Barca2

Showdown in Saudi Arabia thrills fans

As the Middle East continues to cement its position as an international hub for major sporting events, the Spanish Super Cup returned to Saudi Arabia for a second season running. The four-team tournament culminated in an el clásico showdown between La Liga winners, Real Madrid, and La Liga runners-up, Barcelona.

But this year, the Spanish Super Cup was not the only show in town. On 18th January, the Italian Super Cup final also took place in Riyadh, featuring another grudge match between inter-city rivals Internazionale and AC Milan. Inter took the spoils in another event, showcasing Saudi Arabia’s hosting credentials.

As part of our work with NEOM – a partner of both tournaments, we were responsible for delivering all communications, ticketing, transport, branding, guest management and activation plans with just seven days’ notice.

On the communications front, we put together a series of ballot emails for NEOM colleagues to drive employee engagement and offer the chance to witness one of these incredible spectacles. The ballot was extremely successful, resulting in 541 entries – the highest number of entries for a NEOM ticket ballot. A series of pre-event comms was created and distributed to all fans attending the game to ensure they got the most out of their experience.

On each game day at the King Fahd International Stadium, we ran a Kick It activation for the public, measuring a participant’s shooting accuracy and speed, using an infrared system. The activation saw over 875 fans take part, all of whom signed up to receive further NEOM marketing comms. These entries will be used as part of the recruitment drive for the 2023 Shuhub Community Program.

We also managed the transport process for all VIP guests to ensure their experience was as fulfilling and memorable as possible, with a fleet of 17 luxury vehicles on hand so that  all the requirements of our guests were met.

NEOM branding was ever-present pitch side throughout the tournament, ensuring that NEOM’s commitment to world-class sport was plain for the world to see.