1

Contents

2 Introduction

4 Results

10 Sponsorship

12 Sponsor award and activities

15 Advertising campaign

19 Public relations campaign

21 Website

23 Media relations

26 Accredited media

30 TV distribution

32 Official functions

34 On site at the tournament

Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens 2012

Story of Success

Introduction

The 2012 Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens will live long in the memory of the thousands of spectators and sponsors that converged on 7he Sevens for a fun-filled and historic weekend of rugby.

Once again, Dubai’s favourite sporting event combined thrilling rugby sevens action with spectacular entertainment on and off the field to deliver a world-class event which will be remembered for records being set and tournament firsts.

This time the weather played its part at 7he Sevens, and contributed to a somewhat wet and rainy HSBC Sevens World Series table. Off the field, the hordes of fans that turned up, many in fancy dress, refused to have their spirits dampened by the afternoon downpour.

A superb Samoa side triumphed against the odds to lift their first ever Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens Cup in Dubai, beating tournament favourites New Zealand 26-15 in the final. Defending Champions England had to settle for the Shield and the much-fancied South Africans were beaten finalists in the Bowl.

Running alongside the men’s event, the first ever round of the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series took place at the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens. The Cup was won convincingly by New Zealand, who beat South Africa 41-0 in the final.

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This year also saw the largest number of ‘invitation teams’ take part in the tournament (176). With them came some of the best known sports stars in the world, including stellar names as Percy Montgomery, Jason Robinson, Henry Paul and Olympic Gold Medalist and Tour de France winner, Bradley Wiggins.

An extra pitch was added this year to accommodate all the action, taking the number to six; and while the men, women and under 18's battled it out on the field, families and party-goers packed the Rugby Village to enjoy the fun and activities afforded by the record number of sponsors’ stands.

Tournament mascots Saba’a the camel and Scrummie were a huge hit with the families in the alcohol-free Air BP Family Stand. The DHL, Air BP, Airbus and Emirates stands were kept dancing and entertained by the latest music; the fantastic cheerleaders ‘Aggreko Dynamos’; pitch-side interviews; and by the many fan competitions and music including #SevensFan and the Emirates Fan Cam.

Capping the tournament off perfectly was the news that it had once again broken all previous records for the live broadcast of any Sevens tournament - 250 hours of live rugby was broadcast and the tournament finals reached an estimated 230 million people in 140 countries across the globe.

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Pool A W D L F A + PTS

Fiji 3 0 0 50 24 26 9

Kenya 2 0 1 32 26 6 7

Spain 1 0 2 19 31 -12 5

Scotland 0 0 3 26 46 -20 3

Fiji 14 0 Spain

Kenya 12 5 Scotland

Fiji 22 14 Scotland

Kenya 10 7 Spain

Spain 12 7 Scotland

Fiji 14 10 Kenya

New Zealand 14 7 Wales

Argentina 17 10 Russia

New Zealand 31 14 Russia

Argentina 7 14 Wales

Wales 22 5 Russia

New Zealand 17 7 Argentina

Pool B W D L F A + PTS

New Zealand 3 0 0 62 28 34 9

Wales 2 0 1 43 26 17 7

Argentina 1 0 2 31 41 -10 5

Russia 0 0 3 29 70 -41 3

Pool C W D L F A + PTS

Samoa 2 0 1 51 43 8 7

Portugal 2 0 1 53 55 -2 7

South Africa 1 0 2 34 32 2 5

England 1 0 2 50 58 -8 5

South Africa 0 20 England

Samoa 19 12 Portugal

South Africa 17 14 Portugal

Samoa 28 28 England

England 26 7 Portugal

South Africa 7 0 Samoa

France 0 20 Canada

Australia 19 12 USA

France 17 14 USA

Australia 28 28 Canada

Canada 26 7 USA

France 7 0 Australia

Pool D W D L F A + PTS

Canada 2 1 0 74 35 39 8

France 2 0 1 24 34 -10 7

Australia 1 1 1 47 47 0 6

United States 0 0 3 33 62 -29 3

Pool tables and scores

Results (Men)

