Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) has awarded Rugby Travel & Hospitality Limited (RTH), a joint venture between Sodexo UK and Ireland and the Mike Burton Group, the contract to exclusively create, implement and market the official travel and hospitality programmes for Rugby World Cup 2015 in England and Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan. The agreement extends the highly successful partnership between the world’s third largest single sporting event and RHT, following its delivery of the award-winning official travel and hospitality programmes for Rugby World Cup 2007 in France, achieving record sales figures.
RTH is also managing the delivery of the official programmes for Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand and with just over a year to go sales are ahead of target. Bernard Lapasset, Rugby World Cup Limited Chairman, said: “We are delighted to be extending our excellent partnership with RTH through to Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan. The company has vast operational experience, a highly professional and innovative approach and is globally renowned for delivering exceptional travel and hospitality programmes.” “The commercial ticketing programme has been one of the major success stories for Rugby World Cup, enhancing the tournament experience for hundreds of thousands of Rugby fans from all around the world and contributing massively to the global development of the Game.”
Andrew Burton, Chief Executive of the Mike Burton Group and RTH, said: “We are very excited about this fantastic opportunity to extend our association with Rugby World Cup. The decision to award the contract for two Tournaments is testament to the dedication, hard work and professionalism of the team. This is a prime contract and will help us deliver on our corporate objectives whilst benefiting the Game of Rugby around the world.” Chris John, managing director, Sodexo Prestige UK and Ireland, added: “We are delighted to have further strengthened our relationship with RWCL. Our values are based on an uncompromising approach to quality, whether it is in relation to the food we serve or the services we provide. These traits are mirrored in the work of RWCL and this contract is testament to the collaborative approach we have taken at previous events.”
In addition to the delivery of the official hospitality and travel programmes, RTH will also manage the in-stadia hospitality catering contracts for both tournaments under the new agreement. A market leader in the delivery of world class travel and hospitality programmes for major sports events, RTH is also part of the group that will create and deliver the exclusive in-venue official prestige ticketing programme for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in London. RTH will establish offices in London in 2012 to plan and deliver the RWC 2015 travel and hospitality programmes before moving to Tokyo in preparation for Rugby World Cup 2019.
