Jon Stromberg

Plymouth, Devon has been chosen as one of the locations for the 2011 America’s Cup. “We have selected venues that reflect both the prestige of the America’s Cup, and that can bring the action on the water to those on land,” said Richard Worth, Chairman, ACEA. “Similar to San Francisco, all of the inaugural AC World Series venues enable spectators to watch the racing live, which will help expose this great sport to more people worldwide.”

The America’s Cup is one of the most coveted trophies in the sports world. Steeped in history and excitement since it began in 1851, after 160 years it returns to England.

The 34th America’s Cup World Series will see 15 teams from 12 countries across the world competing in the event. The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America’s Cup and is a test of sailing skill, boat and sail design, as well as fund-raising and management skills.

Televised to expose millions more fans to the sport of high-performance sailing, the AC World Series is a circuit of regattas that bring America’s Cup-level racing and experience to top international venues. At the end of each AC World Series season, a champion will be crowned. These events provide the fans the only opportunity to see all of the America’s Cup competitors racing together.

THG’s clients will be able to view the race from the deck of out exclusively chartered yacht during the America’s Cup. The yacht will follow the action as the boats make their way around the course, our clients will enjoy premium open bar and canapes as well as onboard commentary from a yachting personality who will speak about the race action as it unfolds in front of them.

For more information, please contact: ccortes@thgsports.com

One of the year’s biggest sporting events was played out in front of 85,000 spectators and millions more watching around the epic clash when Barcelona met Manchester United in May in the UEFA Champions League 2011 Final.
Billed ‘the match of the decade’ the epic clash between Europe’s super teams at Wembley Stadium ended in a 3-1 win to Barcelona.
The Spanish side claimed its Fourth Champions League title denying Manchester United the honours in this illustrious occasion.
Former Dutch footballers Frank de Boer and his twin brother Ronald were guest speakers at the THG Champions League 2011 Celebrations held at the Gloucester Hotel in London. They gave their insight into which players in football today really capture the magic of the game and why Barcelona deserved to be crowned Champions League winners. Earning 112 caps for Holland, Frank de Boer had predicted that Barcelona would take the title against Manchester United with a score of 2-1.
“Of course I have a Barcelona background but one of my best friend’s is on the opposing team, Edwin van der Sar, and this is his last game so I hope he wins the cup. For me the best team has to win but if I had the choice I would pick Manchester United,” he professed.When it comes to who is the best team in the world today for Frank, Barcelona are the deserved proprietors to that title, he said. However, manager Alex Ferguson is a one-off great, he added.
“They have played for such a long time the kind of football that everyone loves. Ferguson deserves the credit from that as he is standing there for such a long time and I think he is one of the best coaches in the world. Pep Guardiola is still young but he is also a good coach. He hasn’t had the experience of Ferguson so I feel he is the best coach.”
Ronald, who won 67 caps for the Dutch national team and played with Barcelona from 1998 to 2000 said the occasion represented two great teams coming together and also praised Ferguson’s successful tenure as both a great manager and a respected individual.“It’s not just one year they have been playing well. For the last four or five years they have played incredible football. Even if you are not a Barcelona fan you have to love the way they play. If you look at what Guardiola has won in such a short space of time, I think Ferguson took almost 20 years for that. But you have to respect a person like Ferguson who is such a long time at a club and still has so much respect. For me that says a lot about the person. He deserves the credit.”
The skill that striker Wayne Rooney and Pedro Hernandez are capable of producing make them the stand out players who are always going to form a key part of the team.
Rooney, when on top form, will always be decisive for Man United, said Frank. According to Ronald: “I like the way the boy Hernandez plays. He is such a young lad so this hides a bit of danger because this is his first final. Can he cope with the pressure? We have to see that. All the Barcelona players have done it and seen it and lifted the trophy so it’s exciting to see if he can handle the pressure. He is a great player and I like the way he moves around the 18-yard box and find his way to the goal.” Ronald concluded that Wembley is an inspirational venue that will certainly capture the exciting atmosphere such an event produces.
“We played there with Holland against England although the result was very bad for us – we lost 4-1. But the stadium is amazing and even now it has improved a lot as the stands are very close to the pitch so it’s very good for football. With 85,000 people the atmosphere won’t be great, it will be spectacular.”
Frank and Roland de Boer were guest speakers at the THG Champions League 2011 Celebration at the Lancaster Hotel in London.

Just two short weeks ago, as football fans and players alike were gearing up for the big game, the staff at THG Sports was preparing to kick off their 20^thSuper Bowl hospitality event in Dallas, Texas.

City Club - Top Floor, Bank of America Building Downtown Dallas

Jon Stromberg, CEO of THG North America, addresses clients at the 2011 Super Bowl.

