High-profile sports event branding specialists ICON delivered the iconic look and feel of London 2012, UEFA Euro 2012 and the FIFA World Cup 2010, turning spaces into world-class branded environments

This year saw them working on the Ryder Cup, which took place at Gleneagles from September 23rd to 28th, the 2014 Ryder Cup saw success not only for the European Team, but also for all those involved behind the scenes in staging one of the world’s largest sporting events.

ICON played a major operational role, delivering The Ryder Cup’s look programme which was such an important element of the event presentation. Set against the stunning Perthshire scenery, ICON was responsible for dressing all the tees, grandstands, camera towers and scoreboards in addition to some impressive signature pieces within the tented village, media compound and both opening and closing ceremonies.

Working with original designs developed by Ryder Cup Europe’s creative agency Total Design, ICON’s production facility supplied approaching 10,000 individual items, all of which had to be collated, delivered and installed by a crew of 42 men over a month-long build-up. The 18th Green Grandstand alone carried over 430 square metres of branding – enough to completely wrap five London buses! Added to that were the 21 other grandstands, 14 big screens, over 300 wayfinding signs, 400 crowd barrier jackets, two kilometres of fence dressing, 147 flagpoles and eight interactive pods with built-in RFID technology.

Wherever possible, elements were recycled from The 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, where ICON delivered a similar programme, and re-branded to the event’s new livery. ICON also worked with Ryder Cup Europe over the preceding twelve months to develop the scope of works for the Look, Branding and Wayfinding at Gleneagles.

Commented David Gurney, ICON’s Head of Golf Operations: “The Ryder Cup is a huge challenge, from the initial production phase through to the on-site build. Given the sheer scale of the event we have to be very flexible and ready to adapt to new demands each day, and we fully appreciate the trust that Ryder Cup Europe place in us by awarding us this responsibility.”

Ryder Cup Operations Director Antonia Beggs stated: “ICON has been a trusted member of the operational team, not just for The Ryder Cup, but also for other major events on the European Tour at home and overseas for nearly forty years now. It is a tribute to their high standard of workmanship, reliability and flexibility that this relationship has lasted for so long and we continue to place our faith in them to deliver outstanding results for an event of the stature of The Ryder Cup.”