The fight for brand awareness

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Dubai-based Transguard sets out to improve brand awareness - and it isn't pulling any punches.

When UAE-based security firm Transguard needed to ramp up its presence in the market and increase awareness of its activities, the company decided to organise an event that would pack a real punch.

Event organiser John Mamea-Wilson was brought in two years ago to oversee all of Transguard's promotional events and help boost awareness of the brand.

"The first priority was to grow awareness about Transguard and the second was to make money out of the events; I have budgets and targets to look after," he told MIME.

"The first thing I wanted to establish was to have a flagship event. I have done white collar boxing before in Australia and I thought bringing it here would improve the white collar brand and raise the profile of the company, just because of the corporate audience here."

White Collar boxing was created in New York's Gleeson's gym in the late 80's, when two non-professional boxers - Dr Richard Novak, an attorney and veterinarian, and Dr David Lawrence, a PhD in English literature - climbed into the ring together.

Since then the sport has developed into a more glamorous affair. A White Collar Boxing event includes a number of bouts made up of three two-minute rounds.

But there are no winners or losers in White Collar - every contender is considered a winner and no victory is awarded.

The most recent event, which took place at the Habtoor Grand Hotel on June 15, included a black-tie gala dinner attended by some 800 guests.

"We sell ourselves on the back of being a black tie dinner and then you have boxing in amongst it as well," Mamea-Wilson adds.

The first hurdle when Mamea-Wilson organised the inaugural event in June 2007 was finding a venue,  due to the fact that few hotels wanted to be associated with boxing.

Transguard finally settled on the Habtour Grand Resort and Spa Hotel, which has proved to be an excellent venue, Mamea-Wilson explains.

"Jumeirah turned us down the first time, but now they come to the event and are asking us to have it with them," he says.

Attract fighters - a mixture of senior executives including managing directors, vice presidents, and consultants - also proved challenging to begin with.

Since then the popularity of the event has grown and June's event was expanded to allow room for eight bouts; six men's bouts and two women's.

Competitors in the latest event included Holiday Autos managing director Nazar Musa.

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