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Bowl Winner

Shield Winner

Shield Final

Shield Semi Final Shield Semi Final

Bowl

Bowl Quarter Finals

Final

Bowl Semi Final Bowl Semi Final

Argentina

England

ArgentinaSouth Africa 10 - 14

EnglandSpain 5 - 26

South AfricaUSA 14 - 22 ArgentinaScotland 5 - 12

RussiaSpain 26 - 24

USASpain 12 - 14 RussiaSouth Africa 25 - 12

EnglandAustralia 12 - 40

ScotlandAustralia 14 - 29 EnglandArgentina 24 - 12

Cup Winner

Plate Winner

Plate Final

Plate Semi Final Plate Semi Final

Cup

Cup Quarter Finals

Final

Cup Semi Final Cup Semi Final

New Zealand

Samoa

Wales

Samoa 26 - 15

CanadaWales 21 - 14

SamoaFrance 5 - 12 New ZealandKenya 7 - 27

FranceFiji 5 - 8 WalesSamoa 19 - 7 KenyaCanada 7 - 19 PortugalNew Zealand 28 - 7

WalesFiji 5 - 27 PortugalCanada 28 - 12

Cup, Plate, Bowl and Shield Competitions

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Bowl Winner

Bowl Final

Bowl Semi Final Bowl Semi Final

USA

USAFrance 12 - 26

BrazilFrance 22 - 0 ChinaUSA 36 - 7

Cup Winner

Plate Winner

Plate Final

Plate Semi Final Plate Semi Final

Cup

Cup Quarter Finals

Final

Cup Semi Final Cup Semi Final

New Zealand

New Zealand

Russia

South Africa 0 - 41

CanadaRussia 14 - 10

SpainSouth Africa 19 - 17 AustraliaNew Zealand 28 - 14

RussiaSpain 7 - 5 NetherlandSouth Africa 12 - 7 EnglandNew Zealand 31 - 0 CanadaAustralia 14 - 10

NetherlandRussia 21 - 5 CanadaEngland 0 - 24

Pool A

England

Spain

South Africa

Brazil

Pool B

Canada

New Zealand

Russia

China

Pool C

Australia

USA

Netherlands

France

IRB Women’s Sevens World SeriesPool tables and scores

Results (Women)

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7

8

Invitation Tournaments

International Invitation Men’s Trophy: Samurai International 36 - 15 Samurai hfw Wailers 7s

International Invitation Men’s Plate Reservoir Group Pyrenees 33 - 5 UAE Selection

International Invitation Men’s Trophy Samurai International 36 - 15 Samurai hfw Wailers 7s

International Invitation Women’s Trophy Maple Leafs 27 - 5 Kenya Lionesses

International Open Men’s Plate MB Building Maintenance & Investment 0 - 24 Racing

International Open Men’s Trophy Wyvern Harlequins 10 - 12 Moosa-Daly Wild Geese

International Open Women’s Trophy Almaty 31 - 14 OES Predators

International Social Bowl PwC Rugby 54 - 12 Islamabad Jinns

International Social Plate Wyvern Harlequins 7 - 14 Ibiza Tour Boys

International Social Trophy Dinamo-Energy 19 - 31 Hunters 7

International Veterans Plate Racing Vets 24 - 5 Brussels Barbarians

International Veterans Trophy CNCF Legends 10 - 14 Xodus Steelers

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Invitation Tournaments

Gulf Under 18's Trophy: Dubai College A 50 - 0 Abu Dhabi Harlequins

International Under 18's Trophy Llandovery College 45 - 14 Rsdyusshor Dinamo

Gulf Men's League Plate Abu Dhabi Saracens 10 - 22 Jebel Ali Dragons 2

Gulf Men's League Trophy Jebel Ali Dragons 1 14 - 5 Abu Dhabi Harlequins 1

Gulf Men's Social Plate Dubai Celts 12 - 7 Beaver Nomads

Gulf Men's Social Trophy Barasti 17 - 5 Emirates Airline Flying Muppets

Gulf Veterans Plate Dubai Exiles 0 - 5 Serco Seniles

Gulf Veterans Trophy Al Ain Amblers 12 - 10 Jebel Ali Dragons

Gulf Under 18's Trophy Dubai College A 50 - 0 Abu Dhabi Harlequins

Gulf Women Plate Kuwait Scorpions 5 - 0 Sharjah Wanderers Ladies

Gulf Women Trophy Abu Dhabi Harlequins 34 - 5 Dubai Wasps

Sponsors and partners behind the success of the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens 2012:

Sponsorship

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Sponsor award and activities

Rugby Village

The Rugby Village was the central hub for sponsor activations and stands. As such, the Rugby Village was the ‘go to’ place with fun activities to engage the crowds throughout the tournament.

