Visa announces sponsorship of London Media
Centre
LONDON, 23 January 2012 — Visa Europe has today
been announced as the first sponsor of the London Media Centre,
which will provide extensive facilities and news generation
services to around 10,000 non-accredited media who are expected to
be in the UK during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic
Games.
Run by the Greater London Authority, the London Media Centre at
One Great George Street off Parliament Square, will welcome
journalists from across the world throughout the Games, providing
state of the art reporting and distribution facilities and a
central London location. The London Media Centre, along with its
partners, will also be proactively producing and distributing
content to journalists using the centre about the wider London 2012
story on topics such as tourism, finance, economics, lifestyle and
technology.
Importantly, the London Media Centre will welcome both
non-accredited and accredited media, of which there are anticipated
to be in excess of 12,000 and 23,000 respectively. Non-accredited
media will be unable to access Olympic venues so the London Media
Centre will act as an important hub for these journalists looking
to tell wider stories about London and the UK in and around Games
time.
By sponsoring the London Media Centre, Visa will also share its
news with international, European and local journalists. This will
include content showcasing mobile and contactless payment
innovations at the Games and regular reports on economic impact and
consumer spending during Games time as well as providing access to
the wide range of athletes in Team Visa.
As the biggest show on earth, Visa plans to use London 2012 to
showcase the Future of Payments. It will do so by enabling
contactless payments across Olympic and Paralympic Games venues,
retail outlets and in the London Media Centre, as well as through
its partnership with Samsung to launch the Samsung Olympic and
Paralympic Games mobile handset, which will support mobile
contactless payments.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has already made special
arrangements to accommodate journalists at the Centre, equipping it
with workspaces for over 250 journalists and press conference
facilities to sit 200 members of media. Visa will contribute to
this further by providing the Centre with a Visa innovation
showcase, regular briefings for media, and up-to-the minute
information about consumer spend and Team Visa.
Colin Grannell, Head of Partnership Marketing at Visa
Europe, said: "As a global sponsor of the Olympic and
Paralympic Games we are proud to announce our additional
sponsorship of the London Media Centre. We will be sharing our
latest news on contactless and mobile payments innovation in and
around the Games direct to journalists based at the Centre, as well
as showcasing payments technology.
We’re working closely with the Greater London Authority to make
sure it is the best possible base for non-accredited media
throughout the Games."
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: "With
the eyes of the world looking towards London next summer, the 2012
Games will be a major opportunity for firms to promote their brands
to audiences right across the globe. It is fantastic to have Visa
on board through their sponsorship of the London Media Centre,
which will play host to thousands of journalists who will be here
to tell the story of what will be the greatest show on earth."
The GLA is looking for several official partners for sponsorship
of the London Media Centre. The benefits package will be tailored
to deliver each partner's business objectives and will be worth
about £120,000.
About Visa Europe
In Europe, there are 438 million Visa debit, credit and
commercial cards. In the 12 months ending June 2011 those cards
were used to make purchases and cash withdrawals to the value of
€1.7 trillion. 12.5% of consumer spending at point of sale in
Europe is with a Visa card, and more than 70% of that is on Visa
debit cards.
Visa Europe is owned and operated by more than 4,000 European
member banks and was incorporated in July 2004. Visa Europe is
independent of global Visa Inc., with an exclusive, irrevocable and
perpetual licence in Europe, while both companies operate to ensure
global interoperability. As a dedicated European payment system
Visa Europe is able to respond quickly to the specific market needs
of European banks and their customers - cardholders and retailers -
and to meet the European Commission’s objective to create a true
internal market for payments.
Visa enjoys unsurpassed acceptance around the world. In
addition, Visa/PLUS is one of the world’s largest global ATM
networks, offering cash access in local currency in over 200
countries.
For more information, visit http://www.visaeurope.com/
About the London Media Centre
It is predicted that during Games-time there will be upwards of
25,000 international and UK media professionals (accredited and
non-accredited) in London. Up to two-thirds of these of these
journalists will be accredited by the National Olympic Committees
of competing countries and eligible to use their facilities in the
Olympic Park, namely the International Broadcast Centre and the
Main Press Centre.
The non-accredited media will not have rights to the Games but
will be in London to cover news and features on London as a venue
and the 2012 Games. The content of their work will be informed by a
pre-planned programme of activities and editorials designed
specifically to showcase London to their audiences. The
non-accredited-by-LOCOG media professionals will also have the
opportunity to access not just the London Media Centre (LMC) but
also its satellite broadcast positions, which will be in key iconic
locations around the city.
Located in the heart of London’s cultural and political life,
the One Great George Street conference and wedding venue is
surrounded by many fantastic landmarks such as the Houses of
Parliament, Westminster Abbey and one of London’s most ornamental
parks, St James’s Park. This elegant and historical building has
been described as a ‘monumental neo-classical design’ and a ‘modern
rendering of the late Renaissance’. The exterior, foyer and grand
staircase are made of Portland stone and many of the rooms are
ornately decorated with French Walnut and oak panelling, elegant
carved plaster ceilings and elaborate crystal chandeliers.