17th NSF: Organisations Frustrate Marketing Committee’s Efforts

The Marketing Sub Committee of the Local Organsing Committee, LOC for the 17th National Sports Festival has disclosed that it may not meet the expected target for the Festival following the refusal by some corporate bodies operating in the state to assist in the sponsorship of the festival.

The chairman of the committee, Mr. Amabipi Martins who said this in an interview with Tidesports in Port Harcourt said that the committee was not happy with the attitude of some companies for refusing to assist in the festival.

He said that even some of the companies that are getting contracts from the state government were also reluctant to assist the committee in hosting the festival.

“The situation is not too encouraging. We are disappointed that most of the companies operating in Rivers State are not identifying with the event,” he said.

According to him, the situation is now making it difficult for the committee to meet its set target. He said that so far, the committee was reaching almost a hundred million naira mark in cash and kind.

Mr. Martins listed the benefit of sponsorship of the event by companies in the state to include tax rebate, platform for advertisement, stressing that the festival which has more than fifteen thousand participants is a veritable platform to advertise ones business.

In his word, “we are having platform for advertisement. We are having platform for them to do business. We have about twelve to fifteen thousand participants and that is a market on its  own.”

He further said that the volume of business as far as the festival is concerned is inestimable , pointing out that a lot of advertisements from the festival will be carried both in National and international media.