Work on the Camp Nou Spotify, the epicenter of the Espai Barça project, is already underway. The cranes work at the pace of activity in the offices of a project for which the Blaugrana club has joined forces with Innovative Partnerships Group (IPG 360) to find new partners and strategic associations for the project.
This Los Angeles-based company is a leader in the naming rights, business development and international marketing segment and is focused on generating long-term strategic business partnerships for prestigious global brands. Sports, music and entertainment are his specialties, which he has shown in his extensive experience with clients from professional leagues, government bodies, franchises and teams from the main sports competitions including LaLiga, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS, MLB and the Olympic Games.
This experience has just been reinforced with a renowned appointment in the sports industry, as IPG has signed Alex Soriano as vice president of global sponsorships to lead the firm’s entry into Spain, based in Barcelona.
Soriano is a veteran executive in the sector. He comes from Kosmos, the company founded and chaired by former soccer player Gerard Piqué, where he has been commercial director. His figure made the difference in the takeoff and success of the Kings League, where he has printed a model of commercial alliances to combine sport and entertainment that is pioneering in the industry, according to sources close to Piqué’s business arm. There he also oversaw the commercial sales and marketing functions of the Davis Cup, a project in which his previous experience at Octagon was key, where he worked for 15 years with roles that included sponsorship sales responsibilities for tennis, cycling, soccer and beach soccer projects.
Now, at the Innovate Partnerships Group, Soriano hopes to “generate unprecedented income for FC Barcelona and the Espai Proyecto Barça”, according to the executive in a statement.
The alliances through IPG 360 and Legends Internacional (which will promote the design and marketing of future VIP boxes and seats at the renewed Spotify Camp Nou) are essential for the viability of the financing plan proposed by the club. It is expected that they will jointly report more than 120 million euros per year to the team once the new Catalan coliseum is finished and at full capacity.
