WePlay are delighted to be shortlisted for Agency of the Year at the Sports Industry Awards 2025.

A first for us as an agency, the award celebrates the role of an agency in contributing to the development of sports in the region. This is a fantastic way to celebrate the work the team has created and supported in the Middle East. We are committed to helping our partners grow their audiences, build deeper fan connections and unlock new revenue opportunities at a pivotal time in the region where there is a cultural shift for healthier, active lifestyles.

Our highlights from our work in the region include:

ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon

Delivered a record-breaking campaign for the ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon, contributing to over 33,000 participants and a new national record. We led creative, media, and event branding for the marathon, transforming Abu Dhabi into a fully immersive race experience, with our role spanning the full campaign ecosystem, from digital strategy and performance marketing to brand identity, creative production, and event dressing. We brought the event to life through immersive 3D motion videos showcasing the race route, medals, and experience,designed to inspire participation and fuel excitement. Dynamic paid ads, high-impact email designs, and content-rich social assets drove both registrations and engagement.

SailGP Abu Dhabi

Our continued partnership with SailGP to deliver a focused ticketing strategy for their Abu Dhabi event in Season 4, 2024. Our remit was to drive paid ticket sales through a multi-phase, performance-led campaign across five digital platforms, combining prospecting, re-targeting, and contextual display. The multi-platform ticketing campaign achieved a sell-out event and exceeded sales targets by 114%.

Aspire Academy

Created and launched Aspire Academy’s 20th anniversary campaign, celebrating its legacy through storytelling and digital engagement. The team commemorated this milestone through the creation of a hero video and accompanying logo design, encapsulated in the ‘I am Aspire’ narrative, which chronicles the mission of the Academy, young athletes’ move from developmental grassroots to elite-level sport.

UAE Tour

Developed a holistic marcomms strategy for the UAE Tour to celebrate its 7th edition and unite the seven Emirates through sport. In partnership with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and RCS Sports, we delivered a bold and unified vision for the Tour’s identity, creating a culturally rich and globally resonant campaign. Our on-site content teams captured and produced daily content in real-time, supported by our HQ team, to drive a content engine that kept fans connected, engaged, and emotionally invested throughout the Men’s and Women’s race events. Every touchpoint from race infrastructure to digital media was crafted to celebrate the diversity of the Emirates and elevate the Tour’s standing as the Middle East’s flagship cycling event.

Looking forward to 2025 and Beyond

WePlay is proud to be deepening our commitment to the Middle East as we continue to support the region as a global sports hub.  In 2025, we played a leading role in the UAE Tour, supported the Iron Dames in Doha, and will again partner with the Abu Dhabi Marathon.  Again, we give thanks to our team who work incredibly hard behind the scenes to continually deliver high-quality client outcomes.

To support this momentum, we are establishing a permanent office in the UAE, enabling us to serve our partners more closely and strategically. As the Middle East cements its position on the global sporting stage, WePlay is proud to help shape its future through creativity, performance, and partnership.  We remain focused on performance and flexibility, delivering work that is not only creative and commercially effective, but built for the realities of today’s industry. We continue to unlock fan engagement and deliver commercial success at scale, in order to drive measurable growth for our clients and partners.

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