This year, the Rugby Village was all about awareness through interaction, with more sponsors than ever developing inspirational ways to generate customer-contact with their brand. With competitions, giveaways and spot-prizes, scattered throughout the village, it was alive with activity for families and fans of all ages.

• The 7DAYS headline booth encouraged the public to pose for photographs inside a mock-up of the newspaper’s front page. ‘Hi7’ hands were given away near the entrance with a chance to win a trip to the Maldives by doing a ‘Hi5’ to the 7DAYS team around the ground. A new mobile phone charging station was a welcome addition for people to charge their phones and keep in touch throughout the tournament.

• Aggreko sponsored the ever popular cheerleaders from Australia. The ‘Aggreko Dynamos’ performed routines on both Pitch 1 and 2 this year. They also handed out Aggreko-branded ‘Thunder-light Sticks’ for the fans to enjoy.

• Banana Boat branded the popular kids and crèche area and also provided 250 umbrellas around the ground. In addition to this, sun-screen samples were given away and they hosted a popular Karaoke stand.

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Airbus Top Try Scorer Award

There were four winners of this award, all of whom scored 6 tries: New Zealand’s Kurt Baker, Kenya’s Collins Injera, England’s Dan Norton and Fiji’s Paul Perez. The players were presented with the award by John Parkinson, Sales Director at Airbus.

OSN Player of the Tournament Award

Kurt Baker was voted the OSN Player of the Tournament for his contribution to New Zealand as the Kiwis powered their way to the tournament final. He was chosen by the fans via SMS after the tournament referees had shortlisted four players. Baker was presented with his award by Steve Thompson, World Cup Winner with England and current OSN rugby analyst.

• Big Bus could not be missed with their 12m long and 3m high bus parked near the main entrance to the ground. Big Bus prizes were given away through the well-known game ‘play your cards right’. Additional double decker buses were also provided, helping with the public transportation back to Dubai.

• Coca-Cola made themselves heard again this year with their energetic entertainment provided by the ever-popular Dubai Drums.

• Dubai Duty Free conducted a ‘Finest Surprises’ draw for the chance to win a luxury Jaguar. Members of the Scottish 7s team were on-hand to assist with the draw and select the lucky winner.

• DHL provided an inflatable passing challenge and the now famous ‘rumble sticks’ were given away to people of all ages creating a buzz around the stadium.

• dnata once again entertained families with an inflatable passing challenge whilst their ambassador Victor Matfield was on hand to provide autograph signing sessions for fans in the Rugby Village. In addition, people were selected to spend time on the dnata VIP couch by being the most exciting fans in their promotion, ‘scream for your team’ shown on the big screen.

• Dubai Eye broadcast The Grill sports show live from the VIP area where they interviewed a number of legends who attended the event.

• Emirates Airline provided the popular EK Tussle inflatable which proved to be a great hit with the children. Emirates also sponsored the mini tag rugby event on Pitch 1, supporting the emerging talent at grass-roots level. Their very popular Tez mascot was a great addition to the BP family stand in his debut year. Giveaways were handed out to children by Tez. This was filmed on the big screen and attracted a lot of attention.

• Fitness First used a number of sports games to encourage participation in physical activities.

• HSBC entertained their valued customers in their impressive Premier Suite and interactive World of Sport area which included a number of sporting activities, a children’s face painter, HSBC Ambassador signings and Q&A session.

• In collaboration with the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens, HSBC conducted the #SevensFan competition, in which the best dressed fans had their photos taken and were entered into a competition to be the Fan of the Tournament winning a Lafayette Gourmet Hamper and ProSports goodies, and to enter into the Fan of the Series to win a trip to any round of the competition next year.

