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n an exclusive interview, Fed Square senior manager of programs and partnerships, Mark Sinclair, spoke to Ministry of Sport about Fed Square’s plans to provide a hybrid sponsorship activation model through 2021 and beyond.

In part one of a two-part interview series discussing how Fed Square can work to boost Australia’s, and specifically Melbourne’s recovery from the effects of COVID-19, Sinclair said the mix of physical, digital, and virtual assets allows Fed Square to guarantee content delivery all year.

“We’re a pretty rare mix where we are a venue/precinct that produces year-round events, including plenty of events in the community, and on top of that we create our own digital and virtual content,” Sinclair told Ministry of Sport.

“I can’t think of too many, if any, rightsholders that have that unique mix of assets, and one of the blessings of Fed Square, is our premium location right in the heart of the Melbourne CBD, it’s a really rare position and we are thankful for it.

“Our anchors, which are themed event periods that typically last a month, include Christmas, New Years, Fed Summer, Sustainable September and others.

“This gives us great segmentation and great variety in our audiences, from culture buffs to social butterflies, sport lovers and big screeners, and what this does is allow brands to be very targeted during a specific anchor, or as they choose, they can reach that broad segmentation in a really broad community audience throughout the year.

“That hybrid model of digital, virtual, and physical assets allows Fed Square to provide something many others can’t; it’s guaranteed activation and content year-round.

“One of the challenges around COVID is that the impacts are likely going to be felt for some time, so this is why we’re choosing this hybrid model as our unique offering, we know it’s a gap in the market and it has positioned us quite strongly.

“One of the things we feel strongly about is, if you’re going to invest in sponsorships at this particularly time, you want certainty, and that’s what Fed Square provides,” he said.

Adding on to the value of Fed Square as an event and activation space during COVID-19 with social distancing rules and other restrictions still in place across the country, Sinclair said the digital production of events has remained a trend through COVID-19.

“We’ve invested in our multi-media department and assets like many,” Sinclair said.

“It’s not just the event that goes on, it’s also about recording that event and pushing it on to a wider audience.

“Whilst in the new COVID-normal, restrictions will still be in place, by us investing in live-streaming capabilities and putting out our own channel, we can push that out to a wider audience.

“Effectively, we are becoming our own media channel.

“So not only is there that physical component, but we also provide the digital side, where we can provide the content, record it, edit it and push it across our channels but also give it back to the brand or client,” he said.

When asked about Fed Square’s goals for 2021 and beyond to aid Australia’s recovery from the effects of COVID-19 on the economy, culture and everyday life, Sinclair described three main goals.

“We’ve just done a whole lot of segmentation analysis, which has really helped us reformulate our commercial offering,” Sinclair told Ministry of Sport.

“If I think about 2021 and beyond and our three main goals as a venue and a state government owned asset, number one is to lead the events recovery in Melbourne and provide a COVID-safe environment, number two is thinking about our anchor calendar, we want to be known for providing a kaleidoscope of experiences for the community, and the third one touches on the commercial aspect, which is securing precinct partners through offerings that combine the traditional sponsorship asset and events that many rightsholders offer, with the virtual and digital side,” he said.

Part two of the two-part exclusive interview series with Fed Square senior manager of programs and partnerships, Mark Sinclair, will examine how sporting organisations and rightsholders can use Fed Square as an activation space and event space to boost Australia’s COVID-19 recovery, along with their own commercial and fan value.

To find out more about the commercial success of Fed Square and the opportunities available in 2021, click here.