Bord Bia has put a call out to Irish brand owners who might be interested in sponsoring the Bloom horticultural festival held in the Phoenix Park every summer. The call for strategic partners comes as Bord Bia adopts a new vision for Bloom, which has grown from its roots as a gardening festival supporting Irish horticulture into a major outdoor experience.
Bloom hosts over 100,000, predominantly ABC1 consumers over the June bank holiday weekend. Bord Bia recently appointed Laura Douglas (above) to head up Bloom and develop its brand partnerships. Douglas has created and delivering major national events such as the Guinness Open Gate Brewery, Carlsberg Cat Laughs and the Vodafone Comedy Festival.
Douglas said that Bord Bia aims to work closely with brands to build on Bloom’s success and reposition the festival as a world-class horticulture, food and drink experience, with nature and sustainable living at its heart. The move follows a shift in its audience with 75 per cent of its 110,000 visitors in 2022 under the age of 54, and over half aged between 35-54.
The demographic shift reflects an increased interest in gardening and sustainable living among a younger cohort. While Bloom is still treasured by its traditional female, 55+, ABC1 audience, there is growth in its key target market of male and female, 35+, ABC1. Douglas said this is where Bord Bia sees the most potential as the festival is reshaped for a new era.
Collaborate
Bord Bia is inviting pioneering brands to collaborate on Bloom as it develops a three-year plan to reach world-class standards in sustainability. There are three main strategic partnership opportunities available:
- Sponsor a show garden – Creative brands are invited to bring their stories to Bloom through sponsorship of one of the festival’s flagship show gardens. Brands will have a blank canvas to tell their story through the medium of horticulture, partnering with a leading Irish or international garden designer.
- Become a sustainable partner – Bord Bia is seeking a partner who shares the organisation’s commitment to sustainability to work with and support the team in ensuring that the festival is as sustainable as possible through every touchpoint.
- Sponsor a feature – A number of features and activations are also available for sponsorship at Bloom 2023.
The show gardens at Bloom have attracted various sponsors over the years, including Santa Rita Estates, Universal Pictures Ireland, Aldi and the National Dairy Council. The festival has also provided a platform for a number of charities to engage directly with new audiences, including the Marie Keating Foundation which received PR valued at €1.5 million.
