is like on board.

As an aside to the Clipper Race, Clipper Ventures was proud to partner with the Invictus Games Sydney 2018 ahead of the RSHYR. Two Clipper 68s, crewed by wounded, injured and ill army veterans going through the recovery process, took each other on along with the rest of the 102-strong fleet. The Invictus Games Sydney 2018’s key objectives for partnering with Clipper Ventures were to leverage the Clipper 68s to promote the games in Sydney in 2018. It also gave 16UK and Australian veterans and defence personnel a unique sailing opportunity, and acted as a catalyst to build the Australian veterans’ sailing program into an entity that parallels that of the UK. Billed as the “Ashes on the Water”, the British crewed Invictus Games Sydney 2018 yacht ‘GAME ON’ was joined by Clipper Race Founder and Chairman, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, and beat the Australian crewed Invictus Games Sydney 2018 ‘DOWN UNDER’ into Hobart by just under 11 hours. The fascinating race between the two crews generated extensive coverage across key media outlets including Fox Sports Australia, Sky News Australia, Australian Business Corporation and national newspaper, The Australian.

The above are just a few examples of how partners have leveraged their CSR objectives throughout the Clipper 2017-18 Race edition. First time Team Partner Dare To Lead was also unique amongst the Clipper Race fleet, promoting an inspirational concept instead of a brand or destination. Sailing under the flag of teamwork, determination and leadership, Dare To Lead aimed to inspire its diverse crew of racers. It seeks to help them apply the life skills learnt during this ocean adventure to become catalysts for positive change in their personal lives, professional careers and social communities and enabled youths from South Africa the chance to represent the foundation and sail in a leg of the Clipper 2017-18 Race edition.

DESTINATION PROMOTION

The 2018-18 edition of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race provided cities across the globe the perfect platform to promote their destination to the rest of the world. Whether through public engagement or media promotion, each destination had the opportunity to showcase the best it has to offer to the race’s ever-growing global audience.

Dubbed the ‘St Tropez of South America’, Punta del Este in Uruguay made its debut as a Host Port in the Clipper 2017-18 Race and was hailed a huge success by crew and locals alike. As the first stopover of the eleven-month circumnavigation, and the end of the longest individual race in Clipper Race history, crew members were treated to a full and exciting itinerary during their time in Uruguay, including traditional Asados (BBQs), fishing trips, and a Punta del Este city tour. Visitor engagement was also high throughout the Stopover, with an average 10,200 people visiting the fleet at the Yacht Club Punta del Este on a weekend day, whilst some 3,151 people took part in the four open boat days. The success of Stopover was recognised at the highest level, with Uruguay’s Tourism Minister, Lilliam Kechichian, commenting: “The Clipper Race has been the biggest sailing event to ever visit Uruguay. Not only have the international crew members been a huge economic boost to the city in this traditionally quieter pre-summer season, but the event has also given Uruguay an incredible opportunity to demonstrate our fantastic hospitality and positioned us firmly on the map alongside top global destinations on the route such as Cape Town, Sydney, New York, and Liverpool.”

After departing Punta del Este, the Clipper Race fleet raced across the South Atlantic to Cape Town, South Africa, before tackling the testing conditions of the Southern Ocean towards Australia. The first of four Australian Stopovers was on the west coast in Fremantle, followed by a Christmas break in Sydney, where the fleet took part in the famous Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, a real highlight for the majority of crew.

Whilst in Sydney,a Visit Seattle delegationhosted a series of high-end events for leading members of the Australian Tourism Industry members with the aim of promoting Seattle as a key tourism and trade destination for Australians. In conjunction with the delegation’s visit, Visit Seattle hosted two sailing experiences on board the yacht Visit Seattle to showcase the partnership with the Clipper Race and build relationships between the American city and Australian media and travel trade customers and consumers.

To support its objective, Visit Seattle also launched a radio campaign with Sydney’s premier talk radio station 2GB, airing a series of destination interviews with Visit Seattle President and CEO, Tom Norwalk. The campaign featured a competition to win a half day sailing experience on board the Visit Seattle yacht, which was also aired through destination spots on 2GB's show "Talking Lifestyle”.

