Tropfest SEA offers golden sponsorship opportunities

THE world’s largest short film festival – Tropfest – will make its Southeast Asian debut in Penang this weekend, serving as a welcome boost for Visit Malaysia Year 2014.

Tropfest SEA 2014, as the event is known, is poised to draw in a crowd of 10,000 – a quarter of whom are expected to be visitors to the state – and generate an estimated revenue of RM12 million for the host country in tourism receipts.

Other cities around the world to have hosted Tropfest include Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

Tropfest’s history can be traced to over two decades ago in a small cafe in Sydney, where short films were screened to an audience of 200.

Today, the Australian edition of the festival reportedly commands a live audience of 150,000 viewers in a single night, and receives an average of 700 entries annually.

The Tourism and Culture Ministry has given its support to the event via Malaysia Major Events, a division of Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau, as the ministry is mindful of the positive spin-offs a festival like Tropfest will bring in placing Malaysia on the world map.

Internationally, the festival has been supported and judged by distinguished film industry professionals like George Miller, Naomi Watts, Elijah Wood, Toni Collette, Salma Hayek, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Baz Luhrmann, Ewan McGregor, Darren Aronofsky, Will Smith, Bryan Singer and many others.

Corporate sponsors include Intel, Sony, Qantas, Cointreau and MadFish Wines.

For an event that has the potential to spin off the business of the arts, promote corporate social responsibility and expose both local and international brands, Tropfest SEA can offer a multitude of partnership opportunities with brands aligned with this year’s festival and upcoming ones.

Save for Eastern and Oriental Bhd – which has been generous in allowing the use of its historic E and O Hotel for some events related to Tropfest SEA2014 – corporate sponsorship appears to be wanting.

A handful of hotels, a regional airline and a cruise operator have, however, come forward with lucky draw contributions.

Perhaps, the impact of how Tropfest can serve as a platform reaching to out to young trendsetters, who include film buffs, loyal followers of Tropfest events around the world and filmmakers, will be gauged by potential corporate partners after the inaugural event at the Esplanade at Padang Kota Lama.

For Tropfest Southeast Asia managing director Joe Sidek, the man who has been organising the annual George Town Festival, the pride of winning the rights to bring the event to the region, and to Malaysia especially, is one that is rooted on bringing the event “home”.

This source of national pride is also one aimed at showcasing Malaysia’s continous ability to host world-class events.

It is why the festival should be a sponsorship opportunity that must not be missed.

Tropfest SEA offers golden sponsorship opportunities