“Even though the weather leading up to the event reminded me of our first 1992 Super Bowl in Minneapolis, the excitement and anticipation surrounding this years Super Bowl was unlike any other” says Jon Stromberg, CEO of THG North America.  ”The game itself certainly held up to the 17 championships between these two teams as the Steelers nearly tied the score in the fourth quarter. In the end, to my dismay as a life long Bears fan, the green and yellow prevailed in a exciting finish.”

THG Sports and their clients celebrated the event both before and after the game at the City Club, located on the 69^th floor of the famous Bank of America building in downtown Dallas. The opulent City Club provided the perfect atmosphere for clients, guests, and staff alike to gaze at breathtaking city views through the club’s floor-to-ceiling windows, eat four-star meals, and mingle with ten current NFL players chosen by THG to attend the event.

Over the past 20 years, celebrity guests at THG’s Super Bowl event have included among others hall-of-famers Dick Butkus, Ronnie Lott, Roger Staubauch, Rocky Bleier, and Paul Hornung, along with legendary playersVinny Testaverde and Tony Dorsett. This year, to celebrate the inaugural Super Bowl being played at the New Dallas Cowboys Stadium, THG invited a group of ten current NFL Players- including Patriots Wide Receiver Wes Welker and Dallas Cowboys Linebacker Sean Lee- to sign autographs and socialize with guests.

“The atmosphere surrounding each NFL player within the City Club allowed for over 30 company hosts to solidify a number of key relationships.  This was an event attending guests will reference the company who hosted them for years to come.” Jon Stromberg added.

Celebrity Guests at THG’s Super Bowl 2011 Hospitality event included:

Following the 2010 Super Bowl in Miami, where two-time Champion Matt Light was among the NFL key note celebrities entertaining THG’s guests, the Dallas area and the new Cowboys Stadium was the perfect venue for THG to showcase their 20 years of C-level Super Bowl hospitality.

As 2011 kicks into high gear a new positive outlook is spreading like wildfire in the business world.  This new outlook is spurring economic growth and vitality within the battered American financial landscape. A recent study byChief Executive Magazine takes a look at what might be causing this rash of positivity and simply put: CEO confidence is up. This upward tick in positivity is trickling down from the highest seats and spreading all across the board.  This positive outlook is most apparent in recent automobile sales figures, which are generally used as a consumer confidence index, and car sales are up. It appears that The American Economy is past the dark days of 2008. APricewaterhouseCoopers study from the end of 2010 outlined a trend in CEO confidence for future growth. PwC noted that of 1,201 CEOs interviewed, a staggering 48% were very confident of growth within the next 12 months and 88% had some level of confidence for prospective growth within the next year. Furthermore, 94% were confident of growth within the next three years. Given that a majority of our clients are C-suite executives, THG is experiencing first hand this new overall positive sentiment, as our figures for first time clients have dramatically increased.

U.S Consumer Confidence

This exciting news from all over corporate America can make it easy to simply rest on our laurels, but nothing is without challenges.DailyFinance.comoutlined the top ten challenges for CEOs in 2011 and among them were: eking out growth in an uncertain economy, reducing employee flight, acknowledgement of client’s status as the actual boss, competing in a global economy, reputation management, and staying ahead of the competition.The need for growth and relationship development in a ever changing economy was seen within the 2010 Global CEO Study.  For every challenge there is always a solution and it may be as simple as finding new ways to connect with clients. THG has been providing solutions for these exact challenges since 1983. For the past 29 years we have been a global leader in client and employee retention services, brand building, global relationship advancement, and competitive edge building.

“Our global status as a top provider of corporate hospitality has allowed us to observe how THG services have benefited the growth of most Fortune 1000 companies. Few occasions demonstrate the appreciation to clients and key staff as experiencing history unfold around a major sporting event,” says THG CEO Jon Stromberg. This innovative outlook for the American economy has given CEO’s the chance to start on a clean page and build new client relationships for themselves. This being said, where will you stand? Are you going to stick with the same methods that you have used in the past or will you be on the cutting edge, showing your clients they are worth your time and making your company identity synonymous with the prestige of The Masters Tournament or the Dubai World Cup?

Allowing THG to aide in the sculpting of your company reputation will not only give you a competitive edge, but with our 55 global offices and over 350 major events we can also give you a leg up when seeking partnerships abroad.Global-Minded Decision Makers choose THG.

For more information on THG’s sports hospitality offerings, click here.

About THG: THG (http://www.thgsports.com) is a leading provider of corporate hospitality programs during the world’s premier sporting events, including the World Soccer Championships, Masters, Singapore Grand Prix, and the Final Four. As a marcus evans company, all aspects of THG’s services promise a level of client focus and attention second to none.