• Land Rover’s stand attracted lots of attention with their innovative rugby ball passing activity from one Land Rover to another. They also had a ‘test your strength’ hammer hit and Land Rover product giveaways.

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• MMI continued to bring excitement to The Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens through the ever popular Heineken Tavern, a new premium lounge featuring an upside down bar and entertainment. The MMI Grapevine wine bar offered fantastic choice and value for money on pitch 2 and a popular Strongbow bar featuring an ‘apple dunking’ challenge was enjoyed by all.

• Motivate provided some great crowd interaction with the ever-popular ‘What’s On’ ball surfing the crowds in the stand. Tournament programs were sold from various places around the stadium and from their information booths in the village.

• Pocari Sweat helped to keep the crowds refreshed by selling their Ion Supply drink to thirsty customers from their booths in the village.

• Premier Inn’s activation was one of the most original this year. Their hugely popular flash mob took place around four times a day in the Rugby Village near the Premier Inn tent. Balloons were also given away.

• The merchandise outlets provided by Pro Sports in the Rugby Village and the VIP areas generated high foot-fall with fans purchasing tournament-branded shirts, hats, key rings and more.

• RSA sponsored the ‘Face in the Crowd’ along with Dubai 92 and handed out wigs to fans.

• Wrigley’s stand was popular thanks to their in-stand games and their chewing gum and Skittles giveaways.

• Xerox provided seven different activities for children to get involved. The ever popular ‘Seen at the Sevens’ fancy dress competition continued throughout the tournament offering branded photographs of people with their friends having fun in fancy dress.

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Advertising Campaign

Get Closer To The Game

At 7he Sevens, it is possible to watch rugby matches just yards from the action and it was this uniqueness combined with the fun of the tournament that was the main focus of the 2012 creative campaign.

The final designs included models in fancy dress involved in real-life rugby scenarios. Three main adverts were created along this theme.

The hero advert featured a clown scoring a try. The other two had a girl dressed-up celebrating with a team after they had scored a try; and a boy dressed as a smurf being lifted in a lineout.

These visuals were rolled out across all media in a through-the-line campaign that included print media, printed collateral, official and ticket websites, social media platforms, e-shots, TV adverts and outdoor advertising.

The campaign had a soft launch at the Long Lunch on September 20 before the main reveal when tickets went on sale on 1 October 2012.

Business emailers, targeted at various embassies and nationals to support their teams, were sent out shortly before the tournament began.

Advertorial adverts gave more information on the event to potential new-comers.

Full Page Ad Full Page Ad Half Page Ad

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Opening Four Page Wrap

Advertorial Business Emailer Corporate Hospitality

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Printed Collateral

A mini pocket guide was printed and readied for distribution through our partner channels in preparation for 1 October 2012 when tickets went on sale. Over 30,000 were printed and given out to fans at various places across the city.

Designed to be used as a quick reference, the pocket guide contained the core tournament information including ticket prices, outlets, dates, times, teams and a map to 7he Sevens.

Leaflets, Posters and Pull-Ups

1,000 posters, 20,000 leaflets and 20 pull-ups were printed and distributed through 15 schools, 16 restaurants and bars, and numerous rugby clubs across Dubai.

They were also distributed through official ticket outlets, including Emirates HQ, four dnata Travel outlets, 7he Sevens, seven Costa outlets including Abu Dhabi, eight Virgin Megastores, six MMI stores, Decathlon at Mirdif City Centre, two Spinneys Supermarkets in Abu Dhabi, ITP Box Office, What’s On Box Office and Mr. Ben’s Costume Closet.

Mini Card

Pull-Up Poster Leaflet

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Media Partners

Newspaper Partner - 7DAYS

7DAYS was the newspaper partner for the second consecutive year and provided excellent coverage of the tournament both in terms of advertising and editorial. The four-page ‘Get Closer To The Game’ wrap helped promote ticket sales on 1 October 2012, whilst weekly columns with rugby coaches and players raised the profile of the tournament in the lead up to kick-off. A 32-page supplement which covered aspects of the event, from what to wear to teams to watch and entertainment to expect was released days before the tournament at the event.

Publishing Partner – Motivate

Editorial coverage was widespread throughout Motivate’s stable of magazines, with the front cover of the November 2012 issue of What’s On dedicated to the tournament. What’s On also provided the match planners for the final day of the tournament.

