The first week of January saw Manchester United unveil a new partnership with Chinese property developer Harves that will see the football club open a series of club-themed entertainment and experience centres across China.
The inaugural Manchester United Entertainment and Experience Centres have been slated to open their doors in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang in late 2020.
The flagship Beijing centre will be located within the Beijing FUN development, in the historic Qianmen Dashilan area right next to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.
Each centre will offer interactive and immersive football experiences for fans and will deploy a suite of state-of-the-art technologies to bring Manchester United to life for Chinese supporters.
Football fans visiting the venues can experience what the match day atmosphere is like at Old Trafford and learn about the club’s players and its history of the club, as well as providing a chance to visit a MUFC themed restaurant and a club shop.
The deal was unveiled through a video-led PR push from both club and property company.
“We’re very excited to be partnering with Harves on the Manchester United Entertainment and Experience Centres concept, offering our millions of Chinese fans the chance to experience the club in a new and innovative way,” commented Man Utd group managing director Richard Arnold.
“We first visited China in 1975 and we’re proud to have seen our fan base in the region grow and develop their passion for United over the years. This new concept will allow them to get closer to the club they love.”
Harves CEO, Bo Zhang added: “Harves is honoured to partner with Manchester United and bring our property development expertise in the creation of these centres. We are excited to bring the rituals and emotions of the Manchester United experience to the youth in China, capturing what it feels like to be a member of this club. Rooted in its approach to training, its storied legacy and leadership, we will create a fully immersive experience that entertains, educates, and inspires the next generation of football fans.”
Comment:
Manchester United’s partnership machine has already turned out an official pillow partner ‘Milly’, an official tractor partner ‘Yanmar’ and an official paint partner ‘Kansai’.
And now it has an ‘official indoor entertainment centre partner (China)’ in the form of Harves.
Harves Entertainment is a division of Harves, a premiere Chinese real estate development and investment firm that has developed 55 million square feet of real estate over the last two decades.
Harves has a growing portfolio of assets which encompass enterprises across sectors including airlines, hospitality, and operations management.
The company’s entertainment group is focused on developing next generation cultural experiences for youth and their families in China, in partnership with the China Development Bank Capital Corporation Ltd.
Creating ways for overseas fans who are likely never to travel to a team’s home stadium for a game is an increasingly important task for the world’s leading football clubs and sports teams.
From Real Madrid’s immersive 360-degree Live The Dream digital experience (see case study), to Ferrari World, teams who want to deepen and maintain their support overseas must increasingly offer them more immersive club experiences than simply watching matches on television.
Links:
Manchester United
https://www.manutd.kohler.com/
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Harves
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