The Visit Seattle sailing experiences targeted tourism industry contacts through a competition which was put out through Flight Centre’s NSW Network, and consumer and trade media journalists, including publications from Boss Hunting, Fairfax Media, The Carousel and CIM news. The feedback from all three demographics has been very positive providing Visit Seattle with the perfect platform to build on in promoting and raising awareness of Seattle as the ‘new’ hot destination for tourism and trade for Australasians.

The final stopover in Australia was in the beautiful Whitsundays where the crew were able to mark the halfway mark of the circumnavigation with a long and enjoyable stopover in the heart of the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef.

Queensland Tourism and Events and the Whitsundays Regional Council used the Clipper Race Stopover to promote the Whitsundays as the premier sailing hub on the east coast of Australia and hosted a Media Familiarisation trip that included representatives from outlets/properties such as Ocean Media, Afloat, and Newscorp.

The two bodies also hosted the inaugural Whitsundays Clipper Race Carnival; a fortnight of entertainment and world-class events which showcased some of the best attractions the Whitsundays has to offer. Speaking before the Carnival, Tourism Whitsundays CEO Craig Turner said: “The Whitsundays Clipper Race Carnival will be one of the biggest fortnights of entertainment the region has ever seen”. That prediction proved to be true, with events such as the long table lunch on the pristine silica sands of Whitehaven Beach and an Australia Day rodeo in Bowen proving to be a hit with crew, locals, and visitors alike.

Following the Whitsundays, the fleet raced on to the Chinese island of Hainan for the inaugural Stopover in Sanya. The ‘Hawaii of the Orient’ made its debut as both a Host Port and Team Partner in the Clipper 2017-18 Race and the tropical resort city was a much-anticipated stop for crew. The idyllic destination put its major sailing event hosting capabilities, including the Platinum Level 5 Gold Anchor Accredited Sanya Serenity Marina on display when the entire Clipper Race fleet took to the water for the inaugural Sanya Serenity Coast In-Port Regatta, the first in-port regatta in Clipper Race history. Streamed live via nineteen online channels and on television in Sanya, people from all over the world were able to watch the In-Port race, with 567,646 people watching live in the Sanya region alone.

The seventh consecutive Clipper Race Stopover in China’s Sailing City of Qingdao will go down as one to remember with the Clipper Race fleet becoming the first to test out the impressive newly constructed Wanda Marina and Yacht Club on Starry Island in the West Coast New Area. Like the former stopover site of the Olympic Sailing Centre, this location is set to become a key sailing venue which will further develop sailing in Qingdao.

The stunning Welcome Ceremonies set the tone of the entire Stopover, with the teams welcomed by an army of dancers and drummers. The Qingdao Organising Committee gave both Clipper Race Crew and Race Crew Supporters the chance to learn more about the West Coast New Area, arranging a visit to the ShiMen Temple, as well as an opportunity to take part in a host of local cultural experiences such as a local neighbourhood and school visits to learn more about the local culture, art, and dance of Qingdao.

In order to increase awareness of this new stopover location, which is set to become a hugely significant Chinese sailing hub, the Qingdao Organising Committee pulled out all the stops, creating a strategic branding campaign which lined the route from Qingdao Airport to Wanda Marina. Working closely with the Qingdao Organising Committee, the Clipper Race developed an all-encompassing community engagement programme to help showcase the development of sailing in Qingdao and to support Qingdao’s status as China’s Sailing City. The programme included a series of school and university visits to engage local children and young adults in the sport.

The fleet left Qingdao on March 23 and made its way 5,600 nautical miles across the world’s most remote ocean, the North Pacific, towards Seattle. During its second consecutive time as a Host Port and Team Partner, Seattle put on an incredible Stopover, organising a number of tourism activities and business networking events to showcase how versatile the city is in both its trade and tourism offerings.

