Live Nation & Starwood Take Partnership Overseas
After the first year of their domestic partnership, Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Live Nation today announced that they will expand their sponsorship alliance beyond North America to include Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The crux of the partnership centers around providing exclusive experiences to members of Starwood's loyalty program, Starwood Preferred Guest.
In preparation for the international expansion of their alliance, Starwood and Live Nation recently began offering SPG members premium access to Cirque du Soleil's Saltimbanco and artist experiences with Depeche Mode in Spain, France, UK and Germany.
"We are thrilled to expand our alliance with Live Nation following the remarkable success of our first year. Now we are able to deliver robust music offerings to our members around the world, while attracting more customers from the millions of people across the globe who attend Live Nation shows," said Phil McAveety, Chief Brand Officer for Starwood. "We are continually developing new ways to offer unique experiences through this rich alliance that our members can share with those close to them."
The expanded relationship will give SPG members in Europe, Asia and the Middle East substantially similar benefits enjoyed by SPG members in North America including premium ticket access and priority seating, music-inspired promotions, exclusive access to top artists for select Live Nation concerts and retail discounts for artist merchandise.
"The fact that we continue to grow our strategic business alliance with a distinctive, global brand like Starwood reflects the value and reach of Live Nation's integrated live entertainment platform. By leveraging the tremendous breadth and power of the Starwood network, we are able to interact directly with even more avid music fans around the world," said Simon Lewis, Live Nation's President of International Marketing Partnerships. "We have already opened up a wide range of avenues to drive business among Starwood's hotel guests in the United States, and we expect to do the same on a global scale."
Live Nation helps Starwood drive room stays through multi-platform media placement at Live Nation venues and seamless hotel booking integration on all "Where to Stay" web pages on LiveNation.com. The site is the gateway for Live Nation event, venue and artist information and ticket sales, allowing Starwood to communicate in a targeted manner with millions of music fans. Live Nation expects to benefit from exposure in multiple Starwood media channels including online and in-room.
