By Patrick Avenell
The 2011 Rugby Union World Cup in New Zealand is only eight games and five days old but BlackBerry’s Australian office has already seen enough to declare its sponsorship a success.
BlackBerry manufacturer Research In Motion’s ANZ MD Adele Beachley told Current.com.au that things were going very well across the Tasman.
“As an Official Sponsor of Rugby World Cup 2011, Research In Motion is pleased with the coverage and the exposure gained through this sponsorship, and excited that the BlackBerry is the official handheld mobile device of the event,” she said.
“At RIM ANZ we really wanted to join the RWC 2011 team and get behind the people of New Zealand, the hosts of this global event.
“We’re hosting a range of different guests at the games, we’ve created BlackBerry fan sites in Auckland and Wellington and in the lead up to the event, RIM participated in the development and promotion of the official RWC 2011 app for BlackBerry.”
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Beachley, who is the English MD of a Canadian company’s subsidiary in Australian and New Zealand, said she had mixed loyalties when watching the World Cup.
“Of course I’ll be watching the Australia and New Zealand games with great interest, as I call this part of the world my home, but as I work for a global organisation – and have lived in various parts of the world myself – I will also be interested to see how the other teams do. May the best team win!”
RIM’s mother country kicks off its World Cup campaign against Tonga tomorrow night in Whangerei.
Wallabies David Pocock and Salesi Ma'afu with Patricio Noriega exploring the BlackBerry PlayBook.