The chill in Parkmore was kept at bay on June 29, when ESPN hosted a VIP sports festival for the business’s partners and stakeholders.
The carnival was held on the MAX serviced offices rooftop, which was converted for the night into a sporty wonderland for guests and their families.
Offerings included an ocean of freshly prepared food, warm and cold beverages, popcorn, and cotton candy.
ESPN Africa, owned by the international company brand of the same name, exists as a joint venture in partnership with the Walt Disney Company in Africa – who own a majority stake in the brand.
The director of sport at the Walt Disney Company Africa Kyle de Klerk said the event existed to show how the company takes care of ESPN business across the African continent.
“This just came about as a great opportunity for ESPN to showcase the different kinds of sporting properties on our brand’s channel to audiences, media, and partners,” De Klerk said. “Apart from the food, there are so many different activations here; where people can enjoy major league cricket activations, NFL, NBA, soccer juggling, and PS5 as well. We have some of the latest EA games here.”
Among the distinguished ‘attendees’ was a golden representative from a family of eight identical trophies which are currently touring the world. The Larry O’Brien NBA trophy was one of the central characters at the event, welcoming guests as each arrived. Photographer Barry Aldworth explained the significance behind the trophy.
“This is the real trophy. There are eight of them in the world, identical, and on any one day this could be the one which was lifted.” Aldworth said. “They’re all authentic. Boston Celtics became record holders when they won this just two weeks ago.”
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