Radio Partner – ARN

First class coverage of the tournament from ARN (Arabian Radio Network) took the tournament to a different audience. As well as ‘30 second’ Get Closer To The Game advertising slots that received terrific feedback from listeners, ARN’s stations carried interviews, news and competitions to encourage greater interaction with the tournament brand; these were carried by Dubai 92, Virgin Radio and Dubai Eye. This year, greater focus was placed on Dubai 92, due to the dovetailing of their listenership and the tournament target market. The tournament also featured heavily on Dubai Eye’s weekly sports show, The Grill.

TV Partner – OSN

Tournament partner OSN provided wide coverage to a TV audience with an energetic 30 second advert that was played 750 times across popular sporting and entertainment channels.

Media Amount

Local Newspaper - 7DAYS Dhs 1,605,516

Publisher - Motivate Dhs 367,000

Radio - ARN Dhs 1,194,983

TV - OSN Dhs 917,500

Dubai Calendar Dhs 900,000

Total Dhs 4,984,999

Total media partner value:

Public Relations Campaign

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The public relations campaign was coordinated to launch on 1 October 2012 along with the Get Closer To The Game campaign and tickets going on sale.

Community Activities

Promotional activities were strategically arranged to coincide with key dates in the rugby calendar including the winter international matches and also around school breaks and religious holidays to ensure maximum exposure for the tournament.

Again this year, the tournament’s commitment to families and children was reinforced with a large number of PR activities taking place at schools and fairs. Malls were targeted to capture the high footfall and numerous bars across Dubai played host to promotional activities.

The key PR resources used were:

• Activity Sheets were distributed to all schools to educate and encourage students to become involved in the tournament.

• Passing Challenge – an interactive game used to engage people of all ages with the tournament brand.

• Saba’a the tournament mascot –used to excite younger members of our core audience and to add greater visibility in stores and areas not able to accommodate the Passing Challenge.

• Hostesses – used to interact with customers and dispense information, which was particularly useful in stores where tickets were sold.

• Cheerleaders – used to great effect in bars, malls and in interviews on the radio to build the excitement of the tournament.

• T-shirts – tournament branded giveaways to encourage brand loyalty and awareness.

Other Activities:

The DESC fair in November was attended by Saba’a the mascot and our rugby inflatable game ‘The Passing Challenge’ and both were extremely popular thanks to the high number of children and families attending. Hostesses were used to hand out flyers and engage with attendees. Three season tickets were given away as raffle prizes – with the winners being drawn by Saba’a.

The DC7s rugby tournament at Dubai College proved to be a terrific event to publicise the tournament. The Passing Challenge, Saba’a and hostesses were there to engage with the crowds.

Malls:

An intensive weekend campaign in malls was developed for the weeks leading up to the tournament, with a presence in Virgin Megastores and Costa outlets in the Mall of the Emirates and Mirdif City Centre Saba’a the mascot interacted with children, while the hostesses were used to hand out flyers, engage customers and inform them that they could buy tickets in store.

The same tactics were employed in Decathlon in Mirdif City Centre, with the added benefit of being able to use the Passing Challenge.

Bars:

Hostesses and the Passing Challenge made regular appearances in some of the most popular bars around Dubai. Barasti was targeted as a key place for PR activity due to its customer demographic, its capability to house the Passing Challenge and also because The Grill radio show is broadcast live from there on Saturday evenings. The Irish Village also hosted the Passing Challenge, Saba’a, hostesses and the Aggreko Dynamos.

Publicity with Players:

This year, the Argentina team made a visit to the Burj Khalifa and the Burj Steps to see the fountains. A photo-shoot at the top of the Burj captured the players in various rugby scenarios. Another photo shoot on the Steps was used as the main PR shot and sent out to all the press with a press release.

The final PR activity took place at 7he Sevens with the USA team, the Eagles, who had the opportunity to get up close and personal with the UAE’s national symbol, the falcon in the week leading up to the tournament and the 41st National Day celebrations. Again, a press release and photo of the event was disseminated to over 200 members of the press.

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Website

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The website, www.dubairugby7s.com, was used as the main source of official information on the tournament.

