INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS GROUP EXPANDS TO EUROPE WITH OPENING OF BARCELONA OFFICE AND HIRING OF INDUSTRY VETERAN ALEX SORIANO, CONTINUING THE FIRM’S LONG-TERM AGREEMENT WITH FC BARCELONA TO COMMERCIALIZE PARTNERSHIPS FOR ESPAI BARÇA.
Wednesday, July 26th, 2023 Los Angeles, CA Innovative Partnerships Group, a global leader in naming rights and sponsorships with a focus on developing long-term revenue generating relationships between prestigious professional sports and entertainment properties and global brands, announced today that the firm has officially and formally expanded into Europe with the first office in Barcelona, Spain.
This global expansion is anchored by the firms partnership with FC Barcelona, as the clubs exclusive global partner for the partnerships commercialization of Espai Barca in a multi-year collaboration.
Innovative partnerships group has hired Alex Soriano as vice president of global partnerships to head up the firms entry into Spain, based out of Barcelona. Mr. Soriano has a vast experience in the industry where he has held senior executive positions at Kosmos & Octagon.
“We could not be more thrilled to have chosen Alex to help expand innovative partnerships group. His track record speaks for itself in leading premier sports projects around the world with a deep rolodex throughout Spain and Europe,” said CEO Jeff Marks.
In December 2022, FC Barcelona announced a strategic partnership with innovative partnerships group to identify and secure new partners and strategic associations for the Espai Barca project. With significant momentum already in the marketplace, led by the Global Alliance with Phillips (Ambilight tv) earlier this year and the official Espai Barca groundbreaking in may 2023, the revamp of Spotify Camp Nou is under full swing.
“We are excited to launch our first international office and accelerate our growth into Europe, continuing our long-term partnership with FC Barcelona,” stated Matt Wiener, partner & managing director of Innovative Partnerships Group.
“Our search to find the right candidate was extensive and we could not be more excited to welcome Alex to our team to help execute record breaking partnerships on behalf of FC Barcelona and Espai Barca.”
In his role as commercial director at Kosmos, Mr. Soriano oversaw the commercial sales and marketing functions for the Davis cup and the kings league. Prior to Kosmos, Mr. Soriano worked close to 15 years at octagon including sponsorship sales responsibilities for projects in tennis, cycling, football & beach soccer.
“Innovative Partnerships Group is the global leader when it comes to identifying, building and executing next generation sponsorships, said Soriano, a 20-plus-year veteran of sports and entertainment. The passion, approach and commitment to collaboration stand apart in our industry and I’m excited to join the firm during this next chapter of growth.”
Alex Barbany, executive director for Espai Barca said, “We look forward to continuing our longstanding collaboration with innovative partnerships group as we maximize new revenue associated with the future of Spotify Camp Nou and we welcome Alex and the team on the ground here in Barcelona.”
About Innovative Partnerships Group
Innovative Partnerships Group (IPG 360) is a leading Los Angeles-based naming rights, business development and international marketing firm focused on generating long-term strategic business partnerships for prestigious global brands. It is specialised in the sports, music and entertainment industries and has extensive experience with clients from professional leagues, governing bodies and franchises and teams from the main sports competitions including LaLiga, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS, MLB and the Olympics.
Innovative Partnerships Group also works with a patented system, Partnership Intelligence ™, which helps companies and brands accurately assess, align and measure their potential sponsorship deals. The company has been recognised on several occasions in recent years by Sports Business Journal as one of the leading sports marketing agencies in this industry
