PUMA X QLD Maroons 2021 – Unleash the Future

Twenty3 Sport + Entertainment was appointed by global sportswear brand PUMA and Queensland Rugby League (QRL) to launch the official 2021 Queensland Maroons State of Origin jersey and playing kit. In a ground-breaking six-year deal, the sponsorship of the Queensland Maroons represents PUMA’s first major partnership in rugby league.

Twenty3 executed an integrated marketing campaign leveraging key partnership assets in retail stores and key social media platforms. The campaign – Unleash the Future – was anchored in a 2-minute plus content piece featuring Maroons’ forward and PUMA ambassador Felise Kaufusi. The video represented a marked departure from previous Maroons’ campaign, and signaled the beginning of an exciting future with PUMA; aiming to motivate the next generation of both players and fans.

A-League’s Western United FC – The Future Is Now

Kicking off its 2021-22 A-League Men season, Twenty3 Sport + Entertainment developed a quirky marketing campaign for Western United FC (WUFC) that celebrates the club’s hard work and strong belief.

The campaign – The Future is Now – is a narrative that places a spotlight on the values of the Melbourne-based club and the bravery of the people that chose to be there from its inception.

The content piece focuses on WUFC’s future ‘Ms President’ who talks passionately about her memories of how the club was formed and the ‘Western Journey’ to greatness. Resembling a Hollywood script, the journey has been a tale for the ages with twists and turns at every corner.

‘Ms President’ is a representation of the staff, volunteers, partners, members, fans and footballers who jumped on board the Green and Black, and accepted the hardships and long road ahead in the quest for glory.

Twenty3 Sport + Entertainment Showreel

Twenty3 Live Showreel

Twenty3 LIVE™ is our live entertainment division. We are a globally recognised entertainment marketing agency, with an extensive track record for delivering successful, dynamic campaigns for some of Australia’s leading producers of live entertainment.

UFC 193

When the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) staged its biggest ever event outside of the US featuring superstar Ronda Rousey in late 2015 at Etihad Stadium, it marked the first time the UFC came to the Melbourne market and the first time an official Championship Fight was held in Australia.

With the brief to “make a big impact” and win over the hearts and minds of a sport-obsessed city, Twenty3 Sport + Entertainment was engaged by the UFC to plan and deliver the most memorable and interactive Fan Village the UFC has ever created. In addition, Twenty3 was briefed to turn Etihad Stadium into the “UFC Stadium” by producing and executing a high-impact UFC branding strategy inside and outside the stadium.

Accordingly, Twenty3 coordinated and delivered an immersive, digitally-driven UFC Fan Village with a focus on entertainment, sponsor and fan engagement, in addition to rolling out unique internal and external venue branding for the UFC.

OUR ROLE

• Design, plan and event produce the UFC Fan Village
• Development of Fan Village layout
• Conceptualisation to delivery of each individual fan touch point, inclusive of interactive experiences, photo opportunities, athlete appearances, and main stage production
• End-to-end operational and logistical management
• Social media strategy development and social sharing technology management
• UFC sponsor activation planning and execution
• Talent management (UFC fighters)
• Overall staff management, inclusive of MC’s, brand ambassadors, fan experience ambassadors, labour support, volunteers, and operational staff
• Master management of all UFC branding initiatives at Etihad Stadium, inclusive of design production to installation
• PR and influencer marketing
• Measurement and reporting

Sports Business Luncheon featuring Super Agent David Falk

Twenty3 Sport + Entertainment hosted a much-anticipated Sports Business Luncheon on Friday 23rd August 2019 featuring American super agent David Falk.

Considered to be the most influential player agent the NBA has seen, Falk was listed among the “100 Most Powerful People in Sport” for twelve straight years and named as one of the top 50 Marketers in the US by Advertising Age. Falk is best-known for representing sport icon Michael Jordan and other Hall of Fame legends such as Patrick Ewing, James Worthy, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, and Allen Iverson.
In a sold-out event at Metropolis in Melbourne’s Southgate precinct, attendees were treated to a unique, one-off opportunity to hear from the man who revolutionised talent management, and in doing so, facilitated a billion-dollar Air Jordan empire.

