TO2015, the organization behind the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games announced yesterday that Toronto Pearson International Airport and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority have joined the Games as a partner.

The airport will act as the official welcome partner of the Games, and will deploy brand ambassadors to greet athletes, media, dignitaries and consumers.

In turn, the Games will leverage the airport’s traditional and digital ad space. It will also host arts and culture exhibits to tell the story of the Games and Canadian athletes, and work with the airport to set up a retail footprint and sell Games merchandise, both leading up to and during the festivities.

Rick Ramsbottom, VP of sponsorship sales and partnership services, TO2015, tells MiC that a partnership with Pearson Airport and the GTAA was not only a good fit, but necessary to ensure that the Games run smoothly.

He says that, on top of the fact that almost 100,000 people pass through it every day, the airport is also important because it will be the first and last impression that visitors have of the Games.

Toronto Pearson and the GTAA join a long list of sponsors, including the CBC, which will broadcast the Games, Pattison Outdoor Advertising, which is the official OOH supplier, the Toronto Star, which is the print and digital media supplier, and CIBC, Chevrolet and CISCO, which are all premiere sponsors.

Ramsbottom says the Games are still actively seeking new partners, and will likely continue to do so up until three or four months before they start.

The Pan Am Games are set to take place in the GTA July 10 to 26, 2015, with the Parapan Am Games following from Aug. 7 to 14.

Photo: Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion at yesterday’s partnership announcement.