Abu Dhabi to host the inaugural Arabian Sponsorship Forum in December

Sponsorship is a $45bn industry globally. In the Middle East, it is estimated to be worth $2bn. The Arabian Sponsorship Forum will bring together specialists from the sports, entertainment and events industry in the Middle East including sponsors, rights holders and agencies to help increase the profile of sponsorship as a business tool and to educate Arabic companies on the real business returns that are attainable through sponsorship.

The first 3 speakers to be announced are;

- Peter Kenyon, the former Chelsea and Man Utd CEO who is widely regarded as one of the most influential executives in football over the last decade.

- Sir Keith Mills, the founder of Air Miles and Vice Chairman of LOCOG, the organising committee of the 2012 Olympics

- Giles Morgan, the global head of sponsorship for HSBC

The event will be hosted by four-time Olympic Gold Medal winning rower and BBC presenter, Sir Matthew Pinsent, who will act as MC for both days. Sir Matthew will also interview all the key-note speakers during which time the audience will be able to ask questions directly to the speakers.

HE Mohammad Al Mahmoud, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, is delighted to support the initiative: "This is an important initiative for sport in Abu Dhabi as it can help to educate the local sports and business communities on how to use sponsorship for mutual benefit. The organisers have put together some excellent speakers and sessions for the inaugural Forum and we are particularly excited about Peter Kenyon's decision to speak as he is undoubtedly one of the leading executives in global football. There will be further announcements about other world class speakers in the coming weeks."

Peter Kenyon is looking forward to the Forum: "The Middle East has established itself through the likes of Etihad Airways, Emirates and Dubai Duty Free as understanding the potential to use sport, arts and entertainment to build brands and businesses. This Forum will further widen that knowledge and it is particularly appropriate that is being held in Abu Dhabi, which has firmly established itself in 2009 as a global sports capital by hosting such high profile events as the F1 Etihad Airways Grand Prix and the FIFA Club World Cup in December."

In addition to 7 key-note speakers, the organizers will be announcing a series of sponsorship debates involving local industry experts from the likes of ADMM, ICC, UAE FA, Dubai Sports City, Etihad Airways and Abu Dhabi Media Company and many others along with international guests. In addition to Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the Emirates Palace, Gold sponsors include IFM Sports Marketing Surveys, the world's leading sports consulting and research company, MAC Davidson, a leading UAE legal firm and Getty Images, the world's leading sports photographic agency.

The two-day conference also hopes to stimulate both Emirati and Arabic undergraduate and graduate program interest in the industry and to ensure that 'Sponsorship' becomes part of marketing and business degrees in the region. An announcement will be made next week on how undergraduates and business professors can become involved in the Forum.

Jamie Cunningham, Founder and Group Managing Director of organizers Professional Sports Group, commented, "Sponsorship is not new in the Arabic world, but the Arabian Sponsorship Forum will be a must-attend event for anyone involved in the industry in the region. We hope that it will also attract many local Arabic companies to consider the potential for their brand and develop their business using sponsorship of sport, the arts and entertainment. We would like to thank His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan for his patronage and all our partners including the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and Emirates Palace for making this inaugural event possible."

Professional Sports Group was founded in 1996 and has established itself as one of the leading sports marketing companies in Europe and the Middle East. With offices in the UK and the Abu Dhabi, PSG has four divisions; Marketing, Events, Sponsorship and Representation. Through each of these, Professional Sports Group is uniquely placed to deliver world-class service for brands, sports personalities and rights-holders.