​MSC Cruises & Chelsea Football Club Announce Partnership

MSC Cruises has announced a partnership with Chelsea Football Club. The cruise line will become the official global cruise partner of the football club.
 
The multi-million-pound partnership will also extend to LED perimeter advertising, VIP hospitality, star player engagement as well as a dedicated digital marketing presence. It will commence in January 2019 and will run until June 2021.

To celebrate the partnership, ambassadors from Chelsea Football Club will attend launch event of the cruise line’s newest ship, MSC Bellissima, which will be named in Southampton on 02 March 2019.
 
In addition, the new ship will be the first in the MSC Cruises fleet to benefit from the partnership, with signed Chelsea Football Club memorabilia displayed on board in the British themed pub on board.
 
Gianni Onorato, CEO of MSC Cruises, said: “For MSC Cruises, this is an exciting opportunity to be working with the respected and highly successful Chelsea FC – the brand as well as the overall organisation. It is part of MSC Cruises’ strategic focus on the UK & Ireland, with the two markets being a key part of the next phase of our global growth plan. It is also designed to build further positive brand association as well as introduce our distinctive cruise experience to new audiences both in the UK & Ireland and globally.”
 
MSC Cruises is currently the leading cruise brand in Europe as well as in the Gulf, South America and Southern Africa. The cruise line is currently in the midst of a 10-year, €13.6 billion investment plan, adding a total of 17 new ships to its fleet between 2017 and 2027. MSC Cruises has a strong globally presence and has welcomed over 170 different nationalities on board its cruise ships.
 
Chris Townsend OBE, Commercial Director, Chelsea Football Club, said “We are delighted to announce a partnership with MSC Cruises at such an exciting time for their business. With the imminent launch of their new ship, it is the perfect time to begin our partnership and we truly believe that working together, we can help MSC Cruises to achieve their strategic goals, both locally, in the UK and Ireland, and globally”