Oliveras (l) said that as a global company, UPS didn't want to sponsor just Team USA or Team EuropeMarc Bryan-Brown
The next Ryder Cup is still a year away, but the PGA of America, which co-organizes the event, is busy planning alongside partners like UPS. On Day 1 of the Octagon Sports Marketing Symposium, PGA of America Chief Commercial Officer Jeff Price and UPS Dir of Global Sponsorships & Events Jennifer Oliveras discussed the genesis of that relationship. “Jeff and I have known each other for a long time and we’ve talked for years about a potential partnership,” Oliveras said. “The Ryder Cup has always been an interest to us because of its global appeal. We’re a global company, and we didn’t want to partner with Team USA or Team Europe because we’re global. Jeff and the team worked really hard with the Ryder Cup Europe team to develop a worldwide partner package. At that point, we had a lot of conversations and it made sense.”
THINKING GLOBALLY: UPS opened a $100M sorting facility in Paris ahead of the ‘18 Ryder Cup, which was played at Le Golf National near the French capital. Oliveras said that the “timing was right” for UPS to get involved and that it was a “really successful program.” Price said that it was a long-lasting relationship with UPS which ultimately led to the global partnership in ‘18. “Really thinking holistically about how UPS was making the event better gave us a great foundation because it was truly an authentic relationship, where there suppliers status was making the Ryder Cup better and allowing us to deliver a better experience for our fans,” Price said.
COMING HOME: Price noted UPS will help make deliveries as quickly as possible to Whistling Straits in Wisconsin -- home of the ‘20 Ryder Cup -- if items in the merch shop at the event sell out. The shipping company will also allow fans to send home anything they buy on-site. “It truly is an integrative partnership,” Oliveras said. “We were providing shipping solutions to fans for years. But now we have a deeper integration with them, and we’re actually able to improve the supply chain process on the back end with them.”
