As everyone will know, there is a great deal of caution evident in UK business at the moment and as a result, marketing spend at every level is being examined extremely closely.
APAT have been in negotiations with Blue Square for several months on the make up of Season Three and as a result of developments in the last couple of weeks, we have taken the decision to put two significant APAT initiatives on hold for for the new season.
Included within this was the National Qualifying series, which was set to replace the Regional Championship in Season Two. So, effectively the local level £20 events will disappear for Season Three, effectively a victim of the credit crunch.
APAT has had many approaches from competitors to Blue Square, who would have welcomed the opportunity to take up this sponsorship. However, we have an outstanding partner in Blue Square and we felt it was very much in APAT members interests that we took a long term view, taking current market conditions into account, when finalising our partner base for Season Three.
So, I"m pleased to confirm Blue Square as APAT's headline sponsor in Season Three. They have cut their marketing spend back significantly elsewhere so it is a real sign of the determination on both sides to continue on from Season Two.
With the exception of the National Qualifying series, I believe that Season Three is a significant step forward on Season Two and I hope you all enjoy it.
