From iTODAY:Stage set for Euro 2012 battle
Ian De Cotta | 31 May, 2012 6:00 AM
F&B chains to stay open later in fight for fans' money
SINGAPORE- Football fans across the globe are counting down to
the start of Euro 2012, which kicks off on June 8 in Warsaw with
the match between Poland and Russia.
Co-hosted by Poland and the Ukraine, the 16-team tournament
ranks second to the FIFA World Cup in terms of popularity and will
feature some of the game's biggest names squaring up in compelling
matches.
An equally fierce battle is shaping up between some of the
biggest food and beverage (F&B) chains in Singapore hoping to
rake in the dollars.
The big boys have thrown down the gauntlet - paying up to
S$50,000 to StarHub, which holds exclusive broadcast rights in
Singapore - to pull in the crowds for the three-week tournament
that ends on July 1.
Backed with promotions from the two biggest beer companies here
- Tiger Beer and official Euro 2012 sponsor Carlsberg, who are also
running a contest to send a fan to the June 28 semi-final match in
Warsaw - most outlets will stay open until 6am every matchday.
St James Power Station is pulling out all the stops, installing
a S$100,000 gigantic LED television at their beer garden, while
Harry's Bar will have an equally large projector screen at
CHIJMES.
Even Hard Rock Cafe has entered the fray and unlike previous big
football tournaments, it will for the first time show all matches
until the July 1 final in Kiev.
"We don't usually stay open late, but the demand from our
patrons has been really great and we are planning big to make this
a month-long party," said Natalie Wee, Hard Rock's marketing
manager.
For fans who have not taken up StarHub's Euro 2012 package,
priced between S$58.85 before April 30 and subsequently S$69.55 -
or $10.70 more for those from SingTel's mio TV - they can get the
action in the heartlands, with McDonald's showing selected matches
at all its 24-hour outlets.
Pasir Ris-Punggol Member of Parliament Teo Ser Luck also told
TODAY he is planning public screenings for his constituency.
"Euro 2012 will be closely followed by many Singaporeans. We
hope to screen some of the matches at the community centre in my
constituency," said Teo, the Minister of State for Trade and
Industry, and North East District mayor.
St James has forked out a total of S$50,000 to screen the
matches at five outlets there and also at Clarke Quay's Shanghai
Dolly and Marriott Hotel's Living Room, which they also own.
"I think the pricing is reasonable because we usually attract
about 5,000 people in total at our St James outlets for big matches
and based on our previous experience, we are able to cover the
cost," said Gordon Foo, the company's director of operations.
Besides showing all matches at CHIJMES, Harry's Bar has
scheduled selected games at their Riverside and Boat Quay
operations, paying a total of S$21,000 to StarHub.
Marketing manager Andrea Teo said: "Our focus is at CHIJMES
because I don't think many people will come to town during the
weekday as McDonald's will be having live screenings in the
heartlands and it will be convenient for many fans."
Not all F&B establishments have bought into the Euro 2012
event.
With the midnight and 2.45am starts to the matches, normally
sports savvy microbrewery restaurant Brewerkz has decided to give
it a miss.
Said Brewerkz events coordinator Thomas Huan: "The matches start
late and near our closing times. The timing does not give us much
to plan for and we've decided to pass."
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