Falk was interviewed live on-stage for over an hour by leading journalist and broadcaster, Gerard Whatley. Falk did not disappoint the crowd as he shared the secrets to his successful business career, and delivered entertaining anecdotes and insight into what it was like to manage some of the greatest athletes on the planet, including the unrivalled Michael Jordan. Falk spoke about both his greatest moments in the industry, as well as what he’d do differently if he had his time again.

Attendees were also treated to a personal account of how Falk coined the Air Jordan brand, and how he went about negotiating Jordan’s ground-breaking deals with Nike and Gatorade. Falk’s storytelling concluded with predictions for the future of sports marketing, and left our high-profile audience wanting to hear more from the guy who set a new benchmark for maximising an athlete’s salary and commercial rights.

Preceding Falk’s Q&A session was an entertaining Business of Sport panel session moderated by current Syracuse University professor Rick Burton, who formerly was the CMO of the U.S. Olympic Committee and Commissioner of the NBL. Attendees heard the views and thoughts on topical sport business issues from industry-leading figures including Geoff Jones, CEO of TEG – the region’s leading live entertainment and ticketing company; Larry Kestelman, Owner and Chairman of the NBL – Australia’s premier basketball competition; and Jerry Colangelo, Managing Director of USA Basketball, and former owner of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks.

Mars AFL Sponsorship

As Mars’ dedicated sponsorship agency, Twenty3 were tasked with creating a season long digital campaign that not only maximised the value of the partnership assets available, delivered reach, and increased the brands association with the AFL, but established consumer comprehension of Mars’ new brand platform – Enough Chocolate to Deal with Anything!

Knowing match footage is the most craved and engaging content viewed by AFL fans, we created a branded content series using weekly match snippets, as well as iconic historical footage to tell the Enough Chocolate story.

Each piece of curated video content was shared via the AFL’s three main social channels (Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube) as we’ll as their own channels (website, App). Fans could vote for their favourite Mars moment on Instagram, whilst interaction via comments were encouraged on Facebook.

What we found was that fans loved it.

To support this digital fan engagement activity, and to further strengthen the comprehension of the brand platform, we developed a range of topically relevant creative assets to be used the AFL’s channels. In addition, Twenty3 also managed Mars’ physical activations at the AFL Grand Final Live Site along with a social media competition which included a Grand Final Ticket Hunt.

OUR ROLE

• Partnership identification and contract negotiation
• Strategic input into activation and fan engagement plans
• Brand campaign conceptualisation and implementation
• Digital media planning (AFL sites)
• Content curation
• Asset management
• Reporting and measurement

Eminem’s Rapture 2019 Tour Breaks Attendance Record

Twenty3 Live was proud to be part of rap legend Eminem’s record-breaking RAPTURE 2019 tour of Australia and New Zealand, in association with promoter TEG Dainty, in February.

Returning to Australian shores for the first time since 2014, Twenty3 Live led the marketing, media and promotional efforts for the tour. Tasked with generating interest and excitement amongst Australian fans to purchase tickets to 5 massive stadium shows, Twenty3 Live planned and executed a substantial above- and below-the-line national campaign.

The result was a record-breaking aggregate attendance of 304,016 across 5 sold-out stadiums, surpassing the RAPTURE 2014 tour when Eminem played to 201,355 fans across 4 stadium shows.

Eminem’s Rapture 2019 tour broke the attendance records in Melbourne (80,708 at the MCG) and Wellington (46,474 at Wellington Stadium), while performing to full houses in Sydney (ANZ Stadium), Brisbane (QSAC) and Perth (Optus Stadium).

