Golf PR

CLIENT

Parallel Media Group

EVENT

The UBS Hong Kong Open, one of Asia’s oldest and most prestigious golf tournaments. It has been staged annually at the Hong Kong Golf Club since 1959.

In the summer of 2005, international bank UBS signed a four-year agreement to become the Open’s new title sponsor and immediately announced a 50 per cent increase in total prize money to US$1.2 million for the 2005 tournament. In 2006, prize money was raised again, to US$2 million, and stood at US$2.5 million in 2008 and 2009.

THE BRIEF

To handle PR for the 2006 UBS Hong Kong Open – to be staged at the Hong Kong Golf Club from 16-19 November – on a local, regional and worldwide basis.

To be responsible for media management – including accreditation and ensuring media attended the launch press conference, the pre-tournament player interviews and the tournament itself.

To staff and run the on-site media centre for the week of the event.

During tournament week, to organise player interviews, including press conferences and any requested one-on-one interviews.

To write, design and produce the official souvenir programme, daily tournament newsletter and daily score sheets and draw sheets.

To organise, compile and deliver to the client a comprehensive media clippings report.

OBJECTIVES

1. To mount a wide-ranging and effective PR campaign that would sustain media and public interest from the launch press conference on 3 October through to the end of the tournament on 19 November.
2. To further propel the UBS Hong Kong Open into the global spotlight and to gain maximum exposure for the tournament and its sponsors.
3. To ensure maximum attendance of print, TV, radio and new media journalists at all UBS Hong Kong Open events, including the tournament itself.
4. To run an efficient, user-friendly and state-of-the-art on-site media centre.
5. To publish a top quality souvenir programme that would reflect the growing stature of the tournament under UBS’s title sponsorship agreement.
6. To publish a readable and useful daily newsletter for fans attending the event.

TOOLS

Public relations: With its extensive experience of working with sports media, Two Up Front had compiled a worldwide distribution network of more than 2,000 golf media contacts – in newspapers and specialist magazines, terrestrial and cable TV, radio and new media. All press releases would be distributed in English and Chinese.

Media management and media centre: Two Up Front’s extensive network of media contacts – especially its close working relationship with local and regional sports journalists – would ensure high numbers and high quality media attendance at UBS Hong Kong Open events. In addition, Two Up Front retained highly capable and knowledgeable multilingual staff with extensive experience of running sports event media centres.

Publications: Two Up Front project director Simon Wait and editorial director Niall Donnelly had previously worked on a string of top quality sports magazines and souvenir programmes, and they would use that experience to turn the UBS Hong Kong Open programme into a must-have keepsake.

PR CAMPAIGN

This began on 3 October 2006 with the UBS Hong Kong Open launch press conference at UBS headquarters in Hong Kong at which the first five star players – defending champion Colin Montgomerie, Major winners Retief Goosen and Michael Campbell, Asian Tour Order of Merit leader Jeev Milkha Singh and Chinese No.1 Liang Wenchong – were confirmed for the tournament.

Two Up Front produced the dual-language media packs that included press release, player biographies, tournament fact sheet and a USB flash drive of photographs. In addition, Liang Wenchong was present at the press conference to give media interviews and provide a photo opportunity with the UBS Hong Kong Open trophy.

Between the launch press conference and the beginning of tournament week on 13 November, Two Up Front released a steady stream of press releases that included: news stories about the respective European and Asian Tour Order of Merit battles; player confirmations (including top stars KJ Choi, Nick Dougherty, Miguel Angel Jiménez and Paul McGinley); and updates on how players confirmed for Hong Kong were performing in other tournaments in Europe, the US and Asia. Many of the press releases were supplied with photographs.

In addition, on Two Up Front’s recommendation, organisers invited the Hong Kong Open’s inaugural champion, Asian golfing legend Lu Liang Huan – known to all as "Mr Lu” – to attend the tournament as guest of honour. Mr Lu, winner in Hong Kong in 1959 and 1974 and, famously, runner-up to Lee Trevino in the 1971 British Open, accepted and travelled from his native Taiwan to be honoured at the UBS Hong Kong Open Gala Dinner and to play in the pre-tournament pro-am.

At the start of tournament week, Two Up Front arranged for several of the star players to meet the media and give press conferences in the media centre before the tournament began. These included Colin Montgomerie, Retief Goosen, Michael Campbell, Jeev Milkha Singh and KJ Choi.

From the beginning of tournament week, between one and three press releases were sent out daily, beginning with tournament previews. After each day’s play, Two Up Front sent out a general round-up of play, plus other stories featuring low rounds, marquee players and exceptional achievements (such as a hole in one). All press releases were accompanied by "live” branded photographs supplied by official photographers.

During the tournament, Two Up Front liaised closely with players to ensure media were given every opportunity to conduct interviews. Each day, Two Up Front staff escorted numerous players from the course to the Media Centre for post-round interviews, which were conducted in English, Cantonese and Mandarin by Two Up Front’s resident specialist MCs. When requested, Two Up Front also arranged, on behalf of key media, one-on-one interviews with selected players and representatives from UBS.

Immediately after the tournament, Two Up Front staff played a crucial role in the prize giving ceremony: helping with security, ensuring order among photographers and setting up photographic opportunities involving the winning player with the UBS Hong Kong Open trophy on the 18th green.

Following the prize giving, Two Up Front arranged post-tournament press conferences in the Media Centre involving the winner, Jose Manuel Lara of Spain, runner-up Juvic Pagunsan of the Philippines and Asian Tour UBS Order of Merit winner Jeev Milkha Singh of India.

MEDIA MANAGEMENT AND MEDIA CENTRE

The UBS Hong Kong Open official launch press conference was attended by more than 40 journalists from various Hong Kong and regional news organisations. The tournament itself attracted almost 200 journalists from around the globe.

The media centre was widely praised as one of the best on both the European and Asian Tours, with journalists and tour officials hailing the state-of-the-art facilities and Two Up Front’s friendly, efficient and knowledgeable staff. Two Up Front manned the media centre each day from 06:00am until the last journalist had left, usually after midnight.

PUBLICATIONS

The UBS Hong Kong Open official souvenir programme set a benchmark for other golf tournaments in the region. At 88 pages, it contained in-depth golf articles and player profiles – all printed in English and traditional Chinese – plus European and Asian Tour statistics.

Central to the programme’s appeal was a lavish, 24-page hole-by-hole guide, illustrated with spectacular pictures by a leading golf course photographer and digitally enhanced graphics from Two Up Front’s design department, complete with detailed liner notes supplied by Hong Kong Golf Club head professional Iain Roberts.

The dual-language daily newsletter, written and produced overnight and delivered to the course before 07:00am on each of the final two days of the tournament, contained news of the previous day’s play, scores, order of play and action photographs. It was an essential information tool for fans whether they were walking the course or following the action on the giant TV screen in the public village.