After a much-loved stopover, the Clipper Race Crew bid Seattle a fond farewell and embarked on the US Coast-to-Coast Leg 7 which took the fleet through the Panama Canal and onto New York. From New York, the eleven teams completed their sixth and final ocean crossing – the North Atlantic – on the way to arriving to a heroes’ welcome in Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

The fourth consecutive Clipper Race Stopover in Derry-Londonderry was another huge success with record numbers experienced across the duration of the ten-day Foyle Maritime Festival. The Festival got off to a record-breaking start with 32,000 people turning out for the opening day, whilst an estimated total of 220,000 people enjoyed the packed programme of activities along the picturesque bank of the River Foyle.

The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor John Boyle, led the city in waving off the fleet and said the stopover had been a major success both for Derry-Londonderry and the wider North West region. He said: “It was a sad moment as we waved farewell to the Clipper Race fleet after an eventful week of celebration. We have welcomed visitors from all over the world over the past week and it has been fantastic to see Derry-Londonderry and the wider North West region profiled in such a positive way on a global platform. Once again we’ve demonstrated our ability to stage an international event generating substantial revenue for the local economy and enhancing the region’s profile as an exciting and unique visitor destination.”

EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT

As a unique platform, the Clipper 2017-18 Race has enabled partners to successfully showcase their brand to an external audience in a host of different ways.

With a strong presence in the USA, first time Team Partner HotelPlanner.com utilised its partnership with the Clipper Race to drive hotel and media awareness in Seattle. Through securing three live media spots on local channel Seattle FOX Q13, HotelPlanner.com generated local media exposure securing approximately 150k views through the morning broadcast. In addition, the Seattle Times' Christine Willemson wrote a story on the Clipper Race in Seattle which rated as one of the top stories of the day with an estimated viewership of 40-70k.

In a different context, PSP Logistics decided to explore new business development opportunities in Punta del Este, Uruguay, and in Sanya, China, two new stopovers for the 2017-18 race edition. In preparation for his trip to Punta del Este, Darron Strange, Finance Director, spent time researching and exploring key target businesses, and ended up meeting a number of South American agents and buyers based in Buenos Aires and Montevideo.

During the stopover Darron also hosted a static networking event on board the PSP Logistics team yacht in Punta del Este. The objectives of this event were to enable a number of local agents and buyers to network in a unique environment, developing South American relationships and business opportunities.

As a direct result of the networking event and business development trip, PSP Logistics’ relationships with Schandy has developed greatly and as a result, PSP Logistics is looking at future business opportunities together. In addition to activating in Uruguay, PSP Logistics took advantage of the debut stopover in Sanya, China, to concentrate on its business grown strategy within the Asian market through hosting a client sail day during the stopover in the tropical resort to entertain guests from Simpson Marine, Asia’s leading yacht dealership. The Official Logistics Supplier for the Clipper Race continues with plans to develop with its partners in the region and has recently confirmed that it will be exhibiting at Seawork Asia, the largest commercial marine and workboat exhibition in the Asia region, in Shanghai at the end of the year.

Third time Team Partner the GREAT Campaign engaged with numerous external audiences throughout the course of the race through a variety of different activations. In Cape Town, the GREAT Campaign held a panel session led by Emma Wade-Smith OBE speaking about the Clipper Race, ongoing pollution to the world’s ocean and the leadership qualities needed in Clipper Race crew members. With the support of the Embassy and the GREAT campaign team in London, the morning session welcomed guests who had been specifically selected for their potential to do business with the UK and the afternoon session welcomed key stakeholders and clients of the British Chamber of Commerce.

In Australia, the UK Secretary of State for International Trade, Dr Liam Fox, shone a light on the strong and growing links between the UK and Australia. A highlight of his visit was a ‘GREAT for Partnership’ event with the Australian British Chamber of Commerce, where one of Clipper Ventures’ training yachts was specially branded and used as part of the government’s ‘Best of British’ theme alongside Sydney’s stunning Opera House and Harbour Bridge. The Best of British theme supported Liam Fox’s Dr Fox keynote speech to a 240 strong business audience, highlighting the strength of the relationship between the two countries and their future opportunities.