2018 Caulfield Cup Carnival Launch

Twenty3 Sport + Entertainment are engaged by the Melbourne Racing Club to design and produce their official Caulfield Cup Carnival cocktail party each year, with the brief being a simple one…deliver an unforgettable showcase of world-class cuisine, style and entertainment.

In 2018 the event was held upstairs at the Stokehouse with beautiful views of St. Kilda Beach. Upon arrival, guests were escorted upstairs where they passed acrobats pouring Moet while suspended from the ceiling, before enjoying the premium food and beverage offerings and a night of fun entertainment.

As the speeches concluded, spectacular fireworks were launched on the beach foreshore which were perfectly viewed from the venue windows, creating a visual moment captured across multiple guests’ social channels.

OUR ROLE

• Venue procurement and negotiation
• Event styling + design
• Prop design + builds
• Entertainment selection
• Guest lists
• Guest experience management
• Event production
• Media call + PR

BETEASY Tower of Torp

As an official wagering partner of the AFL, BetEasy (formerly CrownBet) wished to activate at the AFL Grand Final Live Site in Yarra Park. BetEasy saw this as an opportunity to strengthen their awareness with AFL fans, but also a chance to drive new acquisitions and brand preference by delivering engaging fan experiences.

Understanding the AFL Grand Final Live Site is a cluttered environment, we needed to come up with a concept that captured immediate attention and become a ‘must-do’ attraction for AFL fans.
The result was…The Tower of Torp’.

We built a 12 metre-high BetEasy tower and encouraged fans to climb to the top and attempt to kick a ball into a 4-metre-high replica AFL Premiership Cup. Fans could win 2 tickets to the AFL Grand Final, but more appealing than this was the experience itself…and the bragging rights won should you be successful.

The Tower of Torp quickly became the most popular activation at the AFL Live Site, and its large-scale structure generated a lot of impact and publicity for BetEasy.

WINX Live Site

For the hotly anticipated 2018 Cox Plate, in which superstar mare Winx was aiming to create history and win a 4th consecutive Cox Plate, we worked with Racing Victoria to build a FREE Live Site on Crown Riverwalk so that the thousands of racing fans and sporting enthusiasts who were unable to get tickets to Moonee Valley could watch history being made in an environment befitting of such an achievement.

OUR ROLE

• Full concept development and design
• Operational and logistical planning and execution
• Risk management
• Food & beverage coordination
• Stakeholder management
• Talent management
• Financial management

WWE Super Show-Down at the MCG draws 70,000+ Fans

Melbourne took centre stage on Saturday October 6 2018 as a record-breaking 70,309 fans packed the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for the WWE Super Show-Down event.

Televised to 180 countries worldwide, wrestling’s biggest names took to the hollowed turf of the MCG including John Cena, Triple H, Ronda Rousey, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Charlotte Flair, The Bella Twins, Kane, Roman Reigns and AJ Styles, just to name a few.

Twenty3 Live, in conjunction with promoter TEG Dainty and Visit Victoria, planned and delivered a comprehensive national marketing and media campaign which went beyond Australian shores in attracting interest and demand for this four-hour WrestleMania-style extravaganza.

The 70,000+ strong crowd at the MCG set an Australian wrestling record, surpassing the previous attendance record of 56,743 at the 2002 WWE Global Warning event at Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, and generating $22 million in economic benefits to the state of Victoria

AFC Asian Cup – The biggest football tournament ever staged in Australia

Following a competitive tender, Twenty3 Sport + Entertainment was appointed by the Asian Football Confederation and the Local Organising Committee as the EVENT PRESENTATION SERVICES partner for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup – the biggest football tournament ever staged in Australia. The 23-day football tournament featured 32 games between the top 16 football nations in Asia across 5 Australian cities – Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane and Newcastle.

Twenty3 produced the opening ceremony incorporating various choreographed artistic, creative and musical elements which centred on a giant air-blown inflatable stage. The action-packed Opening Ceremony was headlined by Australian DJ and singer Havana Brown, chart-topping pop band Sheppard and vocals from Indigenous Australian musician Gurrumul.

