Virgin Atlantic has signed a three-year deal to be headline sponsor of Europe’s largest LGBT awards.
The airline said Attitude Awards, launched by Attitude Magazine in Mayfair in 2012, had grown to become one of the biggest entertainment and cultural events in the UK calendar.
Previous attendees have included Prince Harry, Cher, Kylie Minogue and Laverne Cox.
The most recent awards ceremony – held earlier this month – saw super-stars Ricky Martin, Whoopi Goldberg, Boy George and Idris Elba converge on The Roundhouse in London’s Camden, where the event is staged.
The sponsorship deal will see the event rebranded as ‘The Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards’ and will be one of two hero sponsorships for the airline – the second being a multi-year partnership with the National Football League.
Virgin said the event would engage a lot of its remote workforce ‘who identify as LGBT or consider themselves an LGBT ally’.
It said it would use the event to strengthen ‘brand health metrics’ through the high-profile sponsorship, and promote routes on its network that have a heavy propensity for LGBT travel, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City and Miami.
Mark Anderson, EVP of Virgin Atlantic and global LGBT lead for the Virgin Group, said: "Diversity and inclusion is a fundamental component of the Virgin brand, and we’re so excited to bring our LGBT commitments to the fore again through such a colourful and vibrant partnership.
"The Attitude Awards will be a standout moment on our annual calendar, exciting customers and colleagues alike."
Attitude owner and publisher Darren Styles said: "We couldn’t ask for a better partner than the team at Virgin. We have a huge amount of respect for the bravery and belief from the team at Virgin Holidays who were willing to take a gamble on the first LGBT awards ceremony of its kind all those years ago.
"We’re really pleased to retain our connection with the Virgin family, and are thrilled Virgin Holidays have transferred this partnership to Virgin Atlantic – together we’re going to super-charge the event and bring it to new heights."
The first Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards will take place in October 2019, although the specific date and venue are yet to be confirmed.