Whilst in the USA, Clipper Race Team Partners GREAT Britain and Liverpool 2018 put their sporting rivalry aside and joined forces at an event hosted by British Ambassador to the USA, Sir Kim Darroch, and International Business Festival Director Ian McCarthy. The event brought together senior executives from State of Washington based companies to celebrate and showcase what the UK has to offer in trade and business. The reception was part of a special programme of events ahead of the International Business Festival, which is one of Liverpool 2018’s programme of events and is also supported by the GREAT Britain campaign.

As the fleet raced south into Panama, the British Embassy hosted an event to celebrate The Queen’s Birthday and its Sport is GREAT Britain week using the Clipper Race team entry GREAT Britain as a focal point. Following a football match between Northern Ireland and Panama in the lead up to Panama’s first World Cup, the reception was hosted by the British Ambassador to Panama, Damion Potter. In addition to a showcase of GREAT British sport, celebrating the Queen’s birthday the Ambassador noted other significant business ties between Panama and the UK.

In Qingdao we welcomed The Vice Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Gary Millar, as part of his relationship strengthening visit to China. In addition to greeting the Liverpool 2018 team, Councillor Millar also took the opportunity to meet with the team from the China-Britain Innovation Park, which is located within the Qingdao Economic & Technical Development Zone of the West Coast New Area which is home the Liverpool Showcase Exhibition. The Liverpool showcase was an opportunity for the business community of Qingdao to learn about Liverpool’s businesses and exports in order to drive the message of collaborative working between these two great maritime cities.

Team Partner Nasdaq took advantage of the Clipper Race stopover in New York by showcasing footage from the race on its world-famous billboard in Time’s Square. In addition, Official Wine Supplier Stormhoek had a strong experiential presence within the Race Start and Race Finish villages in Liverpool to engage passers-by. At Race Finish Stormhoek created the world’s largest ‘Bag in a Box’ enabling consumers to sample and purchase its wine, the objective being to raise awareness of its brand and to also generate an online social media following. Team Partner and Official Supplier Garmin also had a presence within the Race Village enabling consumers to purchase its range of products.

Official Timekeeper Elliot Brown activated in a unique way by implementing a yearlong endurance test alongside the race. The concept was to mount a watch to the bow of one of the Clipper 70s to see how it would cope travelling 40,000Nm, crossing six oceans, being exposed to millions of pressure and thermal shocks, eleven months of constant salt water attack and everything else mother nature (and ocean debris) could throw at it. The objective was to welcome Clipper Race crew and the Elliot Brown watch home after circumnavigating the globe to see if the watch could survive the extreme harsh conditions that it would face, being placed on the bow of a Clipper 70. After successfully retrieving the watches, Elliot Brown plans to translate the story into retail points of sale via graphics, story boards and video content, showcasing its product’s durability to withstand exceptionally extreme conditions for extended periods of time.

Alongside a number of Race Partners, Ocean Safety leveraged its partnership with the race through its race crew brand ambassador programme. By receiving blogs and imagery from its brand ambassador at different points throughout the race, Ocean Safety built up internal and external engagement in the race and what daily life was like on board a Clipper 70. This was hugely popular internally with Ocean Safety employees. In addition, ahead of the start of the race MaxSea worked closely with Race Skippers to create videos showcasing their product which were used online to engage a wide audience. Another example of how to utilise its partnership rights was ClipperTelemed+ by PRAXES, which, alongside other Race Partners, utilised its partnership with the race by naming the race from Fremantle into Sydney which was aptly named the ClipperTelemed+ Tasman Test.

VIDEO: PARTNERSHIPS 2017-18 RACE REVIEW AND TV DOCUMENTARY SERIES

The Clipper 2017-18 Race saw the creation of the third series of The Race of Their Lives, the award-winning official documentary series about the Clipper Race.

