THE Department of Economic Development is supporting two local companies which have formed a partnership to help develop extreme sports participation in the Isle of Man. The initiative, which is designed to generate additional visitors to the Isle of Man and increase the number of participants in the Island’s annual sports calendar, is called ‘manXtreme’.
Sports PR specialist Redpoint PR and website developers MXMG have developed the initiative which also has its own website, www.manxtreme.com
As well as strategic assistance, the Department will also assist with a specialist press print and online advertising and PR campaign, with UK-based journalists also being encouraged to take part and report on the events. Many of the events will be filmed and will feature on the website and ‘manXtreme’s dedicated Youtube channel. A dedicated Facebook page and Twitter feed have also been set up to highlight latest news around the events.
The programme of 21 events features both new and well-established events such as the popular End 2 End Mountain Bike Race and the Parish Walk. It also features the ‘Microgaming Lighthouses Challenge – a 100 mile Cycling Sportive that first took place last year, the dawn to dusk ‘Race the Sun’ Ultra organised by the Children’s Centre and the recently announced TT Triathlon. It also includes fell, road and cross country running events, adventure races, and other cycling and mountain biking events.
The website will feature details of the main sporting calendar as well as downloadable maps and GPS mobile apps for some of the Island’s best mountain bike trails, runs, cycling routes and walks. Information on other sporting activities on the Isle of Man including sea kayaking, coasteering, surfing, kite surfing and windsurfing as well as open water swimming will also be available.
Visitors to the site will be able to enter many of the events online and book travel and accommodation packages as well as view a directory of event organisers, sports equipment suppliers and other useful contact details for an extreme Manx sporting experience.
Geoff Corkish MBE MHK, the Political Member for Tourism in Department of Economic Development commented:
‘We have a great network of individuals and organisations running extreme events and activities throughout the year and we are looking to present them within a single website that will make it easier for visitors and competitors to come to the Isle of Man.’
‘There is a huge and growing demand for extreme sports in the UK and internationally, particularly among high net worth individuals, and the Isle of Man is perfectly positioned to host and capitalise on this. We will be looking to build effective partnerships between everyone associated with these adrenaline-based sports and activities to generate new visitors and provide a further boost to the local economy.’
Simon Crellin, Director, ManXtreme Ltd, commented:
‘We are looking to work with any local clubs, organisations or providers who have a relevant event or service to promote. This is intended to be a local community initiative, sharing events, ideas and experiences that will hopefully benefit the local economy by also generating visitors.’
The www.manXtreme.com site is now live and information can also be found on Facebook and via the Twitter feed @manXtreme_iom.
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For further information on the calendar of events, to suggest additional events to add to the programme, or for access to high resolution images, contact:
Simon Crellin
Redpoint PR
Tel: 01624 830860
Mob: 07624 246222
