Enterprise Rent-A-Car has signed a three-year agreement with UEFA to become an official worldwide sponsor of the UEFA Europa League beginning with the 2015/16 season and ending in 2017/18.
The sponsorship covers every stage of the competition from group stage matches through to the Final – a total of 205 games that will reach millions of viewers across Europe.
With more than 175 million football fans in Europe, Enterprise believes this will be an ideal platform for reaching a mass audience and new markets throughout the continent.
As part of its global growth plan, Enterprise has established a presence in 32 European countries in just over two years. It is part of the largest car rental company in the world as measured by revenue, fleet and employees.
As a result of this rapid expansion programme, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand is now available at more than 1,000 locations in Europe, including branches at all key airports and major cities, from where it operates a fleet in excess of 170,000 vehicles.
The aim of this sponsorship is to engage with audiences and there will be Enterprise branding throughout the competition. This will include branding on perimeter boards and post-match interview backdrops as well as branded content across all digital platforms.
Enterprise has been successful in promoting brand awareness and affinity through sports sponsorships in North America by selecting opportunities that resonate strongly with US audiences. For the past ten years, the company has been the official rental car partner of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which organises 89 national championships in 23 sports for student athletes. Enterprise has also sponsored the National Hockey League (NHL) for six years.
Commenting on the sponsorship, Jim Stoeppler, Vice President, European Brand Marketing at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, said, “Sponsoring the UEFA Europa League is a big moment for Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Europe. Our first European office was established in the UK over 20 years ago, and now, through organic growth, acquisition and franchise partnerships, we have a business that spans almost every nation on the continent. We anticipate that this sponsorship will cement awareness of the Enterprise brand across Europeand further engage with customers.
“We would like Europeans to see us as both a global and a local business – one with relevance to their needs and the commitment to provide access to mobility and the best service possible wherever they travel. In the US, we have seen our connection with customers grow through our support of sport and we expect to see the same engagement through the UEFA Europa League.”
Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director of UEFA Events SA, added: “With this announcement of Enterprise as an Official Partner of the UEFA Europa League for the 2015-18 commercial cycle, and with a brand such as Enterprise on-board, it is clear to see UEFA’s ambition to develop the competition further over the next three years. This partnership will serve to maintain the growth in popularity of the competition on a global basis. Following the 2015 Final we continue to see the competition going from strength-to-strength so we are delighted to welcome Enterprise for what promises to be an exciting three seasons and we look forward to working with them to fulfil their sponsorship objectives.”
About Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Enterprise Rent-A-Car is part of St. Louis-based Enterprise Holdings, the largest car rental service provider in the world.  Enterprise Holdings operates more than 8,600 offices worldwide.  Most recently it has rapidly expanded its branded operations at airports and transport hubs throughout territories across the globe and now operates in over 70 countries.
Enterprise Holdings, together with its affiliate Enterprise Fleet Management, offers a total transportation solution. Combined, Enterprise Holdings and Enterprise Fleet Management – which includes extensive car rental and car sharing services, commercial truck rental, corporate fleet management, and retail car sales – accounted for $17.8 billion in revenue, employed 83,000 people and operated 1.5 million vehicles throughout the world in fiscal year 2014. For more information about Enterprise Rent-A-Car and its group company, Enterprise Holdings, visit http://www.enterpriseholdings.com.
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