The website underwent a mini-rebrand in line with the Get Closer To The Game campaign and social media icons were added to the site on each story so fans could ‘Share’ news. Links to our media channels were also added to the homepage.

For the first time, the official website carried a live webcast of the Invitation Tournament action from pitches 1 and 2 on day three. This was done through embedding a YouTube feed on a pre-designed page on the website. This was viewed by over 2,700 fans from around the world.

The total number of visitors to the website between 1 September to 31 December 2012 was 180,011. The vast majority of traffic came from Google search; the second highest ranked traffic source was direct to the URL: www.dubairugby7s.com and the third was Facebook.

Sep 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012Location

Map Overlay

Site Usage

% of visits: 100.00%

Facebook

Facebook ‘Likes’ grew by over 150% during the period 1 Sep. to 6 Dec. An advertising campaign targeted at UAE residents alongside constant posts on the Timeline helped to increase the ‘Likes’ from 5,990 to 15,628 in three months. News and creative Facebook games such as ‘Tag Rugby’ also helped to grow the ‘Likes’.

A Facebook advertising campaign was created for the tournament’s first ever Facebook application, Rugby Heads – a fun application that involved fans uploading pictures of themselves, choosing their favourite team and making their heads look like a rugby ball.

Each Rugby Head was ‘Liked’ by friends, with the most popular each week winning tickets.

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The teaser advertising campaign which used Page Post adverts created 2,763,373 impressions and 52,102 clicks. This was followed by an advert for the Rugby Head App itself which created 26,434,193 impressions and 7,610 clicks.

The App ran for four weeks and total reach during this time peaked at 2,497,333 and people talking about this at 8,697.

Emails:

For the first time, a commercial partnership was struck with an email database company – Emailciti. Based on the tournament’s core audience, Emailciti’s database of 14 million GCC email addresses was segmented to 50,000 UAE email addresses. We sent our e-shots to this database, beginning on 1 October 2012, to maximize ticket sales on this day and on ‘7s’ days – 7th, 17th and 27th of October and November 2012 – thereafter. The design of the emails and focus changed with each e-shot to include a different key message, such as Buy Early and Save, Family Fun and Corporate Hospitality.

Team Specific Emails:

A number of emails specific to supporters of the 16 HSBC Sevens World Series teams were created. They carried the message ‘Support Your Team’ and were translated into the different languages of each team. They were passed on to the business councils in Dubai of each country to pass on to their database.

Female 29.1%1.9%

5.7%

2.1%

4.2%

0.4%

0.9%

0.3%

0.9%

6.5%

19.4%

12.1%

26.9%

5.7%

12%Male 70%13-17 18-24 25-34 35-44

Countries Cities

4,615

2,258

1,075

944

624

605

589

Where Your Likes Came From

2K

1K

New Likes Unlikes

United Arab Emirates

Saudi Arabia

United Kingdom

Kuwait

Qatar

Bahrain

Oman

3,935

912

735

518

461

447

407

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Riyadh, Ar Riyad, Saudi Arabia

Kuwait, Al Kuwayt, Kuwait

Manama, Al Manamah, Bahrain

Abu Dhbai, United Arab Emirates

Doha, Ad Dawhah, Qatar

Jeddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Languages

8,491

4,342

1,438

357

236

103

92

English (US)

English (UK)

Arabic

French (France)

Spanish

Portuguese (Portugal)

Indonesian

45-54 55-64 65+

Show All

Show All

Like Sources

4,649

1,815

1,577

672

264

168

119

Mobile

Third-Party Apps

On Page

Like Box and Like Button

Ads and Sponsored Stories

On Hover

Timeline

Media Relations

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Organisers worked closely with local and international media to ensure the Emirates Airline Dubai Ruby Sevens was publicised as widely as possible.

Press Conference

The press conference was held at the Crowne Plaza, Dubai Festival City on Wednesday 28th November, 2012. It was attended over 60 members of the press, including international television rights-holders, journalists and photographers from all over the world. Speaking at the press conference were representatives from Emirates, the IRB, UAE Rugby and three of the major participating teams.

