A Guide Through The World Of Emirates' Corporate Sponsorships: Part 3

Rounding off Simple Flying's tour of the airline's sponsorships across the global sporting, arts, and cultural arenas.

Continuing Simple Flying's tour of the worldwide Emirates corporate sponsorship program, we pick up where we left off, with sports remaining the focus of our attention, where the mega-carrier and its brand take center stage. But there is much more to the Emirates endorsements portfolio than sports alone.

As we discovered in Part 1 and Part 2 of this three-part series, regardless of whether your interest lies in sports, the arts, music, or cultural events, you don't have to look too far to find something that features Emirates branding these days.

So far, we have explored the multitude of sponsorship deals the Dubai-based carrier enjoys with various football and rugby teams, tournaments, stadiums, and match officials worldwide.

In this final part of Simple Flying's look at the various areas in which Emirates has corporate sponsorship agreements, we explore other areas of modern life that the company uses to promote itself, its brand, and its services to worldwide audiences.

Continuing our tour, we round off our look at various other sports where the carrier's branding appears before we finish with an overview of the various arts and cultural events that benefit from Emirates' support.

We have explored the sponsorship deals that Emirates enjoys with a multitude of sports, from football to rugby, from tennis to cycling, and from cricket to horse racing.

However, there are a few sports that we have not yet touched upon, so let us guide you through the more distant corners of the world of sports where the Emirates brand appears.

Emirates established a relationship with world sailing in 2004 when it became the naming sponsor of Emirates Team New Zealand. It also became the 'Official Airline Partner' of the 36th America's Cup in 2021.

This prestigious event included the America's Cup World Series (ACWS), sponsoring preliminary regattas leading up to the main event in 2021. The carrier was also the Presenting Partner of the ACWS event held in Portsmouth, UK, in June 2020, which included renaming the Portsmouth landmark Spinnaker Tower as the Emirates Spinnaker Tower specifically for the event.

Emirates Team New Zealand - Emirates has been involved with Emirates Team New Zealand since 2004. According to the airline's website, it is a 'relationship based not only on a passion for bringing people together through sport but on striving for excellence with focus and a vision for success.'

The team is the most successful in recent America's Cup history, winning the oldest trophy in international sport in 1995 and 2000. In 2017 they won the 35th America's Cup in Bermuda 7-1 against challengers Oracle Team USA.

Emirates SkyCargo, the airline's freight division, transports the team's racing boats to sailing events worldwide as part of the commercial agreement.

Emirates has been involved with Australian Rules Football (AFL) since 1999 through its sponsorship deal with Collingwood Football Club based in Melbourne, Australia. Emirates' continued sponsorship of the Collingwood Football Club allows the airline to connect with the team's broad fan base and the wider AFL community.

Collingwood Football Club - Collingwood Football Club is one of Australia's most prominent sporting institutions. Emirates became Collingwood's Premier Partner in 1999, and, having renewed its partnership for an additional five years in 2019, this agreement is the longest partnership within the airline's sponsorship portfolio.

The Emirates logo is displayed on the front of Collingwood's jerseys and shorts, and its branding is also visible on Collingwood's training apparel and around the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where the team plays its home matches.

So far, we have traveled around the world of Emirates corporate sponsorships via its sporting link-ups. However, there is so much more than just sports teams and tournaments endorsed by the carrier.

Through its sponsorship programs, the airline claims "to be committed to connecting communities through film, music, and literature." The airline's website states that the company is "committed to the growth of global arts and culture through key sponsorships around the world."

Its partnerships with the arts in Dubai contribute to the vibrant and culturally diverse atmosphere of the emirate, while its international partnerships connect the finest talents with fans in their respective cities and from all over the globe.

The airline is a leading sponsor of the Australian Symphonies, comprising the Melbourne and Sydney Symphony Orchestras. Each of these prestigious, internationally-acclaimed orchestras have a strong heritage of providing Australia with world-class entertainment.

This highly valued sponsorship connects Emirates to music lovers throughout Australia and across the globe. According to the carrier, the Australian Symphony Orchestras collectively share the airline's values - high standards of excellence, innovation, and quality.

Emirates is the Official Airline of the San Francisco Symphony, an orchestra integral to the city's arts and culture landscape since 1911.

Throughout its long history, the San Francisco Symphony has presented over 230 world premieres, commissioned almost 100 new works, and received countless awards for its adventurous programming and commitment to American music.

In partnership with the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, the airline became the title sponsor of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature - the Middle East's largest celebration of the written and spoken word.

