Damm becomes the first major sponsor of the America's Cup

Damm has signed one of the largest sponsorships in its history. It will be one of the official sponsors of the 37th America's Cup to be held in Barcelona in 2024 and, in addition, it will also sponsor the defending team of the trophy, the Emirates Team New Zeland, which will display the Estrella Damm logo on its sails.

This was announced this Monday in Barcelona by the CEO of the America's Cup, Grant Dalton, and the general director of Damm, Jorge Villavecchia, at an event held at the Antiga Fàbrica Estrella Damm that brought together other personalities such as Aurora Catà, vice president of the company organizing the competition, America's Cup Events Barcelona (ACE Barcelona); Ramon Agenjo, director of Damm; and Mercè Conesa, CEO of Barcelona Global.

"We are extremely happy to be able to associate again with the America's Cup; we are eager for this event to begin, which represents a unique opportunity generating enormous wealth for Barcelona," highlighted Villavecchia, after recalling that Damm already partnered with this important international competition in 2005 to sponsor the editions held in Valencia in 2007 and 2010. "The America's Cup will place Barcelona at the international sports epicenter, where the best sailors and sailing teams from around the world will gather. We are sure that the collaboration between Estrella Damm and the America's Cup will contribute to the international projection of the city of Barcelona and the Estrella Damm brand, already present in more than 130 countries worldwide", stated the executive.

According to Grant Dalton, since that first association in 2005, "the Damm brand has exploded internationally." The executive celebrated that he was able to negotiate the terms of the agreement "with the same team of people" as 18 years ago, "something that is very rare and says a lot in favor of the company." "For us, it's like coming home; Damm is part of the America's Cup family, it's a continuation", he emphasized. In Dalton's opinion, having Damm's sponsorship is natural, since "Barcelona is Damm and Damm is Barcelona."

Villavecchia has highlighted the more than two-decade link between the brand and the sport of sailing, because in addition to partnering with the America's Cup, it also supported the Barcelona World Race in its day and participates every summer in the Copa del Rey de Vela held in Palma de Mallorca. Damm also sponsors many other sports, especially football, basketball, tennis, padel, and golf.

Damm has not wanted to quantify the investment it will allocate to supporting the America's Cup sailing event, nor has it indicated the amount of the sponsorship, although Villavecchia has acknowledged that it is "one of the most important" that the company has ever signed, which is also a sponsor, for example, of Barça. The executive explained that in parallel to the money that ACE Barcelona and the Emirates Team New Zeland team will receive, Damm will allocate "a large additional investment" for marketing and activation campaigns to bring the competition to all citizens. "We are going to organize all kinds of events; the America's Cup will be fundamental for Barcelona's gastronomy," said the director of Damm.

Grant Dalton has once again expressed his satisfaction with having chosen Barcelona as the new setting for the oldest sports trophy in history, dating back to 1851. "The boats will be able to sail very close to the coast, something that is very rare; from the beach, citizens will be able to follow the race," he explained, after pointing out that they are designing a large village in the Moll de la Fusta that will have giant screens to also follow the competition. The head of the event noted that the transformation of the old IMAX is already underway, where the America's Cup Experience, an interpretation center for the race, will be installed, and where a restaurant will also open.

Another of his satisfactions is that all the participating teams' bases will be located "right in the city center" thanks to the characteristics of the Port de Barcelona, something "incredible" compared to the possibilities offered by other cities. "The America's Cup is clearly an accelerator of all the changes the port will experience; everything will happen faster," he stressed, also referring to the transformation of the Port Olímpic.

Villavecchia has also announced an agreement to sponsor the team led by Dalton, the Emirates Team New Zealand, where it will be one of the main sponsors, along with Omega, Toyota, and the Emirates airline. "Seeing the Estrella Damm brand shine on the sail of the defending boat is the icing on the cake, I hope we win!", he emphasized.

This same week, the Barcelona-based family group Puig also plans to announce a sponsorship agreement with the America's Cup, considered the third most impactful sporting competition worldwide, behind the Olympic Games and the Football World Cup.

Grant Dalton has announced that in the "next few weeks" the teams that will compete in the competition that are not yet here will arrive in Barcelona, so, "by mid-July, everyone will already be sailing in Barcelona waters" preparing for the first regatta, which will be held in September in Vilanova i la Geltrú. According to Dalton, the new vessel with which the Emirates Team New Zealand will defend the title is also already aboard a ship heading to Barcelona.

The America's Cup in Barcelona could generate an economic return of 1.2 billion euros for the Catalan capital, a figure equivalent to 0.5% of Catalonia's GDP. In addition, the event will generate 19,000 full-time jobs, according to a study carried out by Pompeu Fabra University (UPF).