Telstra Dome increasing its sponsorship assets

Belinda Stubblety, corporate projects manager at Melbourne's Telstra Dome, has provided an insight into a number of new sponsorship and branding properties they now have available at the stadium. She told On Sport that naming rights for their 'Axcess One' membership area is being sought, while they also have significant signage packages for the venue's entry Hubs on offer.

Stubblety said the Axcess One naming rights opportunity gives a sponsor branding on the back of approximately 5,000 seats in the corporate area on level two on the city side of the stadium.

For the entry Hubs, she said they have two Hubs available, with Energy Australia and Telstra already sponsors of the only other two Hubs in the stadium. As reported in On Sport in July 2002, rival telecommunications company AOL was a Hub sponsor at the time when Telstra entered its naming rights deal.

Stubblety said that they have also just released branding and signage opportunities for the carpark and foyers for their corporate suite areas.

She said the branding opportunities in the two foyers provide good access to the venue's corporate clients and also include a number of interactive opportunities as part of the package. Stubblety also pointed out that they are offering the use of Telstra's SMS technology for companies wanting to run SMS based competitions at the event.

She said that this opportunity puts an innovative and technologically advanced promotion, like an SMS first goal kicker competition, within reach of any company without the need for significant investment in the underlying technology.

Stubblety added that they have recently released packages leveraging the uniquely shaped air ducts that surround the venue to the market. There are four air duct groupings, which are basically massive can-like structures.

She said they have already secured Heinz Watties for one of the packages, which is promoting its canned baked beans brand through the arrangement.

Stubblety said they are promoting the can shaped ducts as an excellent branding opportunity that will develop as a landmark at the stadium, with patrons likely to organise to meet at the areas, ie. the Heinz Baked Beans cans. Stubblety said that prices for the opportunities are all on application but are in the $50-220K range per annum.