The Volvo Ocean Race is widely regarded as the world's leading offshore professional sailing event and one of the world's premier sporting competitions and it will be on the Americas’ doorstep three times during the 12th edition of the round-the-world challenge in 2014-15. The stopovers bring a tremendous opportunity to showcase Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE).
Building the Brand
Each of the stopovers represents a major event that can be leveraged in a very positive way for not only Volvo CE but also its dealers. Three million guests and general spectators are estimated to pass through what is called the Race Village at the stopovers throughout the entire race.
All of the visitors encounter the Volvo brand while walking through the Race Village. At each host city, there is a large Volvo Pavilion with a brand and product exhibition where customers, potential customers and members of the public can find out more about the race, as well as about the products and services of Volvo Construction Equipment and other Volvo Group companies.
“With so many people flocking to the host cities and to the Race Villages - having three stops in the Americas gives Volvo CE Region Americas a world-wide platform,” said Göran Lindgren, President of Sales Region Americas. “The Race will once again provide a magnificent backdrop for Volvo CE to profile its products and commitment to its core values: Quality, Safety and Environmental Care.”
In 2011-12, Itajaí, Brazil and Miami, Florida staged memorable stopovers with dealers, customers and trade press in attendance; 2014-15 will be no different – utilizing the stopovers in a good, business-focused way.
First stop: Brazil
The 9-month race will start in Alicante, Spain and visit Recife in north east Brazil. Later in the Race, traversing across the planet’s most treacherous oceans, the teams will sail to Auckland in New Zealand before rounding Cape Horn and making a second Brazilian stop in Itajaí and then heading to Newport, Rhode Island in the north east United States.
"Making two stops in Brazil makes perfect sense at a time when the country will be the beating heart of sport between soccer's World Cup in 2014 and the Rio Olympic Games in 2016," said Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad.
The Brazilian state of Pernambuco, where Recife is located, will also enter a team in the Race - making the first Race stopover of Recife an exciting place to be mid-to-late October, 2014. The Volvo Ocean Race´s links with Brazil date back to 1973, when the first edition of what was then known as the Whitbread Round the World Race stopped at Rio de Janeiro. The last Brazilian team to enter the Volvo Ocean Race was Brasil 1 in 2005-06.
As the Race begins to make its final stretch in 2015, fans will welcome Team Pernambuco and the others when they sail into the second Brazilian city, Itajaí, after a long and arduous trip around the iconic Cape Horn in the Southern Ocean.
North to Newport
The excitement sails north from Itajaí to Newport, Rhode Island in May, 2015. The Volvo Ocean Race has visited the United States in every edition since 1989-90 but despite Newport's great sailing heritage, it has never before had Host Port status.
Newport, a popular New England tourist destination, is the sixth Host Port for the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 to be revealed so far. The Race will finish in the Swedish city and home to Volvo Group, Gothenburg. The remaining stopovers on the 2014-15 route will be revealed over the coming weeks.
“We look forward to being a part of the three Volvo Ocean Race stopovers in the Americas and delivering a strong message of investment in our people, products and partners,” said Lindgren.