Sydney businessman Ian Malouf "has branched into the corporate entertainment sector," according to John Stensholt of the AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW. He will host a series of events in London aboard his luxury yacht during the Rugby World Cup, an idea "he hopes to turn into a business at major sports events around the world."
Malouf, the owner of waste business Dial a Dump Industries, will moor his A$40M ($28.3M) yacht, Mischief, at London's Canary Wharf for the duration of the tournament, and "will employ celebrity chefs and former rugby union greats at hospitality events for intimate gatherings of up to 40 people." Malouf:
"A lot of people buy these assets [yachts] and hide them away, and they are quite costly. But while we won't necessarily make money on this during the World Cup, I do want to take it to other events like the Monaco Grand Prix and the Olympics next year [in Rio de Janeiro] and treat it as a business, while also having a lot of fun." He has also lined up former rugby union players such as ex-Wallabies captain John Eales and fellow World Cup winner Phil Kearns, former England back Austin Healey, Bobby Skinstad and his fellow South African, referee Jonathan Kaplan.
Malouf: "What we want to try to do is be a bit different from those corporate functions where there might be a few players out the front but you're in a room with 800 other people. So these legends will be there sitting alongside the guests and telling their stories in an intimate setting."
Malouf "will also hire out the yacht for other events during the tournament" (AFR, 9/14).