Media Centre and Photographers Room

A crucial part of the favourable coverage of the tournament depends on the smooth running of the Media Centre and Photographers Room. These rooms in the heart of 7he Sevens give the media a place from which to operate and receive information which is disseminated as promptly as possible by the Communications Manager and the team of volunteers. These rooms are also where interview requests and media enquiries are handled.

Editorial Campaign

The editorial campaign for the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens 2012 began in August with the announcement of the tournament dates. This began a regular flow of press releases in both English and Arabic, which were distributed nationally and internationally. The value of local print editorial alone amounted to $869,369.

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25

26

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Accredited Media

Over 340 members of the media were accredited to cover the tournament in 2012. These included the following publications and organisations:

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7DAYS

AF400 Photography

Africa Media Online

Fujairah Observer

Agence France Presse

Ahlan / ITP

Aigle Sport

Al Bayan

Al Emarat Al Youm

Al Ittihad

Al Khaleej

Al Medmar Magazine

Al Naher Newspaper

Al Watan

Al Jarida Newspaper

All About Life

ANP

Arab News

Saudi Gazette

Arabian Business / ITP

Asia Business Channels

Associated Press

Bayt Lothan

Brisbane Rugby

BSKYB

Buenos Aires Herald

City 7 TV

City Times

CityPress24 – Germany

Coffee Table Books

Connector Publishing

Corporate Publishing Intl.

Discover Dubai

Dubai Eye

UAE Sports Guide

Dubai One

Dubai Sports Channel

Dubai Sports Council

Emirates 24/7

European Pressphoto Agency

Explorer Publishing

Eye of Riyadh

Friday Magazine

Getty Images

Good Taste

Grazia

Gulf Business – Motivate

Gulf News

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Harper’s Bazaar Arabia

Haydoo Printing and Publishing

HELLO! Middle East

Hindustan Best Samachar

Infusion Magazine

Kanoo World Traveller

Kawalis Magazine

Khaleej Times

Le Mag du Golfe

Media Prima

Mojeh Magazine

Dubai Voyager – Motivate

Hello – Motivate

What’s On – Motivate

My Dubai My City

New Television of Kuban

Novoe Televidenie Kubani

One8one magazine

Outdoor UAE

Pro Rugby magazine

Project magazine – virgin publishing

Puls Media

Radio 1

Radio Sport

Read. (Dubai Metro)

Reuters News Agency

Safar

Scene – Gulf News

Sport360

Sports Illustrated – South Africa

Stuff magazine

Style Middle East

Sunday Times

Supersport – Kenya

Talkabout Media

Telegraph Media Group

The Associated Press

The Daily Telegraph

The Dubai Magazine

Concierge

The Gulf Today

The National

Time Out Bahrain

Time Out Dubai

Total Sport

Travel and Tourism News – Al Hilal Publication

UK Rugby Sevens Magazine

Whitefox Media

Womens Health and Fitness

www.rugby15.co.za

Xinhua News Agency – Dubai Bureau

XPRESS

TV Distribution

The following table gives details of World Wide Television Coverage.

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Country / Region Broadcaster Notes

Middle East Dubai Sports Channel Taking all matches Live on DSCH2. This is for their terrestrial and Satellite channel

Middle East OSN Taking Both Days Live and giving ad spots during the whole coverage

SA & Pan Africa MNET + Supersport Taking all matches Live plus the 26 min highlights programme

New Zealand Sky NZ Taking all matches Live

UK Sky Sports Taking both days Live

Wales S4C Taking 26 mins highlights tape

USA NBC + NBC Universal Taking Day 2 Live

Pan Asia ESPN STAR Taking Live matches 40-45 + Highlights

Hong Kong TVB Taking 26 mins highlights tape

Australia Fox Australia Taking Matches 25-45 Live

Croatia CRU Taking the 26 mins highlights

Worldwide Transworld Sport 3-5 mins news –1st December

Worldwide SNTV 3 mins news – 1st December

Worldwide Reuters 3-5 mins news – 1st December

Worldwide EBU 3 mins news- 1st December

UK Sky News 3 mins news – 1st December

Brazil Band Sport Taking Live Matches 21-24 WSW 13 + 15 WSW 27+28 Matches 39-45

Mexico TDN Taking Live Matches 33-45

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Country / Region Broadcaster Notes

