World Series of Polo Scores $50 Million Global Sponsorship with Equitrade International

ATLANTA - Jan. 10, 2014 - PRLog -- Equitrade International, Inc. just hit a new milestone with its 2015 World Series of Polo’s global sponsorship. The World Series of Polo’s global partnership sponsorship model is similar to the Olympics Committee’s in accepting bartered deals like their $50 million deal with McDonald’s and also similar to FIFA in offering both global corporate partner agreements as well as regional partnerships for their events. These premiere sponsorship agreements afford exclusive rights to companies to promote their brand alongside the professional polo league’s World Series of Polo events across the U.S. and its final play-off 2015 World Series of Polo Cup event to be held internationally.

“I guess it started most notably back with Michael Jordan and Nike when athletes and sports organizations began accepting partial barter in their sponsorships. Now it’s common for an official sponsor to offer partial trade value and the rest in cash to help subsidize their media buys and event expenditures,” said Equitrade International, Inc.’s President and CEO, Jim West.

Like the Olympics committee, the World Series of Polo does not release financial details, however, most major companies will pay about $100 million in cash and in-kind services to become top sponsors over a four-year period through the next World Series of Polo events in 2019. Equitrade has been designated as the official barter clearinghouse for the 2015 World Series of Polo, offering a global market for the goods and services offered in trade by corporate sponsors and providing liquidity through its electronic barter currency.

"Our partnership with the 2015 World Series of Polo is an ideal one as it benefits both sides from the point of view of branding," said West. "The World Series of Polo has a universal reach and is a very uniquely attributed sport which has convinced us to commit to our $50 million global sponsorship deal. It gives us an ideal opportunity to leverage the powerful assets of Equitrade International in the sports sponsorship industry."

Equitrade International is joining the World Series of Polo’s new class of sponsorship that combines the highest level of affiliation to Series play with a long-term commitment through to 2019. As one of six of the World Series of Polo’s Global Partners, Equitrade will enjoy the benefits of core sponsorship rights to all World Series of Polo match competitions including the flagship 2015 World Series of Polo Championship Cup event internationally, as well as special regionally hosted events and participation in development initiatives. This special global barter category allows Equitrade to capitalize on the emerging sport trend towards sponsorship buys in both trade and dollar convergence.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we encountered combination trades which included 700,000 barrels of crude oil, 2 tons of rice and $25 million cash in certain regional markets since we’re dealing with truly international crowds with different economic offerings,” West remarked. All barter transactions are reported as a source of revenue as they hold intrinsic cash value and can be traded out for other items within Equitrade’s corporate trade system. Equitrade International, Inc. specializes in facilitating such barter finance transactions.

"My mission is to innovate polo into the forefront of sports by providing the ultimate interactive experience with our fans and players," said Kimberly Casey Carr, President & Commissioner for the 2015 World Series of Polo. Equitrade, with its newly inked deal of $12.5 million per year over a 4-year period, is fully committed to the World Series of Polo's mission in both supporting and furthering the development of this exciting equestrian sport.


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About Equitrade International, Inc.:

Equitrade International, Inc., headquartered in the Atlanta, Georgia area, is a major facilitator for multi-million dollar high level finance barter transactions used in significant real estate acquisitions, hotel transactions, large land purchases, commercial leases, business expansion, small business growth, restaurant and service industry expansion, and large volume barter deals for companies both locally and internationally. For more info or to become a trade member of Equitrade’s barter organization, please visit www.equitradeintl.com.

About World Series of Polo:

The World Series of Polo is headquartered in Palm Beach, Florida. Their USWPF/USMPF League’s 32 pro polo equestrian teams are divided into two conference leagues: the American Polo Conference (APC) and the National Polo Conference (NPC). During the regular season there are approximately 34 professional matches played over a 6 month period generally from Spring to Winter in the area club circuit, as well as almost 50 amateur matches, 7-10 international events, 6 Masters and 3 Grand Slams also in the local USPA circuits, from which the pro players can accrue and earn points in a NASCAR-like point systems so that they can be drafted into the ranking system for the U.S. city teams. The year round local club circuit play culminates into their drafts into the USWPF/USMPF World Series of Polo, aka the World Series of Polo. Series matches are hosted at a pre-selected site which is traditionally is a host city with a designated city team in its area. Host city bidding for the 2015 World Series of Polo event U.S. sites will be announced later this year. For regular updates and more info, please visit www.2015worldseriesofpolo.com