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MNZ`s CEO Trevor Gill responds to - ISDE Brazil:
It is good to have the opportunity to relate the facts.
1. Chris Birch is going to the ISDE and MNZ is contributing to his costs. As a member of the High Performance Squad we have invested in him, we are also assisting with the entry fee.
Paul Whibley may go, we are not yet certain.
Sending a team of six was never considered or budgeted for.
Brazil is a difficult and expensive place to get to.
2. MNZ is a financial partner in the Motorcycle Awards Dinner and we are very pleased to be involved. All of our 2003 champions will be recognised at the Awards.
Things like this are part of marketing the sport and raising its profile, there is a long term spin off for those who are prepared to look ahead. A good example is the ISDE in 2006 -the event will cost around $1m(NZ) to put on. It will need corporate backing to make it fly. Corporates won\'t come to us with a million dollars and they wont be interested in a sport that doesn\'t do anything about its own profile
Gone are the days when sports made out they were on WINZ benefits because the corporate world doesn\'t see sport as a charity.
3. To get anywhere in sports marketing MNZ has to come out of the trenches and create some intellectual value around its brand, its called sports marketing and its been big for the last 20years. the alternative is to sit around moaning about the lack of profile and press coverage that motorcycling has.
4. Name a national sport that doesn\'t have an annual dinner?
5. Thanks to the backing of Motorcycling Trader and News the industry Association and a family of sponsors this is being achieved as a joint venture and is costing MNZ a fraction of the entire cost.
6.The dinner is a sector-wide initiative. Hopefully the majority will see the sector working in partnership for what it is-fantastic.
Trevor Gill
