The Gonville Hotel, which is just a stone’s throw away from Parker’s Piece and where the Olympic Cauldron will be lit, has opened up its private garden for a summer’s Afternoon Tea on the day.
The opportunity to take tea in the garden and escape the anticipated 30-40,000 strong crowds is being opened up to local businesses who pledge their support for The Big Weekend through a Big Corporate Club.
Businesses will also be rewarded with publicity opportunities and invitations to VIP Big Weekend networking receptions.
Christopher Ogston, Operations Manager for The Gonville Hotel said; “Our hotel has the perfect location for people visiting Parker’s Piece and so this is a great way to support the City Council. Everyone loves a traditional British Afternoon Tea and so we’re looking to do for Cambridge what Wimbledon does for local businesses in London.”
Cambridge City Council is delighted to announce the first corporate sponsors to confirm their support of The Big Weekend 2012, which plays host to the Olympic Torch Relay Evening Celebration in July and has secured £50,000 in contributions but still urgently seeks more help to cover the costs of the city’s biggest summer event.
Napp Pharmaceuticals, Ridgeons, Anglia Ruskin University, The Gonville Hotel, Deloitte, John Lewis, Heart FM, ARM, Coutts & Co and Lola Lo have all come on board to support the Big Weekend as sponsors in this Olympic year already but their support alone is not enough. BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and Cambridge News have also come on board as the event’s media partners.
The Council has grown the event to new heights in order to incorporate range of community showcase opportunities to show Cambridge off when the Torch arrives, which will include carnival performances, a schools opera project, countywide community choirs, a huge sports area, an environmental Village Green, and for the first time this year a big screen cinema marquee. It has also commissioned the city’s largest ever public art project, A Field For Dreams which is working in local communities to prepare carnival & parade lanterns & flags to welcome the Torch with a large outdoor show on Saturday 7th July.
Napp are supporting a new family area delivered in partnership with Cambridge University Science Festivals exploring science experiments, robotics and more with inclusions from ARM, as well as supporting the North community of Cambridge in participating in the performance of A Field For Dreams on Saturday 7th. Ridgeons have come on board to support their community of the East area of Cambridge in being part of this performance. John Lewis are sponsoring the John Lewis Sports Zone and Deloitte the Friday night launch fireworks display. Heart, Coutts & Co and Lola La have all joined the Council’s Corporate Club to rally more support with the Council’s partner hospitality venue, The Gonville Hotel.
Councillor Rod Cantrill, Executive Councillor for Arts & Recreation said; “When LOCOG chose The Big Weekend to host their Olympic Torch Relay Evening Celebration we really wanted this to be Cambridge’s moment to shine. We believe that we have created an event that the whole community can be part of and proud of but we can’t possibly do it without the support of local businesses like these. We had an ambitious fundraising target for The Big Weekend this year but still require a further £20,000 to meet it.”
Businesses are now being invited to join the Council’s Big Corporate Club and sponsor the event in return for access to promotional opportunities and excusive corporate hospitality. Businesses who sponsor the event will also be offered the chance to have a staff / family workshop making flags and lanterns to be used in the A Field for Dreams show. If there was one year to be part of something special, then 2012 is certainly the year to really come forward and do something to remember how your business celebrated the day.
Dietmar Leitner, Managing Director for Napp said, "We are delighted to be supporting both the North community’s involvement in A Field For Dreams and the Fun Laboratory at The Big Weekend this year. We will celebrate our 30th anniversary on the Cambridge Science Park in 2013, and we feel very proud to be part of this fantastic City, so it's a privilege to be able to support the Northern area in celebrating what's great about Cambridge. Our sponsorship of the Fun Laboratory is part of our ongoing commitment to supporting science education in local schools and colleges, which we've been actively involved with since 2005."
Over 30,000 people from all ages and backgrounds across the county are expected at the event with to witness the arrival of the Olympic Torch and to enjoy three days of free entertainment provided by Cambridge City Council.
Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung are the official Presenting Partners of the Olympic Torch Relay and businesses who are not official London 2012 sponsors are not permitted to sponsor the Olympic Torch Relay. However, there are sponsorship opportunities within The Big Weekend itself where the Evening Celebration of the Olympic Torch in Cambridge will take place. A range of opportunities exist offering differing levels of brand profile, advertising, team building/family workshops, business hospitality and association.
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For more information about how to get your business involved at the 2012 Big Weekend please contact Elaine Midgley on 01223 457592 or elaine.midgley@cambridge.gov.uk
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