Portugal Sport TV Live Matches 7-8 13-16 20-24, + Portugal matches day 2 + 41-45 plus the highlights tape

Latin America ESPN Sur Taking all Argentina matches + 26 mins highlights programme

Japan Jsports +26 min highlights programme

Canada Rogers Sports Net Taking matches 39-45 on tape + 26 min highlights

Tonga Digicel Taking all matches 1-45 LIVE

Fiji Fiji TV Taking all matches 1-45 LIVE + half hour highlights

American Samoa PCS Taking all matches 1-45 LIVE

Samoa SBC Taking all matches 1-45 LIVE + half hour highlights

Solomon Islands Solomon Telekom Taking all matches 1-45 LIVE

Papua New Guinea PNG Taking all matches 1-45 LIVE

Cook Islands Cook Islands TV Taking all matches 1-45 LIVE

Niue Niue Broadcasting Taking all matches 1-45 LIVE

Israel Ananey Taking half hour highlights

Ex Yugoslavia Sportklub Live Matches 41-45

Poland Sportklub Live Matches 41-45

Pan India, Pakistan Taj Sports (Ten) Taking half hour highlights

France Ma Chaine Sports Taking LIVE Matches 39-45 + half hour highlights

Spain Canal + Taking 26 min highlights (New this year)

In-flight Emirates Taking half hour highlights show

In-flight Cathay Taking half hour highlights show

Official Function

Long Lunch

The Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens 2012 officially kicked off on 20th September 2012 with the Emirates Airline Rugby Long Lunch. It continues to be one of most popular and best attended events of its kind in Dubai, bringing together rugby fans from all over the region for a fantastic afternoon’s entertainment with some of the biggest names in the sport.

This year was particularly special, with New Zealand legend Justin Marshall taking the stage to entertain the audience with tales from his playing days at the forefront of one of the best teams the game has ever seen.

He was followed by former British Lion and all-round raconteur, Martin Bayfield, who regaled the audience with hilarious stories of his days in the England team and of his early career as a policeman.

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Players Party

The official pre-tournament party was held on the leisure deck at the Crowne Plaza, Dubai Festival City and once again enjoyed a huge turnout, with all the men’s and women’s teams, cheerleaders, suppliers and sponsors in attendance. The Aggreko Dynamos did an impromptu routine on the stage, whilst the illusionist wowed crowds with card tricks with his sleight of hand. The Mystic Desert Queen Show wowed the teams with a belly-dance routine which included swords, fire and a 12ft long snake.

Onsite at the Tournament

Corporate Hospitality

The exclusive Corporate Hospitality area was hugely popular with sponsors and VIP guests. Each area was specifically designed to each sponsors’ specifications and positioned to give maximum exposure to each partner. The general corporate areas were a hub of activity also giving all VIPs that extra something that is expected in Corporate Hospitality.

On–pitch Entertainment

2012 saw the return of the Australian Aggreko Dynamos who wowed the crowds with their dancing, flipping and acrobatics. 12 girls performed a wide range of routines that ensured the party atmosphere was kept going in between matches.

MC Dave Crane and his experienced team also swung into action between matches and kept everyone entertained with interviews with legends and with the #SevensFan competition on the big screen.

The crowd loved the music and joined in dancing to the Gangum Style, YMCA and other popular tracks. The Mardigras parade extravaganza continued in style despite the pouring rain. Families and school children grouped together to walk around the pitch and represented their favourite team. The fire dancers heated things up with a breathtaking display before the rocket man took off into the evening sky bringing the show to a spectacular climax.

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Rugby Rock

Fans were once again treated to some top class entertainment once the tournament had come to an end with the ever-popular Rugby Rock. Dubai-based diva Salha and the Million Dollar Band had the Rugby Village rocking well into the night with a fantastic performance of popular sing-along hits.

Transport

Once again, ensuring that fans and families made it back home safely from 7he Sevens was a top priority. Over 150 buses and 500 taxis were booked and scheduled to take people back to a number of convenient locations across Dubai including, Mahiki, Citymax, Bur Dubai, Domeland by Chi@ The Lodge, Barasti, the Irish Village, McGettigan’s, Downtown, Dubai Media City, Dubai Festival City, and more.