The multinational company Logicom has been the premier partner of the historic Cyprus Marathon since 2015. We discussed with Aline Hobeika, the Marketing Manager of Logicom, about the partnership between Logicom and the Cyprus Marathon. Aline has been working for Logicom for the past 20 years. She started as the Marketing Officer of their subsidiary in Beirut, Lebanon and moved to Cyprus back in 2008. She currently holds the position of Marketing & Communications Manager for the Group’s Distribution Division. Here’s what Aline shared with us! Tell us a little bit about Logicom A.H.: Logicom is an international group of leading Information Technology companies with headquarters in Nicosia, Cyprus.
The Group’s activities include: The regional wholesale distribution of Technology Solutions & Services. The provision of turnkey integrated solutions including Business Consulting Services, Business Software, and IT Infrastructure Solutions as well as Managed Services. Investments in two desalination plants and in Demetra Holdings PLC. Why did Logicom chose to partner with the Cyprus Marathon? A.H.: Our collaboration with the Cyprus Marathon started in 2015 when the organizers approached us to sponsor the event. Their professionalism and enthusiasm in presenting their plans for the oldest Marathon event in Cyprus, as well as their vision for its future evolution, triggered this partnership. Their passion resonated with our company values and decided to join efforts and partner in this journey. This feeling, coupled with what this sporting event promotes to our community, such as health, physical activity, competitiveness and team spirit, as well as showcasing what our beautiful Mediterranean island has to offer, helped us make the decision to start this relationship and become the event’s official main sponsor. It is important to note that all these attributes are aligned with our Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility approach, and its contribution to the local community. What do you want to achieve through this partnership? A.H.: This partnership enables the Logicom Group to pass the message of the benefits of exercise, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, respecting competitors, following rules, teamwork and bringing people together despite their various backgrounds and creating a social bridge between them. It is the ideal platform to encourage people to rethink their lifestyle and consider changing it to their benefit and bring quality and balance into their lives. Partnering with a sporting event, such as the Cyprus Marathon, reflects Logicom’s drive for excellence and fulfils its desire of achieving new heights.
Aline Hobeika at the finish of the Logicom Cyprus Marathon (2015) Who is participating in your running team? What distances do they prefer? A.H.: The Logicom Running Team includes colleagues and their families, customers from all the countries in which we operate, and business associates. The most popular race amongst our Team is the 5km Fun Run, as they can enjoy it with their families. We also, however, have great athletes within our Team who participate in all other races. What is the feedback from the Logicom Running Team participants? A.H.: Members of the Logicom Running Team have always been very enthusiastic about the event, and this is reflected through the increase in the number of participants year on year. The message we get after the end of each event is that “we are coming back next year…”. Did your team evolve through the years and how? Ηow many people do you expect to participate this year? A.H.: The first year we sponsored the Marathon in 2015, we started with our colleagues within the Cyprus Operation. In the past couple of years, the event crossed the boundaries of Cyprus and we now have more participants from all regions we operate including customers, vendors, and business associates.
We started out with about 100 participants in the Logicom Running Team and reached over 550 in 2019. We expect this number to grow this year even more and keep the record of the largest running team year on year. How has the event and the partnership evolved through the years? A.H.: The event and the partnership have been a great success and we have had an excellent cooperation with the organizers throughout the years. To give an indication of the success in numbers, we started with around 700 participants in 2015 and we expect around 4,000 in 2020. Our aim is to provide a unique experience to all participants year on year, which will encourage them to return for the next Marathon. The event now takes place over three days, offering various activities that make it even more attractive to all participants. Before closing, tell us what are yours and your team’s insights and highlights for the 2020 event. A.H.: We have great expectations for yet another memorable Logicom Cyprus Marathon. Speaking for myself and on behalf of everyone else in the Logicom Running Team, we are very enthusiastic to participate in this year’s event and look forward to this Sun, Run & Fun weekend in March, and to be back in the beautiful town of Pafos. This year is going to be even more special because together, with the Organizers, we have decided to officially support a local Non-Profit Organization, the Karaiskakio Foundation. We hope that many will join us to #Runforkaraiskakio and support the cause. It has been a great achievement and successful journey so far, and our ambition is for this to continue at the same pace. We hope and wish for yet another memorable event! We look forward to seeing everyone in Pafos on March 15th!
Members of the Logicom Running Team at the Finish line!