The Race of Their Lives is produced by 1080 Media and in 2016 the series won ‘Best Sports Documentary – UK’ at the TMT Media Awards. Following this success, this edition was aired across global channels including Sky Sports, Fox Australia, Fox Asia, Fox Europe, Fox Africa, OSN, beIn sport (Asia and Australia), Astro Malaysia, Arena Sport (Baltics), Eleven Network (Poland, Taiwan, USA, Singapore, Belgium and Italy), Nautical channel (available worldwide), Supersport (Pan Southern Africa), Kwese (Pan Africa), IYQI (China), Watersports World (available worldwide) and Virgin Bulgaria.

The Race of Their Lives 3 showcases the inside story and challenges faced by everyday people who undertook the 2017-18 edition of the world’s greatest ocean adventure and also provides valuable brand exposure for Clipper Race partners on worldwide television. Previous editions of the series are available to purchase via bookharbour.com, the online shop for our Official Nautical Chart Services Partner, ChartCo.

The conclusion of the eleventh edition of the race has also seen the creation of the Clipper Race Partnerships: 2017-18 Race Review video. The video highlights just some of the 237 business activations that 33 race partners have co-hosted, or had the opportunity to attend, during the previous 11 months and 13 international stopovers.

The video showcases the variety of different exciting and creative events that partners utilise to increase brand awareness and reinforce and build new relationships. It also features interviews from the British Ambassador to the USA, Sir Kim Darroch, Marketing Director at Dell, Craig Brandt and Mayor of Punta del Este, Enrique Antia, who talk about how the Clipper Race provides the perfect platform for today’s modern world of international business.

Ian Elliot, founder of the Clipper Race Official Timekeeping Partner, says: “The exposure for our brand is just phenomenal. To be associated with the race we experienced about a 40% business growth. It’s one of the most powerful things I’ve ever done.”

CLIPPER 2017-18 RACE RESULTS

History was made in Liverpool on Saturday 28 July when Australian Sailor Wendy Tuck became the first woman to ever win a round the world yacht race after leading her Sanya Serenity Coast team to clinch overall victory in the Clipper 2017-18 Race.

Thousands of people from around the globe flocked to the banks of the River Mersey to watch the spectacular Race Finish Sprint and after an intense 18 nautical mile duel, it was Garmin, PSP Logistics and home team Liverpool 2018 that picked up the final bonus race points in front of Royal Albert Dock Liverpool.

Despite the sprint positions, it was Sanya Serenity Coast that managed to hold the overall lead and in an additional win for women’s sport, second place overall went to British Sailor Nikki Henderson, 25, the Skipper of Visit Seattle.

Sanya Serenity Coast Skipper Wendy, 53, from Sydney, said: “I can’t believe it. It hasn’t really sunk in really but I am just so happy. It is so, so special.

“I don’t think it’s about being a woman. It’s just do what I do. But I am very proud and even prouder of my team. They are the ones that did all the work and considering many had never sailed before, what they have accomplished is incredible.”

Visit Seattle Skipper Nikki Henderson said: “We didn’t get the win but I am so proud of how my team dug deep and kept fighting right until the end. No matter how hard it got, they turned up on deck ready to work and deserve every bit of this success in coming second.”

One of the biggest cheers of the day, however, went to home team Liverpool 2018. The bright pink team entry, which has been flying the flag for the city as it raced around the globe, returned to its home port to a hero’s welcome after double podium success in Race 13, where it finished second, and the Sprint Finish, where it took third place.

On arrival, Liverpool 2018 Skipper Lance Shepherd said: “It has just been an incredible journey, I am so honoured to have been Skipper of the Liverpool 2018 team and I am so proud of the team for everything they have achieved.”

The arrival of the Clipper Race Fleet into Liverpool was followed by a public prize giving hosted by Neil Sackley and Leanne Campbell in front of a jubilant crowd on the steps of the Museum of Liverpool where each team’s achievements were celebrated for one final time.

Celebrations continued throughout the weekend, with a programme of entertainment, workshops, free yacht tours and talks which took place throughout the following week.

FINAL OVERALL CLIPPER 2017-18 RACE POSITIONS