Additionally, Twenty3 conceptualised, planned and delivered ALL fan experience activity inside and outside of each stadium on match days.

OUR ROLE
• Team arrivals for all 16 nations including an official Indigenous ceremonial welcome
• Opening ceremony
• Sport presentation (pre-match, halftime and post-match fan experience);
• At stadia fan activations
• Third place play-off match presentation;
• Closing ceremony
• Final trophy presentation

ME Bank Mother’s Day Classic

Having been the principal partner of the Mother’s Day Classic for 9 years, in 2014 Twenty3 Sport + Entertainment were engaged by ME Bank to assist the bank strengthen their association with the charity led, mass participation event, and maximise their reach and level of engagement with participants.

In addition to providing campaign creative and concept development support, Twenty3 are tasked each year with planning and implementing all of ME’s on the ground experiential activity - which is rolled out at 11 events nationwide, running simultaneously on the morning of Mother’s Day.

Since being engaged ME’s unprompted awareness has increased YOY and positive sentiment from participants has improved remarkably.

Since 2017 we have designed and implemented ME Café’s where the coffee has been on ME!

OUR ROLE

• Development of campaign plans that enable ME to maximise their partnership awareness and participant engagement
• Design and style the ME activation space for all 13 events
• End-to-end activation management
• Talent management
• Amplification of consumer experiences
• Implementation of fundraising initiatives

Mars Melbourne Renegades Sponsorship

Mars were looking for a way to improve their brand presence across the summer months as well as a find a vehicle that allowed them to better engage millennials, whom they’d lost resonance with.

After conducting a high degree of research and analysis, we proposed a partnership with the Melbourne Renegades in the flourishing Big Bash competition.

In addition to negotiating the contract, which included getting access to a list of highly visible assets which would enable Mars to increase their saliency over summer, as well as a range of opportunities to engage with Renegades and Big Bash fans, Twenty3 was also tasked with developing 360 degree activation plans for each season.

Fan engagement plans included but weren’t limited to:

In-stadium activations
Fan promotions – on and off line
Concourse experiences
Branded content (video)
Community engagement

Furthermore, in 2018 on behalf of Mars, we negotiated and supported the brand maximise the value of a partnership with the WBBL Melbourne Renegades team.

The Stawell Gift – One of Australia’s most iconic sporting events

The Stawell Gift, first held in 1878, is one of Australia’s most iconic sporting events and represents the pinnacle of professional running in this country. Located at Central Park, Stawell in Western Victoria, it is the premier athletics event on the annual Australian sporting calendar and includes the two richest foot races in the nation – the Stawell Gift and the Women’s Gift – each offering $60,000 prize money.

Held over the Easter period, the 3-day handicapped athletics carnival culminates in the running of the Stawell Gift Final on Easter Monday with a live 3-hour national television broadcast on the Seven Network. There are many off-field activities too that take place over the carnival including Fashions on the Field competition, Family Day, Cadbury Easter Egg Hunt and the Little Athletics Clinic coached by Olympians.

Twenty3 Sport + Entertainment managed all operational aspects of the event for 4 years (2014 – 2017) including:

- Event management;
- Sponsorship management;
- Television production;
- Marketing and media;
- Public relations, digital and social media; and
- Elite athlete procurement.

During Twenty3’s four-year term, highlights included record sponsor income, negotiating and signing a long-term agreement with the Seven Network to provide a live 3-hour national TV broadcast of the event, bringing prize money parity to the Women’s Gift, and the introduction of the Cadbury Easter Egg Hunt at Central Park.

Alongside the Victorian Government, corporate partners who have benefitted from associating with the Stawell Gift include Australia Post, Woolworths, Cadbury, TAC, TAB, ASICS, and Carlton & United Breweries.