The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature brings people of all ages together with authors worldwide to promote education, debate, and reading.

The Festival has won numerous awards, including Best Festival at the Middle East Event Awards from 2013-2015, Best Family Friendly Day Out Award at the Time Out Kids Awards 2016, and Favourite Festival at the What's On Awards 2016.

The airline is the official partner of the Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival. As one of the Middle East's premier music festivals, the annual Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival attracts over 30,000 visitors to two stages spread across the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre, with over 12 performances featuring more than 120 international artists.

In recent years, the Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival has seen performances from artists as diverse as John Legend, David Gray, ELO, Freddy Cole, Kool and the Gang, and James Blunt.

The airline is associated with Dubai's critically acclaimed hit music festival, RedFest DXB, hosted by Virgin Radio Dubai. Launched in 2014 with headliners The Lumineers and Jessie J taking to the main stage, the Festival is set over two days every February at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre.

Over the years, the event has seen acts such as Demi Lovato, Sean Paul, Mike Posner, The Script, G-Eazy, Bastille, Rita Ora, Kesha, and Fifth Harmony take headline slots. The DJ sets have some of the biggest names in the industry, including Marshmello, The Chainsmokers, and Steve Aoki.

The airline is an official partner of Dubai Summer Surprises - a world-renowned annual shopping and entertainment festival. Launched in 1998, the Festival is one of the highlights of the city's summer calendar, with residents and tourists flocking to the region to take advantage of offers at over 6,000 participating stores.

As a primary sponsor of the Festival and through offering packages to Dubai during the event, the carrier has been part of its significant success, which has seen revenue generated and visitor numbers increase yearly.

This major international event was a year-long world exposition hosted by Dubai from October 2021 to March 2022. Originally scheduled for October 2020 to April 2021, it was postponed for a full year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the event being postponed, organizers kept the name Expo 2020 for marketing and branding purposes. The event had recorded more than 24 million visits in its six months. Emirates was the event's official partner and was integral in carrying millions of people to Dubai to attend the exposition.

As part of the event, Emirates repainted one of its Airbus A380 aircraft into a special livery to promote the event to air travelers and others at airports worldwide.

It took 16 days and 4,379 work hours to complete the paint job on the aircraft chosen to be the 'Dubai Expo' flying billboard - an A380 registered A6-EEW. Sadly, following the conclusion of the event, the aircraft was repainted into a new 'Destination Dubai' scheme in November 2022.

Before we end our journey around the world of Emirates corporate sponsorships, we should mention the airline's use of brand ambassadors to promote the airline and its values to a broad, international audience.

Although perhaps not a corporate sponsorship in the truest sense, brand ambassadors are a vital part of the airline's strategy for increasing brand awareness and, ultimately, filling its planes.

In the past, the airline engaged the services of internationally-recognizable 'Friends' actress Jennifer Aniston to promote the airline and its services. This was achieved through various print adverts, social media posts, and television advertisements to spread brand awareness globally and appeal to specific demographics.

Last month, Emirates announced that Oscar-winning actress Penelope Cruz would become the airline's newest brand ambassador. Launching this month, the campaign featuring Ms. Cruz will be aired globally on TV news channels and featured on Emirates’ digital media, with more joint activities to be announced over the coming year, according to the airline.

Announcing the appointment of Cruz as its latest brand ambassador, Richard Billington, Emirates’ Senior Vice President of Brand and Advertising, commented,

"Emirates is all about Flying Better, where the journey to your destination matters as much as the place itself. We take care of every detail in the Emirates experience and wanted a brand ambassador who reflects the Emirates brand - it needed to be someone classy, stylish, and having modern global appeal. Penelope was the perfect fit."

With the introduction of Emirates' newest brand ambassador, we conclude our whistle-stop tour around the airline's various sponsorship deals worldwide. However, as in anything in the world of commercial aviation, this list is unlikely to remain conclusive for long.

With many more aircraft still to join the Emirates fleet in the coming years, along with more destinations to be added to the network, much more can be done to fill those seats and keep the airline at the top of its game.

Sponsorships will play a vital role in that effort, and the Emirates brand is likely to be seen linked to an increasing range of individuals, sports, and events in the future. Watch this space!

Journalist - Working for several airlines & Airbus, Luke gained a comprehensive knowledge of the commercial aviation industry, before retraining as a lawyer specializing in aviation. A qualified private pilot, Luke also helps to keep one of the world's last WWII Catalina flying boats airworthy. Based in Cambridge, UK.