Performance sailing

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The graphics were designed to curve around the shape of the hull.

Sailor and director of epi, Keith Thompson is using sailing as a promotional platform.

A long time Dubai mariner?

I started sailing at DOSC when I arrived here eight years ago, and have sailed on several sponsored boats, including the Maktoum Sailing Trophy-winner Pal Zileri, and on David Rostant's Mattafix last season. From first hand experience I saw the potential in using the sport as a platform to promote epi International as part of our broader marketing strategy. To be competitive in sailing you need all the attributes we strongly believe in as a high performance investment company focused on result: teamwork, determination, vision, know-how, the will to win and having the right tools to succeed. A perfect match.

So sailors are your target?

Yacht owners, sailors and sailing enthusiasts in the Middle East tend to fit our target demographic very well indeed. Our target market consists of those people who want access to sound investment opportunities. Our entry investment figures are manageable for the majority of middle to senior managers in the region, providing the kind of investment usually only available to high net worth individuals.

What products does epi International offer?

In short, epi International offers investment opportunities, using a tailor-made model designed by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which provides the best possible returns for offshore investors. Our investments to date have focused on commercial property, but we are in the process of incorporating our business in the DIFC as a regulated organisation, thereby allowing us to expand our range of investment products. Our directors personally invest in all of our syndicates; a clear statement that we fully believe in our products as we invest alongside our customers, paying the same fees, taking the same risks and earning the same returns.

How have you approached this sponsorship project?

Our objective is to increase our profile and further establish our brand image. Not only are we branding epi Mattafix and providing crew clothing, we are also hosting the epi International Regatta at DOSC on the 16th and 17th November. With the Mumm 30 being a high performance boat, we came up with the strap-line of ‘high performance investing', allowing the epi brand to be associated with what we do out on the water. Although the livery on epi Mattafix creates an impactful floating billboard, the regatta will then reinforce our profile.

Why a regatta?

The regatta provides marketing opportunities that compliment our sponsorship of epi Mattafix, and provides us with a more rounded participation in the sport and involvement with people who we would like as Investors and Business Partners.

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