A new initiative has been launched offering companies the chance to support the Invictus Games 2027 and benefit from the global exposure the event will bring to the West Midlands.
Called the Champions Programme, it is offering small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) the opportunity to sponsor the sporting bonanza and has been launched to mark two years to go until the starting gun is fired.
Invictus Games was founded by Prince Harry in partnership with the Ministry of Defence and has been held biennially since 2014 when London was the first-ever host city.
The NEC campus in Solihull will welcome injured and sick military personnel, including veterans and those still serving, from July 10, 2027 to take part in 12 different sports across a week.
The West Midlands secured the rights last year, pipping Washington DC to the final nod and marking only the second time the 海角视频 has played host.
Invictus Games 2027 chief executive Helen Helliwell told BusinessLive there were three packages on offer to SMEs, each offering different levels of exposure and benefits.
Sign up for your free West Midlands newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn
Email newsletters
BusinessLive is your home for business news from across the West Midlands including Birmingham, the Black Country, Solihull, Coventry and Staffordshire.
Click through here to sign up for our email newsletter and also view the broad range of other bulletins we offer including weekly sector-specific updates.
We will also send out 'Breaking News' emails for any stories which must be seen right away.
For all the latest stories, views and polls, follow our
These could include attending the opening ceremony or invitations to a special lunch during the games alongside the chance to market businesses to a global audience.
Most Read
They cost from £500 to £3,000 and the money raised will go towards funding the hosting of the games whose overall budget is estimated at around £26 million.
She said: "This is a really unique opportunity for SMEs to get involved and help us deliver the games.
"We haven't seen it done at this level before for a major sporting event to enable lots of small companies to come in and pledge an amount that fits within their budgets.
"It's specifically for those smaller companies because often they don't get to contribute to major sporting events. They will get to use a special logo we've designed to say they are a 'champion'.
"This will raise the funding required to deliver the games in order to host a fantastic event for the 20 nations that are coming along with social impact for the region and wider 海角视频.
"Champions can be based anywhere in the 海角视频 but we're particularly targeting Birmingham and West Midlands companies because we've had lots of support from them.
"They want to get involved and have asked about the different ways they can."
Don’t miss
Other funding for the Invictus Games will come from official sponsors and suppliers and eight so-called founding partners, with the Ministry of Defence acting as a financial 'safety net' should it be required.
Ms Helliwell said they were looking for an octet of larger corporates to become major backers.
These packages cost £1.4 million each and come with benefits such as branding rights and a dedicated impact and legacy programme, designed bespoke for each partner.
"We're not asking for any money from Birmingham City Council, we know what terrible circumstances they have been in," she concluded.
"We are underwritten by the Ministry of Defence but that is funding of last resort. That's what allows me to put on the games.
"Ideally, I would get commercial support - anything I can get to reduce that burden on the Government."