The Puma Social Club Volvo Ocean Race Party – A Review

I attended many events in 2011, but this Puma event was one of the few that impressed me. The party was part of a bigger marketing campaign and brought together various elements into this function.

The primary element of the marketing campaign was the Puma entry in the Volvo Ocean race. The first leg of the race was from Alicante in Spain to Cape Town and Puma had arranged all sorts of events and activities around their boat, Mar Mostro.

The first I heard about it was when they launched a special limited edition beer (600 cases only) in collaboration with &Union. Kreechr was Puma’s second collaboration with &Union, the first being Unity beer during the World Cup to tie into their sponsorship of African soccer teams in the World Cup.

It was through the beer that I learnt about Mar Mostro and the Volvo Ocean Race, which is apparently the most hardcore ocean race ever. The party at Quay 4 in the Waterfront was to celebrate the performance of Mar Mostro in the first leg of the race. Unfortunately the Puma boat actually dismasted but managed to stay in the race and arrived in Cape Town with enough time for repairs before the next leg.

The party started at 4pm which meant plenty of sunshine, and it was a perfect day. There were top DJ’s (eg. Craig de Sousa) laying down some funky beats before the bands started playing at about 8pm. Included in the lineup were legend bands like Them Tornados, Jack Parow and The Wedding DJs.

With a lineup like that it was no surprise that the event was well attended. There was an extra bar outside to ensure it was easy to get a drink (why do so many events struggle with this simple concept?), and there was plenty of Kreechr beer available at the bars.

As you would expect from a Puma Social Club event, there were social games like table tennis, foosball for additional entertainment.

I had a great time. I arrived early and left late without being bored. I had a great chat with someone that works at Puma about their environmental initiatives and it was uplifting to hear that Puma are taking their environmental responsibility very seriously.

You can read more about the Volvo Ocean Race and the adventures of Mar Mostro here.