O2 Awarded For Sponsorship of Iconic London Arena

AEG – Congratulations are in order
From left: Nathan Kosky (VP AEG Global Partnerships UK), Chris Marking (VP International Partnerships and Strategy, AEG Global Partnerships), Gareth Griffiths (Head of Sponsorship, O2), Nuala Donnelly (previously Head of The O2, O2), Paul Samuels (EVP AEG Global Partnerships), Mark Lambert (Senior Director, Global Partnerships, AEG Europe) and Will Dowdy (VP Global Partnerships, AEG Presents)

O2, a wholly owned subsidiary of Spanish telecommunications giant Telefónica, was awarded for its naming rights partnership with London’s O2 Arena at the UK Sponsorship Awards, March 26.

The partnership between O2 and AEG has been in place since 2005, changing the arena’s name from Millennium Dome to, simply, The O2. Two years later, in 2007, the back then 20,000-capacity arena opened with a concert by Bon Jovi.

The partnership was now recognized at the UK Sponsorship Awards with the so-called Silver Award, a one-off accolade to celebrate the best sponsorship of the last 25 years.

The O2 – London – The O2, London
AEG’s flagship in Europe

The shortlist for The Silver Award for the Best Sponsorship of the last 25 Years also included British Airways for its partnership with the London 2012 Olympics, Carling gor its partnership with the English Premier League, Natwest for its partnership with England & Wales Cricket as well as Sainsbury’s for its partnership with the London 2012 Paralympics.

Gareth Griffiths, head of sponsorship at O2, said: “We are delighted to receive this recognition from the sponsorship industry who shortlisted, and the public who voted, for The O2. Since launching in 2007 our brilliant partnership with AEG has created millions of unforgettable live experiences under our world-famous roof, with Priority putting O2 customers at the heart of all we do. Embracing new technology The O2 is now the home of our 5G test bed and we’re really excited to explore what the future holds. Thank you to everyone at AEG for all you do at The O2, we couldn’t do any of this without you. We’re just getting started!”

Paul Samuels, executive vice president, AEG Global Partnerships, said: “As part of the team who negotiated the original deal in 2005 when working for O2, this is one of the biggest highlights in my career so far.

“Over the past 12 years, AEG has worked tirelessly in partnership with O2 to create the world’s most popular music and entertainment destination. This partnership is so much more than just a naming rights deal. It’s a successful collaboration of likeminded brands with a shared vision for delivering the best in customer experience and benefits.

“I would personally like to thank O2 for all their work in helping us to be the best at what we do and I look forward to collaborating and innovating with them for years to come.”

Samuels won a UK sponsorship award himself, being crowned Sponsorship Champion 2019 in the Entertainment category. 

“Paul Samuels joined AEG Europe in November 2007, where he negotiates and delivers significant partnerships for AEG’s globally-renowned assets, including sports teams, venues and festivals. Under Paul’s leadership, AEG delivered some of the world’s most recognised sponsorship programmes. Arguably, it is Paul’s creative negotiation of The O2 naming rights partnership that will be his legacy, both at AEG and O2,” the jury’s reasoning reads.