How a Sponsorship Request Came Full Circle on the Ice

Sponsorship with added value

We sponsor this skating team – and not just with our logo on a banner or a mention in a programme booklet. The beauty of this collaboration is that it’s truly a win-win.

Last year, Team IKO-X2O approached us with a request to become a sponsor. But they also saw another opportunity: they could use some extra support behind the scenes.

Behind the scenes of a top sports team

And believe us, there’s a lot more going on backstage than you might expect. From organising the annual press conference, where the new team is presented, to handling the logistics around competitions: booking hotels, arranging flights, communicating last-minute changes – the list goes on. Even the more “office-like” tasks – taking minutes, tracking action points – are crucial to keeping everything running smoothly.

For us, it was a fantastic challenge to contribute to this. Our VA Marion supports Team IKO-X2O through Moneypenny, ensuring the skaters can focus on what really matters: going fast on the ice.

A special moment on the SS Rotterdam

This year, the partnership became even more special. Their annual press presentation was held on the SS Rotterdam, a ship belonging to the Holland America Line.

And that brought a personal story to the surface. My own mother worked as an executive secretary for the Holland America Line in New York in her early thirties. She travelled with the line to the United States to continue her career there.

How remarkable, then, that decades later we are now, through Moneypenny, contributing to Team IKO-X2O – who held their press presentation on a ship of that very same Holland America Line. For me, it feels as though the circle has come full circle: from secretary on the Holland America Line back then, to Virtual Assistant for a top sports team today.

And the funny thing? It all began with a simple sponsorship request.

Marianne Sturman
Founder and Director