Another company that has expanded its partnership with SailGP is the global hotel and hospitality group Accor.

Traditionally, Accor has had a strong presence in Europe and other global markets but was lacking in scale in the US. In 2016, Accor acquired Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, expanding into the luxury and lifestyle space, and growing its footprint in the North American market. 

The group approached SailGP to raise awareness and top of mind salience within its major markets, including luxury customers in the Americas.

Accor global SVP of experiences, events and sponsorships, Stuart Wareman, told B&T that when surveying Accor members, ‘sailing’ as a marketing platform came out strong in its ability to appeal to high net worth individuals in North America.

The company backed France’s America’s Cup bid through its ‘Orient Express’ brand, which is launching the world’s largest sailing boat cruise ship, Silent Seas.

This partnership continued by supporting the French team in SailGP before a broader sponsorship package was locked in to become the official hotel and hospitality partner of the competition.

“Our competitors are in Formula One and have been for a number of years,” Wareman said. “It’s a cluttered environment and very difficult to stand out. SailGP offered us something that was new, fresh and a relatively clean platform, certainly in our category. It also allows us to do something quite meaningful, impactful and to stand out.”

Wareman said that SailGP’s expansion plans in terms of the competition schedule, number of teams competing, viewership and fandom is another hook, as too are its purpose commitments.

“Being able to demonstrate what we’re doing and showing what we’ll be able to do through the lens of a platform like SailGP is actually a powerful tool. As that traveling circus goes around the world, you can shine a light on individual hotels, what they’re doing, and it wraps up into something much more meaningful as a partnership offering,” he said.

“Fan travel is a big contributor to the climate problem, and we have to work towards and be part of the solution. So that’s the purpose lens behind it and what has informed our ‘ALL A’ Board’ activation program to get people behind the cause right. 

“We can do our bit in terms of having a responsible agenda for reducing our carbon footprint when fans are staying in our hotels, there’s an eco friendly element to it.”

Accor’s catering company Potel Chabot is also the official catering partner of SailGP, building more value into the partnership.

SailGP also fits Accor’s Live Limitless lifestyle loyalty program; attending a SailGP event is one of its “money can’t buy” member experiences. 

The relationship is mutually beneficial; by promoting SailGP to its 100 million members, it raises awareness about the competition to new audiences.

“What we see is that hotel guests who are aware of SailGP are much more aware about our loyalty program and the 46 brands within our portfolio,” Wareman said. 

Dewhurst says that SailGP is still on the lookout for sponsors in a few categories, such as finance and automotive, but will not saturate the product by going beyond eight core tier one partners. The ability for partners to integrate will be key to brands who are interested; Dewhurst says that SailGP is not merely a “badging exercise”. 

SailGP’s vision is to grow into a 20-race season with a successful commercial program to boot. Most of the competing teams are now in private hands with the Australian team on the cusp of a sale. 

As popularity of the competition soars, bringing new audiences to the sport, SailGP isn’t merely redefine sailing; its impact could extend across world sport on the water and off it.

SailGP’s next event is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 4-5 May.