Arcuri: no case to answer for London & Partners sponsorship

London & Partners has said that its decision to award Jennifer Arcuri’s Innotech conference with sponsorship was made in a “normal commercial way based on the event’s value”
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London & Partners has said that its decision to award Jennifer Arcuri’s (pictured centre) Innotech conference with sponsorship was made in a “normal commercial way based on the event’s value”.

Arcuri was thrown into the spotlight this week after a Sunday Times report questioned the nature of her relationship with Boris Johnson during his time as Mayor of London.

Speaking to Conference News, Allen Simpson, London & Partners’ director of strategy and corporate affairs, said: “Following a thorough search of our records, it is clear that the decision to sponsor the events managed by Innotech was made in a normal commercial way based on the event’s value as a promotional opportunity for London’s tech scene. We have found no evidence of involvement by the Mayor or his team in the decision.”

London & Partners is a not-for-profit public-private partnership, funded by the Mayor of London and various partners. The organisation’s remit is to promote the UK capital as a destination not only for leisure, but for business, for which business events are a key component for driving growth.

It is not uncommon for London & Partners to provide subvention funding to event organisers who are able to demonstrate a positive case for business in London.

Simpson outlined London & Partners’ sponsorship agreement with Innotech. It read: “In 2013, London & Partners sponsored an Innotech conference at the World Islamic Economic Forum, following an approach by Jennifer Arcuri. The sponsorship was commercial in nature, and cost £10k plus VAT.  

“This sponsorship was agreed within London & Partners at the appropriate decision-making level for the sum. The sponsorship included branding at the event, inclusion on an industry panel and exposure to an international tech business audience to generate leads for inward investment into London.”

Simpson added: “In 2014, London & Partners sponsored an Innotech Tech vs Brains events at a value of £1,500 + VAT. This lower level of sponsorship did not include a speaking opportunity.

“We have no evidence of mayoral involvement in the decision to sponsor these events, which was taken prior to the mayor agreeing a speaking role.”

In a general statement circulated to the press, Simpson said: “We are aware of the Sunday Times story which related to decisions taken by a previous mayoral administration.

“Since the management of these trade programmes has come into London & Partners, significant additional governance has been put in place. We have also tightened rules relating to procurement. We are confident in these controls and in our team.”

Image: Flickr, labelled for reuse

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