VOR AUCTION - OPPORTUNITIES LOST & STILL THERE?

[shanghaisailor]

Fuck me Shang join the dots and let me guess with a Vendor financed Management Buyout (that has no real money behind ithem other than to smooth out the rocky cash flows) it first guarantees another trip to China  and secondly they will call it  the "Xi Jinping Drives a Volvo Around the World Race" surely???

Since the 2008/09 Edition the camel jockeys and the Chinese have fucked this race yet with between them have only contributed 2 1/2 Teams in that period to warrant a huge disruption to an iconic event. 

This has been a Chinese owned Volvo marketing exercise for 20 years and will continue, nothing has changed, except the banker of it has now de-risked.

I'm earmarking this thread for two years out where the I told you so posts from many here get rebooted.

Calm down Jack, you lose focus and accuracy when you get excited.

Timing first of all:- Volvo, a Swedish company bought the race from Whitbread 20 years ago. In 1999, that's 18 years ago Jack they sold their car division to Ford, an American company if memory serves me well. It remained an American company until Geely bought it in 2009 - err that's 9 years ago Jack, not 20.

Plus of course the race, until December, was still 50% Swedish owned as it was only in December that Geely bought 8.4% of Volvo AB and I bet a sailing boat race didn't even enter into the price calculation. Anyway it is now ALL Swedish, or Spanish if you look at the company instead of the people.

I note from Rennmaus's post up above that they are retaining Mark Turner's 'other races' idea along with the two classes of boat although no guarantee the 2nd one will be an IMOCA look-alike

 

[jack_sparrow]

Calm down Jack, you lose focus and accuracy when you get excited.

Timing first of all:- Volvo, a Swedish company bought the race from Whitbread 20 years ago. In 1999, that's 18 years ago Jack they sold their car division to Ford,

Fuck me Shang you may find your knowledge of Volvo's history comes from my posts on SA..try the OP for starters. I have also been a shareholder of Volvo for over 35 years plus I've been a sucker for tall blondes and still am so I do know something. And I won't say the next bit for cred. Lecture some other prick on Volvo and race history mate.

Interestingly you have no comment on the go forward other than all will be rosy if the race stays Volvo/China centric it seems on defending that on this thread and only want to simply discuss arranging deck chairs for yet another proposed edition.

Let me guess.. .your planning a holiday on the Spratleys soon at the new Xi Jinping Hilton.

You need a breath of fresh air mate.

 

[stief]

I have also been a shareholder of Volvo for over 35 years and still am

Good. Can you fast-track my wife's order for her XC-40? She was told she can't get it until December (factory in Belgium overloaded, or something like that).

 

[jack_sparrow]

Good. Can you fast-track my wife's order for her XC-40? She was told she can't get it until December (factory in Belgium overloaded, or something like that).

Done.. send me the money..PayPal is good. I can deliver but you can't be at home.

 

[shanghaisailor]

Fuck me Shang you may find your knowledge of Volvo's history comes from my posts on SA..try the OP for starters. I have also been a shareholder of Volvo for over 35 years and still am so I do know something. And I won't say the next bit for cred. Lecture some other prick on history mate.

Interestingly you have no comment on the go forward other than all will be rosy if the race stays Volvo/China centric it seems and want to simply discuss arranging deck chairs for yet another proposed edition.

Let me guess.. .your planning a holiday on the Spratleys soon at the new Xi Jinping Hilton.

You need a breath of fresh air mate.

View attachment 272040

Like any seller of commercial sports sponsorship they will follow the money. If none comes from China or if none of the multinational sponsors have a particular interest in China then they probably wont be here but if the sponsor profile is anything like the last 2 races I am sure the sponsors would wish to have their name plastered all over a stopover here,

Money Jack - that's what it is about, sadly not countries or a yacht race

 

[Francis Vaughan]

Well this is all a bit underwhelming.

What we have is an announcement of Plan-B, with no Plan-A.

We have placemarker: There will be a race. There will be boats.
If all else fails there will be at least one sponsor, who may or may not have naming rights, and we have some boats that owe us nothing we can run the race in.

Perhaps in some ways it is good news. No silly decisions yet. Not much in the way of decisions at all.

 

[stief]

Well this is all a bit underwhelming.

True. No interrupting the Live with an announcement like Turner's exit, no flashy vid presentation, just a bland as possible press release.

Like the handling of the 69 in Capetown.

Meh. It is what it is. In some ways, preferable to vapourware Barnum and Bailey ringmaster pitches.