CrownBet’s Million Dollar Kick

The inaugural 2015 International Champions Cup football tournament at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) featured European powerhouse clubs Real Madrid, Manchester City and AS Roma.

To leverage CrownBet’s sponsorship of the tournament, Twenty3 Sport + Entertainment formulated an activation plan which would give one lucky CrownBet member the chance to win $1 million. To claim the $1 million, the selected contestant had to kick the soccer ball through a hole at halftime of the Real Madrid versus Manchester City match in front of 100,000 fans at the MCG.

Watch the video to find out if the lucky CrownBet member won the $1 million!

2017 BMW Caulfield Cup Carnival Launch

Twenty3 Sport + Entertainment was engaged by the Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) to design and produce the official launch event of the 2017 BMW Caulfield Cup Carnival, with the brief being a simple one…”deliver an unforgettable experience of world-class cuisine, style and entertainment”.

Challenged to showcase the four pillars of the MRC – Food, Style, Racing and Entertainment – and bring to life the club’s “Break with Convention” campaign through visual elements, the Twenty3 team wowed guests from the moment they entered the venue.

The ultra-chic QT Rooftop Bar was the perfect destination to host the West Hollywood-styled party, which sure didn’t disappoint.

Key features of the evening were:
• World-class food designed by celebrity chef Teague Ezard;
• Replica Caulfield Racecourse winning post;
• 10m LED lightbox installation;
• An interactive experience created by sensor projectors, depicting broken glass (“Break with Convention”) as guests entered the party
• The EP.LP neon light display – ‘Where Love Lives’;
• The reveal of the Caulfield Cup (via a movie set glass box smashed on stage); and
• An amazing fireworks show choreographed to Grant Smillie’s first track of the night.

AFC Asian Cup Opening Ceremony

As the Event Presentation Services partner for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, Twenty3 Sport + Entertainment was engaged by the Asian Football Confederation and the Local Organising Committee to conceptualise and deliver a spectacular Opening Ceremony for the biggest football tournament ever staged in Australia.

Hosted at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium before the tournament’s opening match between the Socceroos and Kuwait, Twenty3 co-ordinated an Olympic-style extravaganza packed into 11-minutes.

Twenty3 produced a ceremony incorporating various choreographed artistic, creative and musical elements centred on a giant air-blown inflatable stage. The Opening Ceremony celebrated Australia’s Indigenous origins, culture, diversity, lifestyle and passion for football.

The action-packed Opening Ceremony was headlined by Australian DJ and singer Havana Brown, chart-topping pop band Sheppard and vocals from Indigenous Australian musician Gurrumul. The spectacular also featured a cast of more than 200 junior footballers, dancers, acrobats, football tricksters and Indigenous performers.

Whirlpool’s Mud Football Tournament

When Whirlpool was launching its new Sports Washer into the Australian market, the company turned to Twenty3 Sport + Entertainment to plan and execute its launch campaign. Following a brainstorm session to challenge the Sports Washer’s cleaning credentials and recognising the role mums play in community sport, the Whirlpool Mud Football tournament was conceptualised, and the tournament was to be staged at the high-traffic Queensbridge Square in Melbourne’s Southbank.

Twenty3 created an inflatable soccer pitch that was filled with more than 4 tonnes of mud, reinforcing Whirlpool’s Sports Washer as hard on dirt but gentle on clothes. To leverage the launch, Twenty3 brought in partners Triple M radio network and A-League club Melbourne City FC. Coaches appointed to the teams were Socceroo legend John Aloisi and Triple M breakfast hosts Mick Molloy and Luke Darcy.

Mums nominated for the tournament by answering a call out on Triple M radio that asked them to describe in 50 words or less why the were the “ultimate sporty mum.” Each team comprised of 4 mums and their kids and played through a round robin series of 14-minute games. GoPro cameras on the players’ helmets captured all the ‘dirty’ video content. The winners of the Mud Football tournament were each rewarded with a new 10kg Whirlpool Sports Washer.