It’s not every day that a group of branch and sale managers, procurement teams and senior management get the chance to down tools for a set of darts and a chance to beat a world champion.
But that’s exactly the scenario that delegates at the Graham national conference in Birmingham found themselves in last month, when they stepped to the oche to take on Mark Webster.
As sponsor of professional darts player Mark Webster since January this year, Uponor invited visitors to the stand to put their precision skills to the test in a direct competition with Mark himself.
Over 100 people took the challenge with many winning a set of Uponor branded darts for beating Mark's six-dart score with their own nine-dart total. The top scorer each hour was then invited back to play Mark in a traditional game of ‘501’.
Martin Nichols, branch manager at the Graham Plymouth branch, threw the top score of the first hour and played Mark in the professional match format. He finished on double 16 to win the game and walked away with a dart board signed by Mark.
Uponor regional Sales Manager Jeff Wyn Jones attended the exhibition, which he says was a huge success. “The feedback from the delegates at the show was very positive. Having the chance to play a former world champion was a real draw and many people came back for more at the end of the day.”
The Graham conference was organised to give branch managers and buyers the chance to meet suppliers and find out about new products. Organisers say the conference was an ideal time to reflect on the company’s proud 75 year history, celebrate with staff and suppliers alike, and look positively to the future.
In addition to the darts activity Uponor representatives at the show also introduced delegates to its new RTM professional plumbing system, underfloor heating solutions and its heat pump products.
Renewable energy was a focus of the exhibition and Uponor’s ‘bespoke system solutions’ offer complete packages for customers looking for more environmentally friendly options.
Jeff added: “A lot of companies sell heat pumps. What we do is to look at each individual project and offer more in terms of the finished solution. We will assess each project individually and see what is the best way forward. If heat pumps are suitable we can specify the right one together with the most appropriate underfloor heating package.”
For more information about Uponor click on www.uponor.co.uk.
ENDS
Uponor is a leading supplier of plumbing and indoor climate systems for the residential and commercial building markets across Europe and North America and a market leader in municipal infrastructure pipe systems in the Nordic countries. Uponor's key applications include heating and cooling solutions and tap water systems. The Group employs ca 3,300 persons in 30 countries. In 2009, Uponor's net sales totalled 730 million euros. Uponor Corporation is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd., Finland. http://www.uponor.com
Two of the world’s leading darts players have signed major sponsorship deals with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles ahead of the 2011 Premier League.
Currently ranked at number 13 in the world, Webster from 
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ head of marketing, David George, said: “This is a new and exciting arena for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. As an ex-mechanic and plumber respectively, James and Mark are both perfect ambassadors for the brand. 
“With significant television and live audiences, darts is a great platform to continue raising awareness of our commercial vehicles brand. Everyone at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will be hoping James or Mark can claim the Premier League and many other trophies in 2011.”
