Hasbro UK will this weekend kick off the UK & Ireland MONOPOLY National Championships, a nationwide search for a Champion to represent the UK & Ireland at the MONOPOLY World Championships in Macau, China, in September. Fuse Sport + Entertainment, part of the Omnicom Media Group, has worked with Hasbro UK to develop a touring MONOPOLY Bus, which will travel the UK and Ireland hosting 12 preliminary rounds, in search of 24 lucky winners who will attend the UK & Ireland MONOPOLY National Championships Final at The View from the Shard, London on 19th July.
The MONOPOLY Bus, complete with Mr MONOPOLY, will visit 12 regional locations over six weeks, kicking off in Northern Ireland on Saturday 30th May. Venues include shopping centres, Asda stores, sports venues and English Heritage sites: Belfast Crumlin Road Gaol, Dublin Wicklow Gaol, Coventry ASDA, Castle Mall (Norwich), Brodsworth Hall (Doncaster), Newcastle Gateshead ASDA, intu Braehead (Glasgow), Manchester Eastland’s ASDA, Celtic Manor Resort (Cardiff), Bristol Patchway ASDA, Portchester Castle (Hampshire) and Kenwood House (Hampstead Heath).
Applications have already opened for the preliminary rounds, which will see four heats take place each day in two age categories (8 – 17 years old and 18+), and are free for the public to enter. Games will be played aboard the MONOPOLY Bus, and will be timed, with the highest scoring player from each heat going through to a final at the end of the day in each location. The resulting 12 adult & 12 junior winners will then attend the UK & Ireland MONOPOLY National Championships Final at The View from the Shard, London on 19th July. Almost 2,000 players are expected to participate over the six week campaign. Fuse Sport + Entertainment are overseeing the integrated campaign for Hasbro UK, from sourcing venues, production of The MONOPOLY Bus, as well as overseeing the day-to-day management of the competition itself.
“We’re travelling the UK and Ireland searching for the very best MONOPOLY players and giving fans of all ages the chance to reach the grand final. The events are designed for the whole family in mind and are set to be a thrilling competition from start to finish,” said Kay Green, Hasbro UK Marketing Director. “What better way for us to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of MONOPOLY than for a British or Irish champion to bring home the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP title in Macau?”
Sam Joseph, Account Manager, Fuse Sport + Entertainment, said: “MONOPOLY is the most popular board game in the world, and you’d be hard pushed to find someone who hadn’t been through one or two gruelling battles around the table. The challenge for Fuse Sport + Entertainment was not to create awareness for MONOPOLY but more so to celebrate the game, and with this year being the 80th Anniversary it was the perfect occasion. We’re looking forward to taking the bus on tour and the UK & Ireland Champion being crowned; hopefully they can then go all the way when they get to China!”
For more information or to apply online, see: http://monopolychampionships.co.uk
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CONTACT DETAILS
For more information please contact Kate Fairclough, Fuse Sport + Entertainment
kate.fairclough@fuseint.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Fuse Sport + Entertainment
Fuse Sport + Entertainment is a leading sport and entertainment agency, part of the Omnicom Media Group. We create inspiring partnerships and experiences for brands. We are proud to have won UK Sponsorship Awards ‘Consultancy of the Year’ two years in a row, 2014 & 2015, and the 2014 ESA Professional Development Award. We have over 80 staff in the UK and 150+ across Europe. Current clients include Vodafone, Disney, Royal London, Gatorade, McDonald’s, Google, Nissan, Intel, Virgin Media, HTC, Waitrose, John Lewis, Starbucks, Pepsi, Specsavers and Visa.