Rio 2016 is on the cusp of announcing three tier-two sponsorships that will boost total sponsorship revenue to two-thirds of its goal of raising $1.3 billion.
“We should be close to London [which raised $1 billion] two years before the Games,” said Renato Ciuchini, Rio 2016’s chief commercial officer.
Since joining the staff in 2012, Rio 2016 has added deals with InBev, Cisco, Correos, Sadia (packaged foods) and Batavo (dairy). The organizing committee already had deals with Nissan, Bradesco, Embratel, Nike and others.
Ciuchini and his team are working on deals with a language services provider, a data storage company and a market research company. He hopes to add an airline sponsor, software company and two apparel companies — one for volunteer outfits and another for opening ceremony attire for the Brazilian national team.
“We have split tech and divided it because not any one company can do all these products,” Ciuchini said.
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Ciuchini also is looking for one more tier-one sponsor. He believes it could be an industrial company, and he’s eyeing the steel and gas industries.
Though the Brazilian economy has cooled considerably since Rio was awarded the Games in 2009, Ciuchini said that hasn’t dampened sponsorship interest “because the decision is at the board level and it’s a long-term decision.”
“Emerging market economies are going through a critical moment,” he said, “but my perception is executives believe in emerging economies.”
Rio 2016 is preparing for potential protests during the 2016 Games, but Ciuchini said he plans to work with sponsors to mitigate the risk that could mean for sponsors. He hopes everyone will work together to highlight how many people the Rio Games will employ and what social responsibility efforts sponsors are undertaking.
Despite the protests during last year’s FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, sponsors are expressing major interest in doing hospitality programs in Rio. That doesn’t surprise Ciuchini.
“Rio has this combination of being a cool place with cool people and beautiful beaches,” he said. “It’s set in an emerging economy. People want to be there.”
