A once-in-a-generation elite sporting event taking place this summer in the West of England will offer a unique showcase for Bristol’s businesses.
The UIPM Modern Pentathlon and Laser Run World Championships are being staged at the University of Bath in August, providing unparalleled sponsorship, hospitality and staff engagement opportunities for firms in the region.
The event, which takes place between 19-28 August, will attract around 100 of the best all-round athletes on the planet to do battle in swimming, fencing, horse riding and laser run - combined running and shooting.
Staged alongside the elite event – which is a qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games – will be a full interactive experience to give hundreds of spectators a chance to discover the five disciplines for themselves.
This will include the chance to try laser run, the fast-paced event combining running and shooting which has its World Championships in Bath from 19-21 August ahead of the pentathlon.
Organisers Pentathlon GB, based at the university’s world-leading National Training Centre, wants to engage West of England businesses at all levels of the 10-day showcase – with a wide range of sponsorship packages available, including hospitality facilities in the university’s world-renown Sports Village.
As well as branding opportunities, supporting businesses will also be offered tickets to the event for staff as well as other methods of backing an event that will attract international media attention, including TV coverage.
The region’s leisure and hospitality industries will also have opportunities to benefit from an influx of athletes, sports professionals and visitors to the city – with many of them expected to tag extra days onto their itinerary to enjoy the area’s tourist attraction.
Visit West, the destination marketing organisation that includes Visit Bristol and Visit Bath, is actively looking at opportunities to showcase the region ahead of the event on the international stage and is working alongside Bristol Airport to maximise the global attention and encourage inbound tourism.
There will also be a high-profile official launch in Bath’s Roman Baths and supporting events around the city to fit in with the over-arching themes of fitness and wellbeing, which are increasingly being used as key marketing messages to attract tourists to the region.
Pentathlon GB head of operations Steph Parsons said: “We want as many businesses to be as part of this world-class event as possible.
“It’s not often we get the chance to put the region on the international map in this way and elite sport is a great way to bring people together.”
The UIPM Modern Pentathlon and Laser Run World Championships 2023 were awarded to Britain following a successful joint bid between Pentathlon GB, UK Sport, Bath and North East Somerset Council, and the University of Bath, which has been home to Pentathlon GB’s National Training Centre since 1998.
This year’s championships are the first to be staged in Britain since 2009 and will be contested in a new, action-packed 90-minute format.
Spectators will watch the fencing, horse-riding and laser run live from their seats in an outdoor arena, while the swimming section – taking place in the STV’s Olympic-sized pool – will be broadcast via a large video screen in the stadium.
Earlier this week pupils from Warmley Park School near Bristol, Pentathlon GB’s inclusion partner, joined reigning Olympic Champion Kate French and rising star Myles Pillage at the World Championships host venue, pictured, to try their hand at some of the sports spectators will be able to watch when the championships take place.
Daily tickets are now on sale priced from just £5, with entry to Pentathlon Finals Day on Sunday 27 August – when both the men’s and women’s champions will be crowned – priced from £15 for adults and £5 concessions. All tickets in the accessible stand are £5 throughout the event.
Tickets are available now at wch2023.org along with more information about the event.