 

[southerncross]

Easy just download the Text-to-Speech App called "Dumb Cunt Can't Read" with the "Groucho Marx" add on  

Can't I just borrow your copy.  It's got all the good bits highlighted.

 

[southerncross]

And I thought you were smart guy SX..then again you didn't get that App did you.

I'm keeping an open mind until more details come out.  

Perhaps in some ways it is good news. No silly decisions yet. Not much in the way of decisions at all.

Wait and see for me.  I'm hoping for some positive aspects I can latch onto.  Otherwise, I leave it to the Gen Xers or whatever they're called now.

 

[southerncross]

Money Jack - that's what it is about, sadly not countries or a yacht race

Everything is about the money.  Trick is not to let on that it is.  

 

[jack_sparrow]

Money Jack - that's what it is about, sadly not countries or a yacht race

It is Shang but without Volvo there is no China dollars, so China has in effect contributed zip to this race, but worse still, fucked it on so many fronts, just as the camel jockeys have.

Don't worry I know you can't be convinced, let's wait a couple of years and see where the dominos fall.

 

[jack_sparrow]

Can't I just borrow your copy.  It's got all the good bits highlighted.

Ok just once..but no more...Bindy reakons your close to being a perve. View attachment 258329

 

[EYESAILOR]

If I had to make an educated guess.  Volvo sells the race to a professional management team who will retain Volvo as an anchor sponsor.

MK's educated guess was spot on.

 

[southerncross]

MK's educated guess was spot on.

 

[ct800]

foiling MOD70 ? 

 

[shanghaisailor]

It is Shang but without Volvo there is no China dollars, so China has in effect contributed zip to this race, but worse still, fucked it on so many fronts, just as the camel jockeys have.

Don't worry I know you can't be convinced, let's wait a couple of years and see where the dominos fall.

Makes me smile the way some people need to have a pop at China with the thinnest of excuses. Perhaps I would do the same if not so aware of some of the real facts.

But hey ho, let's not let facts get in the way of the real story.

I out, read way more than enough crap to last me a while

Anyone going to Gothenburg or Den Haag & fancy a pint?

SS 

 

[ModernViking]

During the last finish in Gothenburg I had dinner with a friend.
Of course we discussed the race in general and sponsorship.
This was, remember, the edition where Vestas were parked on an Indian Ocean shoal.
At this time I already knew about the Vestas Business Case for being in the race (it is not a secret, the right people can find the interview online).
During the after dinner drinks, we agreed that they would be the perfect sponsor for the race.
Of course they didn't listen, but I still think it would be a great idea.
This edition has further shown that their luck with boating is not the best, so I just wanted to put it out there.
Vestas, stop sponsoring boats, but take ownership of the race, it is the best possible fit with your agenda and your business case.

 

[Herman]

What we have is an announcement of Plan-B, with no Plan-A.

A sharp observation. In an ideal situation a big corporation with a sailing CEO would have bought VOR for say EUR 50 million or so. 8 boats on the balance sheet or so  plus the other half for goodwill. In return the CEO does his hobby and gets (brand)exposure. Volvo hands proudly the keys to the new owner and are very happy to drive away in their car as fast as possible. The VOR directors do get a nice pay raise and/or bonus and everybody lived happily ever after.

Not so. No one wanted to pay the required amount. The next best thing for all involved is this solution. Or the nuclear option, pull the plug. I’m happy that that last option has not come true yet. The next edition will be critical to evolve/expand/make money for all. Save money for sponsors by using the VO65’s a third time. There is no budget for a new class. Add the Imoca’s for more exposure. It’s a poor man’s solution, but let’s hope it will work because the alternative is the plug.

 

[Herman]

Anyone going to Gothenburg or Den Haag & fancy a pint?

I’ll be coming to Scheveningen*, beer sounds a good idea. 

* city marketing brushed the 114 year old name of the port aside for the VOR. The port was, is and will be Scheveningen.

 

[DickDastardly]

So they sold the race to the incumbent President.

Just scanning some of the ideas they have mentioned - they are almost ALL Mark Turner's ideas - we wait to see what Atlant will add on top.

Surprising but on balance their record should speak for itself.

Let's see what transpires and how fast.

Wonder what they'll call it

SS

Yeah, sounds like a reasonable step forward but plenty of thinking to come.  Atlant may not need to add much, but of course there will be key decisions around fleets mix and the  business models for teams and stopovers.  All good.