Worcestershire Commercial Director Jon Graham has hailed a successful first year in partnership with Arctic Spas as the Club's Main Sponsor.
One of the country's leading hot tub specialists came on board in that capacity in 2014 having previously been the Club's T20 sponsors and it is a link-up that Graham believes has been successful for both parties.
Arctic Spas signed a three year deal with the County and were prominent at New Road throughout 2014 with their purpose-built showroom showcasing the different varieties of hot tubs in the market place.
Their faith in the County was also rewarded with promotion to Division One of the LV= County Championship which will ensure an even higher profile next season.
Certainly the Arctic Spas brand has been ingrained into supporters and members with the polar bear logo on Club shirts evident around New Road and throughout the city.
Graham said: "The main sponsorship with Arctic Spa in 2014 has been a real success, we've done a variety of activities which included building a showroom on the ground which worked really well.
"It was arguably one of the best areas of the ground to watch cricket from. I know Arctic Spas President David Martin has had some good days at the cricket this year.
"The thing with sponsorship is it almost becomes a friendship and you have to make sure the sponsors are getting everything they can out of the partnership.
"This year was good but next year will be even better because we understand what is going to work for each other, what we can and can't do, the fact we can plan more effectively.
"That is the benefit of having long term sponsorship deals that you can learn. You might not be getting everything right in year one but you should be getting things right more often than not in years two and three. That is where you get the value."
Graham added: "The benefit for Arctic Spas is they have come on board in a successful year which has massively improved and raised the profile of the Club alongside what we have done as far as infrastructure is concerned and new buildings.
"As far as branding is concerned, everyone knows Arctic Spas is the Main Sponsor of Worcestershire. The polar bear logo has been ingrained into people's minds as part of Arctic Spas and the benefit of having the deal for three years is that it will just stay with people.
"Next year is a key year for lots and lots of reasons, whether it be Division One cricket, the 150th anniversary of the Club, or that we've got a T20 side that may be able to kick on.
"Obviously the benefit of that is more TV. Reaching the Quarter-Final as we did, that was another live TV game. Hopefully we will have a couple of those live games at New Road next season.
"The fundamental object of all the sponsorship packages we offer at Worcestershire County Cricket Club is a) to assist in building brand profile b) provide a platform for call to action campaigns if needed and c) generate a tangible return on investment. The cost of sponsorship at Worcestershire County Cricket Club is dependent on each individual partners requirement almost every deal we do is bespoke but ultimately provides value for money whatever level of investment.
"You are not talking rugby or football numbers and for the base of customers and supporters we've got, we can reach a lot of people. Within 20 miles of New Road, we can reach thousands and thousands of people that love our brand."
The Arctic Spas hot tub brand was developed in northern Canada, where the extreme climate guided their hot tubs into becoming the most energy efficient, longest lasting, and easiest to maintain in the world.
When the temperature fluctuates from -30 in the winter to +30 in the summer, a quality outdoor hot tub has to be built with extreme intelligence and only the very best components.
Now people all over the world appreciate the benefits of this design and Arctic Spas has been one of the leading hot tub brands in the UK since 2001.
Their hot tubs are for sale in over 30 stores nationwide and have a large central distribution centre to serve the growing community of customers.
(Image: David Martin & Daryl Mitchell)
